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Product Description
The young reporter Tintin and his faithful dog Snowy set off on assignment to Africa. But a sinister stowaway follows their every move and seems set on ensuring they come to a sticky end. Tintin and Snowy encounter witch doctors, hostile tribesmen, crocodiles, boa constrictors and numerous other wild animals before solving the mystery and getting their story. First published in book form in 1931 (in black & white only), Tintin in the Congo reflects the colonial attitudes of that period in its depiction of African people. Herge himself admitted that he was influenced by the bourgeois, paternalistic stereotypes of the period. This is also true of the treatment of big-game hunting and the attitude towards animals. All copies of the book will be displayed with a belly-band advertising its content.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The Tintin series starts and ends with different types of weakness. At the end of Herge's career the books are visually elaborate but lack the visual spontaneity that makes Herge's greatest albums so loved; on the other hand, at the beginning they are masterpieces of the comic-book serial form, but they are weaker in terms of plot. Until recently, the earliest of the adventures to be commonly available was Tintin In America, so there was a lot of interest among fans when first Tintin In The Land Of The Soviets and then Tintin In The Congo were republished.
Given the fall of Communism, the right-wing orientation of In The Land Of The Soviets attracts very little criticism now. In The Congo, however, plays on some readers' sensitivity to issues of colonialism, racism and animal welfare. To my mind, condemning this book on the third count is like saying that Jerry should be kinder to Tom. There is some merit to the accusation, though, that this book promotes ideas of colonial paternalism: the Congolese are treated sympathetically, but very much as gullible children. Also, they are drawn with curly hair and thick lips, which might itself be considered offensive in a comic strip drawn today.
Any responsible parent will want to flick through this book before handing it, or reading it, to his or her child, but while there are things here that should probably be explained by reference to their historical context, there is nothing here that I would personally regard as outrageous. Tintin does not mistreat the natives, and Herge's concern regarding the exploitation of indigenous peoples is clear from his depiction of Native Americans in Tintin In America (the next of the adventures to be published). Indeed, the book could play a valuable part in educating a child about how our views about Imperialism changed in the latter half of the Twentieth Century, but that lesson can only be taught to a child old enough to understand it.
This, then, is a secure purchase for those who enjoy Tintin. It's isn't a great entry point to the series: the best books for that are probably still The Crab With The Golden Claws and The Blue Lotus. Nevertheless, it is more than a historical curiosity.
Given the fall of Communism, the right-wing orientation of In The Land Of The Soviets attracts very little criticism now. In The Congo, however, plays on some readers' sensitivity to issues of colonialism, racism and animal welfare. To my mind, condemning this book on the third count is like saying that Jerry should be kinder to Tom. There is some merit to the accusation, though, that this book promotes ideas of colonial paternalism: the Congolese are treated sympathetically, but very much as gullible children. Also, they are drawn with curly hair and thick lips, which might itself be considered offensive in a comic strip drawn today.
Any responsible parent will want to flick through this book before handing it, or reading it, to his or her child, but while there are things here that should probably be explained by reference to their historical context, there is nothing here that I would personally regard as outrageous. Tintin does not mistreat the natives, and Herge's concern regarding the exploitation of indigenous peoples is clear from his depiction of Native Americans in Tintin In America (the next of the adventures to be published). Indeed, the book could play a valuable part in educating a child about how our views about Imperialism changed in the latter half of the Twentieth Century, but that lesson can only be taught to a child old enough to understand it.
This, then, is a secure purchase for those who enjoy Tintin. It's isn't a great entry point to the series: the best books for that are probably still The Crab With The Golden Claws and The Blue Lotus. Nevertheless, it is more than a historical curiosity.
49 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As with a lot of people, I guess, I've bought this book as an adult after being a fan of the books as a child, and out of curiosity at the controversy surrounding it.
Looking at it from a modern perspective, I didn't feel particularly offended by the racism. The stereotypes portrayed are so out of date they become almost meaningless and you don't automatically interpret the negative assumptions. In fact, the arrogance and paternalism of Tintin is just absurd to modern eyes and makes Tintin look foolish and naive rather than the African people. If you've been taught anything about race issues you'll be able to put the story into context and you'll see the racism from the historical perspective rather than taking any inherent malice away from the book.
On the other hand, the attitude towards wildlife is probably more offensive today than it ever was at the time of writing. If Tintin's stance towards Africa's people didn't put you off him, then his lack of respect for its fauna probably will!
As other reviewers say, the story is fairly weak and the overall style is not a scratch on the later books. Still, it's a worthwhile investment for the older fan, satisfied the curiosity for the missing book and makes for an interesting study of the controversial issues. For children it's definitely not the book to start with, but, I don't think it requires the ban that we had to face, especially with the modifications Hergé himself made and the stereotypes it enforced, hopefully long gone.
