A New Statesman Book of the Year 2007

A rare first person account of the complexities and predicaments that face the people of the Congo. – Wanderlust

A love letter to a little-known and deeply troubled nation.- Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold’s Ghost

 

Brutalized by colonialism, plundered by politicians and destroyed in terrifying civil wars: Congo Brazzaville is Africa at its worst. But it is also home to people who inspire hope through their courage, their determination, their enduring optimism, and their sense of fun.

Brazzaville Charms is a unique portrait of a country long ignored by the rest of the world. This first-person account, based on original research and interviews, tells the story of militiamen who are led by a dreadlocked reincarnation of Christ, of exorcisms and sorcery, of pygmies who are owned by their masters, of timber companies exploiting the rain forest, and of the wars that have been caused by oil.

 

BUY Brazzaville Charms

Publisher: Frances Lincoln, October 2007