Customer Reviews

Facing the Congo: A Modern-Day Journey into the Heart of Darkness

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've recently become a fan of Jeffrey Tayler's writing. Having just finished "Angry Wind" I quickly ordered two more of his books, including "Facing the Congo." It's quite a harrowing tale.

In the 1990s Tayler traveled up the Congo on a freight barge to Kisangani and back down on a native canoe (pirogue). Throughout the narrative I found myself cringing at some of the descriptions and wondering why anyone would put themselves through such a trial. In retrospect it was a very foolhardy adventure. The problem was, however, once he was in the middle of it there was nothing to do but finish, dangerous though it was.

Throughout the tale, Tayler's white face provokes and incites the people along the Congo River. There's no getting around it and at times his life is in real danger. One wonders, however, how he could come to some of the decisions he made. He hires a guide he barely knows, a guide whose incompetence is maddening. The guy buys a shotgun (with $300 of Tayler's money) that doesn't work, he lets his family use all the precious drinking water to do laundry and he spouts passages from the Bible and Zaire's employment law at night or while they're paddling downriver. What a nightmare.

The lives of the Zaireans, in many cases, appear to be hell on earth. Their hand-to-mouth existence causes them to take desperate action, resulting in corrupt officials and military constantly angling for bribes, fellow barge passengers begging Tayler for anything, boldly demanding he give them money and food or, worse, trying to rob him, or (if they could get away with it) murder him with machetes. As a "mondele" (white man) he's seen with great suspicion about his motives but also as a bottomless source for riches. The people along the Congo can't believe he's not there to pilfer their country of diamonds so he's faced with hostile reactions everywhere he goes.

The conditions on the barge are horrendous. People defecate into the river that they also use for water to drink and bathe in. They live off anything that swims or crawls, including crocodiles that get their skulls caved in, electric catfish and slimy slugs and live caterpillars consumed as snacks. Clouds of mosquitos and other insects torment them as does the never ending glare of the sun and the stifling humidity.

I'm glad Tayler made this journey. His descriptions of the conditions along the Congo are quite vivid. The frustration he feels being hit up for money all the time is certainly understandable. To travel to a place like that, when he did, with $4000 hidden on his person (an absolute fortune to the Africans) can only be described as foolhardy. Thank God he survived. We, the reading public, are richer for it.

Other reviewers have mentioned his tendency to squeeze too many obscure words into his prose. I agree. On the other hand, if we take the time to look them up we might learn something. I've studied a little French so his habit of slipping some of that language into the text didn't bother me. The day-to-day slog down the river from Kisangani got just a tad tedious but I'm sure it's nothing compared to actually doing it in a boat.

I'd highly recommend this book. I still don't know why Mr. Tayler undertook this adventure (he's very lucky to have made it home) but, as I said, the result is a gripping story. I'm now on to another of his works, "Glory In a Camel's Eye."

Having lived along the Oubangui River (just a pirogue ride to Zaire) at about the same time that the author undertook his journey along the Congo, reading this brought back a lot of memories. I probably rated higher for nostalgia, so take the rating with a grain of salt. What I admired most about this book was the honesty that Mr. Tayler brought to it. He knows that he is a privileged, white (yes, it does matter) guy undertaking a journey for purely selfish interests among people who are literally dying around him that cannot understand the absurdity of the journey and he knows that he will never be able to explain it to them. I found it refreshing that this writer writes as much about his struggles each day with weighing these thoughts against the simple desire to complete the voyage. There's a lot to learn in this book about balancing one's selfish goals against the guilt that can come with the simple ability (financial and otherwise) to undertake them. The fact that he does so without the typical (I'm an RPCV, so I can say this) Peace-Corps-type bravado is refreshing. I won't give away the ending, but Mr. Tayler's decision allows him to face a lot more than the Congo.

In the 1980s Helen Winternitz wrote "East Along the Equator" which chronicled her journey from Kinshasa to Kisangani by river barge. This stretch of the Congo river was probably first written about in "Through the Dark Continent" by Henry Morton Stanley, who, in the employ of the King of Belgium, laid the foundation of the Congo Free State which inspired Conrad to write "Heart of Darkness" and the disintegration and aftermath of which became the subject of V. S. Naipaul's "A Bend in the River" and Barbara Kingsolver's "The Poisonwood Bible".

Now, Jeffrey Tayler in "Facing the Congo" tells the story of his attempt to recreate Stanley's voyage down the Congo river. He begins as did Winternitz, taking a barge up the river in the mid 1990s. As there are virtually no roads in the Congo region these river barges are the only transportation available to the average Congolese. They function as floating villages, filled with merchants who trade manufactured goods for forest products along the river route. As if that isn't enough for a book, Tayler then buys a pirogue (canoe), hires a guide, and attempts to paddle back down to where he started.

