{"id":562,"date":"2012-08-14T13:00:14","date_gmt":"2012-08-14T13:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/?p=562"},"modified":"2012-08-14T13:00:14","modified_gmt":"2012-08-14T13:00:14","slug":"congo-a-booklist-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/","title":{"rendered":"The 75th Anniversary Congo Trip: A Booklist Part One"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Before heading over to Congo, our team was busy reading up on Congo\u2019s recent history. Three excellent books tell Congo\u2019s courageous yet harrowing story as a Belgian colony turned dictator state (Zaire) and even more recent stories of liberation freedom amongst\u00a0ongoing civil strife.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/covbooks.com\/products\/dancing-in-glory-of-monsters\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft  wp-image-566\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2012\/08\/dancingintheglory_large.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"151\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2012\/08\/dancingintheglory_large.jpg 312w, http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2012\/08\/dancingintheglory_large-195x300.jpg 195w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 151px) 100vw, 151px\" \/><\/a>Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and The Great War of Africa (2011)<\/em> by Jason K. Stearns is the most recent account of Congo\u2019s history between liberation and two civil wars (a conflict which continues to escalate in the eastern part of the country). Stearns\u2019 holds no punches. This is a war journal coupled with first-hand accounts of hope amidst struggle for better days. After setting the book down, one is struck by two things: 1) the DRC\u2019s utter vastness (it\u2019s essentially the size of Western Europe, bordered by nine countries and home to Africa\u2019s third largest city, Kinshasa) and, 2) \u201cThe Great War of Africa\u201d which involved nine countries and included the loss of over 5 million lives \u2013 the deadliest conflict since World War II &#8211; so why haven\u2019t we heard more about it?<\/p>\n<p><!--more-->Stearns\u2019 paints a complex story of warring countries, militia groups, and tribes all vying for means of power through control of land, waterways, capital and natural resources. It\u2019s a clarion call to not over-simplify things \u2013 especially when it pertains to the Congo, Africa\u2019s second largest country \u2013as well as to look for signs of hope. Stearns concludes in his updated introduction with this reflection:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThe Congo is not just blood and gore. It also has an incandescent, raw energy to it, a dogged hustle that can be seen in street-side hawkers and besuited ministers alike\u2026 This is the paradox of the Congo: Despite it\u2019s tragic past, and probably in large part due to the self-reliance and ingenuity resulting from state decay, it is one of the most alive places I know.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/In-Footsteps-Mr-Kurtz-Disaster\/dp\/0060934433\/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1344477735&amp;sr=8-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-571\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2012\/08\/in-the-footsteps-of-mr-kurtz.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"134\" height=\"208\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2012\/08\/in-the-footsteps-of-mr-kurtz.jpg 306w, http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2012\/08\/in-the-footsteps-of-mr-kurtz-193x300.jpg 193w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 134px) 100vw, 134px\" \/><\/a>In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in Mobutu\u2019s Congo (2001)<\/em> by Michaela Wrong, is essentially a prequel to Stearn\u2019s book. Wrong\u2019s work is a dizzying first-hand account of the last days of Mobutu Sese Seko\u2019s reign, juxtaposing hunger on the streets and decaying infrastructure with the dictator\u2019s lavish lifestyle, European style luxuries in the capitol, and an elite class totally out of touch with the needs and dreams of the majority of Zairians\/Congolese.\u00a0 It\u2019s a great read, not only because of Wrong\u2019s tireless efforts to uncover corruption and graft, but her care and attention to share stories from the industrious, artful friends she meets along the way. There\u2019s also a story on Africa\u2019s second largest nuclear reactor that you can\u2019t miss.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/King-Leopolds-Ghost-Heroism-Colonial\/dp\/0618001905\/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1344477735&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=in+the+footsteps+of+mr.+kurtz\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft  wp-image-582\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2012\/08\/9530161.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"228\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2012\/08\/9530161.jpg 313w, http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2012\/08\/9530161-197x300.jpg 197w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>Finally, the most well-known western account on Congo history is likely <em>King\u00a0<\/em><em>Leopold\u2019s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa (1998) <\/em>by Adam Hochschild. Coupled with Hochschild\u2019s <em>Bury the Chains<\/em> history on abolition in the British colonies, it is one of the most important books written in the past few years. When looking at the history of Africa, one can\u2019t forget the ties to colonialism and the expansive growth of economies in the global north. The story, specifically of Belgian Congo, and the Congo Free State, outlines in graphic, careful detail, the exploitation of the colonized by King Leopold II, who held only nominal power in Belgium but ruled the Congo as a ruthless, if absent, dictator. <em>Leopold\u2019s Ghost <\/em>not only is a gruesome account of Belgian plundering and abuse of the people in \u201cthe heart of Africa\u201d but recovers a meaningful and moving narrative of local African leaders and expatriate missionaries. These local leaders and missionaries awakened hearts and minds abroad to mobilize as part of the 20<sup>th<\/sup> century\u2019s first global human rights movement. It\u2019s an important story for people of prayer and activism today: we can mobilize to end great, horrifying realities.