Looking at it from a modern perspective, I didn't feel particularly offended by the racism. The stereotypes portrayed are so out of date they become almost meaningless and you don't automatically interpret the negative assumptions. In fact, the arrogance and paternalism of Tintin is just absurd to modern eyes and makes Tintin look foolish and naive rather than the African people. If you've been taught anything about race issues you'll be able to put the story into context and you'll see the racism from the historical perspective rather than taking any inherent malice away from the book.
On the other hand, the attitude towards wildlife is probably more offensive today than it ever was at the time of writing. If Tintin's stance towards Africa's people didn't put you off him, then his lack of respect for its fauna probably will!
As other reviewers say, the story is fairly weak and the overall style is not a scratch on the later books. Still, it's a worthwhile investment for the older fan, satisfied the curiosity for the missing book and makes for an interesting study of the controversial issues. For children it's definitely not the book to start with, but, I don't think it requires the ban that we had to face, especially with the modifications Hergé himself made and the stereotypes it enforced, hopefully long gone.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I'll admit I bought this purely because of all the fuss in the media concerning racism, etc and because I did not know it even existed- I have every other Tintin book.
The plot is relatively simplistic, but then it was early days for Herge and the character was not really fully developed and neither was the storytelling style.
I did not really feel that racism was a central theme in this book at all; just about EVERY other Tintin book has him, as the central character, being portrayed as superior to everyone else, either morally, mentally or physically, it just happens that in this book the characters happen to be congalese natives in grass huts, speaking broken english, employing a witch doctor,etc. I feel what the complainants really want is an apology from Belgium for the entire period of colonial rule (which admittedly was appalling) but thats by the by.
I wasn't too keen on the wholesale slaughter of african wildlife just for fun, even presented in a jocular fashion- tintin accidently wipes out a whole herd of gazelles instead of the one he was supposed to catch for the pot, for example.
But it is important to remember that big game hunting was a popular pastime back then.
modern day concerns were really not on the agenda of the average person when the book was first written.
accept the book for what it is, a cartoon strip written in the 1920s that has very little relavence today aside from a glimpse of social attitudes from the past.
The plot is relatively simplistic, but then it was early days for Herge and the character was not really fully developed and neither was the storytelling style.
I did not really feel that racism was a central theme in this book at all; just about EVERY other Tintin book has him, as the central character, being portrayed as superior to everyone else, either morally, mentally or physically, it just happens that in this book the characters happen to be congalese natives in grass huts, speaking broken english, employing a witch doctor,etc. I feel what the complainants really want is an apology from Belgium for the entire period of colonial rule (which admittedly was appalling) but thats by the by.
I wasn't too keen on the wholesale slaughter of african wildlife just for fun, even presented in a jocular fashion- tintin accidently wipes out a whole herd of gazelles instead of the one he was supposed to catch for the pot, for example.
But it is important to remember that big game hunting was a popular pastime back then.
modern day concerns were really not on the agenda of the average person when the book was first written.
accept the book for what it is, a cartoon strip written in the 1920s that has very little relavence today aside from a glimpse of social attitudes from the past.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Only buy this if you want the complete collection
This is not Herge's greatest work, but it does complete the collection, so well worth it from that perspective. Read more
Published 2 months ago by hazza
TinTin
Item was securely wrapped and protected on receipt. Completed the set of TinTin books my husband had collected since a young boy.
Published 5 months ago by Jan
WOW !!!
This is one cartoon character which doesn't need any review. Every single story is a favourite of mine and I wish they would turn each of that into a motion picture. Read more
Published 5 months ago by UMESH PEDNEKAR
Racist? No. Boring? Yes
I only ordered this after hearing a UK radio discussion on the Nick Ferrari breakfast show about the 'racism' controversy. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. B. R. Good
Problematic book
I've known this book as a child - I had a Dutch version and later, when I learnt German, a German version as well. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Blik Snyman
Ahhh Tintin...
This was the first Tintin story that I read, and loved it. It really made me want to continue reading the series, and I have. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Kirst
The one that has big problems with political correctness
Tintin's second adventure after Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (which having never been revised and coloured, seems to remain outside the official canon) has only been published... Read more
Published on 1 Jun 2010 by Keris Nine
Ban Tin Tin NEVER !
I used to enjoy Tin Tin adventures when I was young and was horrified to learn that there were moves to ban the story Tin Tin In The Congo. Read more
Published on 31 May 2010 by Commissioner Sanders
Buy it before it gets banned!
Apparently there are people trying to get this classic book banned because they think it's racist. Lighten up for god's sake! Read more
Published on 28 April 2010 by M. Evans
Tintin
I enjoyed all these books as a child. I bought this one due to all the p.c. hype about it lately. I believe people that judge this book racist are themselves guilty of generational... Read more
Published on 20 April 2010 by David J. Thompson
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