Congo, land of mysteries and adventures

The "Congo" Myth The Congo Basin has always fascinated and fueled many myths, fantasies, and dreams of exploration from the European continent. This was the case well before its official discovery from the 15th century onwards. As early as the first century, Ptolemy had already approximately located the Mountains of the Moon (Ruwenzori Range) and the Great Lakes on his famous world map. The Pygmies and okapis were also already known to the old world and fed many tales, from the writings of Pliny the Elder and Aristotle, as well as hieroglyphs dating back 2,500 years. This preexisting fascination with this territory led to numerous expeditions, widely followed and publicized at the time. This resulted in the creation of the Independent State of the Congo at the end of the 19th century, a personal property of a monarch who also became mythical: Leopold II. But other legendary figures and historical episodes have fueled fascination with the Congo: the 1871 meeting of explorer Stanley and the missing Dr. Livingstone ("Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"); the relief expedition to Emin Pasha, also led by Stanley. Not to mention the 19th-century Arab slave campaigns which, although very real, nonetheless fueled many fantasies and contributed to building the "Congo myth." All that was needed was a certain Joseph Conrad with his enlightening "Heart of Darkness" (1902), the evocation of missionaries who went to evangelize into the heart of Africa, and other epic colonial tales (construction of the railway, anti-slavery campaigns, capture and exhibition of Pygmies, legends of cannibalism or man-eating lions, etc.) to add to the collective imagination about this truly incredible land.