<\/p>\n<p>So, for us, as we spend time with our sisters and brothers in Congo this week, it\u2019s important for us to remember. Remember history, remember to listen to all our interlinking stories, and remember that we can mobilize together and break the backs of great injustices in our own day. How will we break the cycle of extreme poverty together? By remembering our shared human complexities; each of us doing our part.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-report-this\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo?moderation_action=report_form&#038;object_type=post&#038;object_id=562&#038;width=250&#038;height=300\" class=\"thickbox\" title=\"Report This Post\">Report This Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before heading over to Congo, our team was busy reading up on Congo\u2019s recent history. Three excellent books tell Congo\u2019s courageous yet harrowing story as a Belgian colony turned dictator state (Zaire) and even more recent stories of liberation freedom amongst\u00a0ongoing civil strife. Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-travel"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The 75th Anniversary Congo Trip: A Booklist Part One - Covenant Kids Congo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 75th Anniversary Congo Trip: A Booklist Part One - Covenant Kids Congo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Before heading over to Congo, our team was busy reading up on Congo\u2019s recent history. Three excellent books tell Congo\u2019s courageous yet harrowing story as a Belgian colony turned dictator state (Zaire) and even more recent stories of liberation freedom amongst\u00a0ongoing civil strife. Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Covenant Kids Congo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-08-14T13:00:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2012\/08\/dancingintheglory_large.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2a26f1b1df304098ad9cbae0bbf2c6e8\"},\"headline\":\"The 75th Anniversary Congo Trip: A Booklist Part One\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-08-14T13:00:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":743,\"commentCount\":1,\"articleSection\":[\"News &amp; Updates\",\"Travel\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\\\/\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\\\/\",\"name\":\"The 75th Anniversary Congo Trip: A Booklist Part One - Covenant Kids Congo\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-08-14T13:00:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2a26f1b1df304098ad9cbae0bbf2c6e8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The 75th Anniversary Congo Trip: A Booklist Part One\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/\",\"name\":\"Covenant Kids Congo\",\"description\":\"Powered by World Vision\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2a26f1b1df304098ad9cbae0bbf2c6e8\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed9f85aca58d0540113c3fcae90abb716831fd0b1d806d275666cf7052268ea9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed9f85aca58d0540113c3fcae90abb716831fd0b1d806d275666cf7052268ea9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed9f85aca58d0540113c3fcae90abb716831fd0b1d806d275666cf7052268ea9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/covenantkidscongo\\\/author\\\/covwebster\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The 75th Anniversary Congo Trip: A Booklist Part One - Covenant Kids Congo","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The 75th Anniversary Congo Trip: A Booklist Part One - Covenant Kids Congo","og_description":"Before heading over to Congo, our team was busy reading up on Congo\u2019s recent history. Three excellent books tell Congo\u2019s courageous yet harrowing story as a Belgian colony turned dictator state (Zaire) and even more recent stories of liberation freedom amongst\u00a0ongoing civil strife. Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and [&hellip;]","og_url":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/","og_site_name":"Covenant Kids Congo","article_published_time":"2012-08-14T13:00:14+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2012\/08\/dancingintheglory_large.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/#\/schema\/person\/2a26f1b1df304098ad9cbae0bbf2c6e8"},"headline":"The 75th Anniversary Congo Trip: A Booklist Part One","datePublished":"2012-08-14T13:00:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/"},"wordCount":743,"commentCount":1,"articleSection":["News &amp; Updates","Travel"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/","url":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/","name":"The 75th Anniversary Congo Trip: A Booklist Part One - Covenant Kids Congo","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-08-14T13:00:14+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/#\/schema\/person\/2a26f1b1df304098ad9cbae0bbf2c6e8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/congo-a-booklist-part-one\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The 75th Anniversary Congo Trip: A Booklist Part One"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/#website","url":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/","name":"Covenant Kids Congo","description":"Powered by World Vision","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/#\/schema\/person\/2a26f1b1df304098ad9cbae0bbf2c6e8","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed9f85aca58d0540113c3fcae90abb716831fd0b1d806d275666cf7052268ea9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed9f85aca58d0540113c3fcae90abb716831fd0b1d806d275666cf7052268ea9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed9f85aca58d0540113c3fcae90abb716831fd0b1d806d275666cf7052268ea9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"url":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/author\/covwebster\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=562"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":662,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562\/revisions\/662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/covenantkidscongo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}