Robert W. Harms

Great book - purchased after reading the generous Kindle ‘sample’. The pics and maps on the Kindle are mostly too tiny to see (two exceptions). Quite a lot of places are, however, locatable on Google Maps. Dates and maps are needed to follow the interwoven stories. The account of the rescue of Emin Pasha is extensive, but in no way is it adequate, compared to Manning. Except for the interesting explanation of WHY the unfortunate Emin was killed. The casual way in which Stanley’s parties killed local people to steal their food, and ‘captured’ the porters they needed is reported from diaries, without any comment needed. The destruction of pre-colonial societies and cultures beyond 1910 is pinpointed in a short, powerful epilogue, invoking Vansina’s work. Copper exports replaced ivory and rubber. One of the major suppliers of recruits to the mines, was the Luba chief Lumpungu. He had previously been a slave-raiding vassal of Ngongo Luteta. Now he conducted raids to procure workers and sent them to the mines on three-year contracts. “Many of his recruits died on the way to the mines; others never returned to their homes, and their deferred wages were collected by Chief Lumpungu himself.”… (mais)

A great read, based on the journal of a French slave trader. This book takes us through the details of a slave voyage, beginning with the economics driving the slave trade, moving through the actual acquisition of slaves and their sale in the Americas, and ending back in France. If you are interested in the slave trade, this is arguably the most detailed book available. It does not make wider speculations about whether this trip was typical of slave trading, but it does provide an amazingly detail on a specific voyage.… (mais)