"Facing the Congo" is an excellent record of his trip. He is a thoughtful and thought-provoking writer and as is the case with most good travel writing the book is not only a record of his voyage, but also a record of self-discovery. Especially interesting are his interactions with the Congolese people he encounters along the way: people who usually can't fathom why a foreigner would be travelling the way he is. Other writers might simply depict such encounters in a comical or stereotypical fashion; Tayler makes an honest attempt to see their world through their eyes. He even manages some sympathy for the military and secret police officials that block his path. A good choice for any armchair traveler or anyone interested in Central Africa.

It is not often that one has the opportunity to enjoy an excellent book, and then, have the pleasure to actually meet the author. So be it: Jeffrey Tayler is currently my houseguest in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, where he began the arduous journey which resulted in "Facing the Congo" in 1995. The city has survived the devastation of civil war, 1997-2001, and is flourishing once again thanks to bountiful natural resources of timber, minerals and oil. Let's hope this will be enough to inspire Jeffrey to reprise his adventure on the Congo River and perhaps to share once again his experiences with a loyal following. A must read, not only for diplomats, travellers or tourists to the Central African region, but for the armchair "explorer" as well.

In 1991, the Zairean military, unpaid for months, began rioting in the large cities, making it difficult, if not impossible, to obtain medical care, or communicate with the outside world. The U.S. government evacuated all non-essential personnel, including all Peace Corps volunteers, of which I was one.

Against all odds and good sense, Tayler goes to Zaire in the mid-1990s, after "les pillages", and manages to equip himself and travel quite a distance down the Congo in a pirogue (dugout canoe).

Zairois/Congolese don't understand the mondele (white person) desire for adventure; life alone is mpasi (hard); why tempt fate? I found the premise of this adventure crazy, having lived in the country, but we Westerners often travel to remote and dangerous places (where locals are trying to eke out an existence) in search for meaning and illumination. Heck, that's probably why I went to Zaire, too.

Tayler's portrayal of the Congo and its people is accurate--it is a harsh place, full of illness and extreme poverty. But it is also a humbling place, where people who have nothing will help you find your way, and will share with you what little they have.

I feel like I have taken a trip back to my old home, and I'm thankful to have read the book.

This was a very quick and exciting read that gave me a terrifying picture of how foreign and dangerous travel can be in the Congo. The heat, the bugs, the angry villagers, the lawlessness, the language and cultural barriers made me appreciate the insanity and bravery of Tayler in even attempting such a journey. The one shortcoming that I found was that Tayler never tried to figure out Desi until it was too late. He often put Desi off when Desi tried to strike up conversation about religion. I often felt that Tayler viewed himself to be above trying to befriend Desi and was just wrapped up in his own psychological dilemnas to care. He needed Desi only to survive, not for companionship or friendship. There was no final coming together or bonding of the two. Desi remained aloof and distant and Tayler couldn't figure out why. Now I understand that Desi was ill (although miraculously recovered at the end) and Tayler was probably under extreme stress. However, I was hoping that despite this, the two would have forged a relationship. Sadly this has been the tradition in Africa. The white man coming to Africa in search for something, using the natives to get it, and never caring enough to return the favor or build lasting relationships. To Tayler's credit I think he does come to this realization, but only until it was too late.

Jeffrey Tayler isn't the first writer to follow in the footsteps of Henry Stanley, but he's penned one of the best accounts of the journey since Stanley himself.

Tayler's trip up the Congo River on a freight barge and then back down in a pirogue--a native canoe--is the stuff of which epics are made. He made the trip during a time when the Democratic Republic of Congo hadn't yet fully devolved into a war-ravaged debacle of a nation, but conditions were anything but peaceful. His life was at times in danger and his tales of robberies, shakedowns, and forceful begging are enough to make the most seasoned traveler cringe.

Facing The Congo is an exciting, instructive tale of travel in a country where modernity has yet to take hold.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo

'Facing the Congo' is a remarkable story of survival and adventure. And unlike many a travelogue, it is an exceptionally good read. American journalist and Peace Corps veteran living in Moscow, Jeffrey Tayler, reached his thirty-third year with a gnawing sense of despair. Who am I and what have I achieved in this life? Sinking into an ever-darkening pit of meaninglessness, he decided that only monumental action could lead to answers. A more monumental task than his couldn't have been found. To traverse the length of the Congo River in a dugout canoe. The second 'white' ever to attempt such madness, Henry Morton Stanley being the first.

For both book and trip, Tayler sure did his homework. In the first part, Tayler's elaborations on what drove him to such a rash act are fascinating to mull over, even if not entirely believable. Lost in a malaise of trying 'to find himself,' Tayler hopes that his journey will give him a raison d'etre. One that he hasn't found in Moscow. Months of assiduous planning pass by and then d-day hits as his plane cuts through equatorial mists above the chaos of Kinshasa, Zaire.

In lucid and gripping prose, Tayler takes us along as he soon finds himself in world that no amount of study could prepare him for. Beer-sotted, ganja-dazed soldiers nervously fondling their FAL rifles, shrieking vendors hawking everything from smoked monkey to palm grubs and shady, sunglassed characters of Zaire's secret police--SNIP--always demanding their 'matabitche.' Tayler does an amazing job in recreating this world of chilling chaos, where every 'mondele' is suspect. Catching a ride upriver with one of Mobotu's cronies, Tayler muses on the descent that awaits him. Either alone or with a guide, he is determined to make it.

The second half, while not as insightful as the first, puts the reader right beside Tayler. The vivid descriptions of mosquito storms, giant beetles and electrocuting catfish make you marvel at Tayler's endurance. And perhaps where the narrative succeeds most is where it recreates the atmosphere of fear that haunted Tayler during the whole journey. The fruit of a murderous Belgian past comes to bear as Tayler soon realizes his white skin makes him an instant threat, an easy target. Something to be feared, hated and possibly killed.

Refreshing honest, Tayler does reflect on the futility of his journey, but I kept asking for more. What drew me to the book in the first place was it's claim of self-discovery through trial. Yet, Tayler keeps you so engaged with his arduous trials that he leaves little or no space for self-reflection. Fully aware of the resentment around him on account of his color, Tayler leaves out the irony of it all. The spoiled Westerner goes to Africa to sort himself out, creating a drama where the 'mondele' directs and the locals do the dirty work.....guiding, paddling, portering, suffering, starving.....Not much has changed since Kurtz and Stanley. The lone white man willing his mission on the confused and exasperated natives, who yearn only to fill their bellies. Tayler hints at the shame he feels, but he leaves it at that. Understandable, as he too was struggling just to see the next sunrise. Yet, all the while I was waiting for 'extrapolation' (one of Tayler's favorite words) of the journey itself. Of the 'denouement' he wanted so desparately to find. Instead, he ends with a clichéd maxim: 'The best we can do is exorcise our demons through action.' True....but a little more 'extrapolation,' please.

Tayler's command of language can't be questionned. He knows his stuff. The sentences flow unto each other like the river itself, carrying you to the end before you even know it. But as one reviewer hinted, Tayler opened his Roget's once too often. Whereas a simpler, more every-day vocabulary would have more than sufficed to tell his tale, Tayler bombards you with the heavy artillery. Sebaceous...carapace...zetor...pettifogging, Tayler was definitely out to prove something.

Despite his occasional verbal over-kill, the author deserves our kudos. Firstly, for attempting such an insane test of will and perseverance. Secondly, for surviving it and keeping his crew in one piece. And thirdly, for writing such a gripping account of it. Not only can I highly recommend 'Facing the Congo' to all travellers--armchair or not--but also, it's a must read for those interested in putting their own private 'congos' to the page. Tayler provides a fine model on how to write a page-turning travelogue. So, grab your paddle and surrender to the river!

Jeffrey Tayler's account of his journey to follow in the footsteps of the British explorer Henry Morton Stanley, who sailed down the Congo in pirogues in the 1870s, is a very detailed journal of his daily trials and hardships and realizations.

The detail is a bit overwhelming at times although it does provide you with a very real look at everything he encountered along the way, especially the corrupt political and military personnel. This detail does serve to dissuade anyone in his right mind from wanting to follow in his footsteps. His use of French words, in many cases untranslated, is a bit annoying to those of us who don't know French and a bit distracting from the text. I enjoyed the story he tells but not particularly the way he tells it. However, it does serve to entertain and describe a world few "mondeles" have seen or will ever see, or after reading his account would care to see.

Tayler does come to realize some very important things that those of us who have actually traveled the world and experienced the suffering and injustices that dominate so many "third-world" countries can appreciate. That the world is a wonderous place, not to be exploited as a playground on which to solve our own rich-boy existential dilemnas. At the same time he gains appreciation that there is much to be learned from living, even when the lessons prove to be deeply painful.

If you can't afford a trip to the Congo, this book is the next best thing. Tayler's descriptions are excellent, and they combine just the right measures of knowledge and fascinated innocence. What struck me most was how little Brazzaville had changed in the ten years since I lived there.