As one of the few Africans has experienced in a relatively adult age, and after colonalism. Moreover, his family left his home in the Republic of Civil War in dramatic circumstances. African writer Emmanuel Dongala He recalls this: “It was more terrible than I could imagine as a writer.”
The rival militias bombed the residential districts that turned into ruins and randomly shot civilians on the streets. According to official estimates, 10,000 people were killed, but Dongala believes that their number is much higher.
Dongala, Professor of Chemistry and the then Dean of the University of Brazzaville, was more lucky. He has acquired education in the United States and today is one of the most famous African writers. His novel inspired the film too Johnny Mad Dogthat has won many awards.
In an interview for Aktuality.sk, today’s 83-year-old Dongala also talks about a new war that has unleashed in Congo. But also that Africa is now the target of new colonizers – Russia and China.
You grew up in the former French colony of the Republic of Congo. Your country has experienced colonialism, slavery, and later independence and in the 1990s a civil war. You had to escape from dramatic circumstances as you threatened death. Let’s try to start with what life was in the so -called French Congo before.
First of all, I have to explain to your readers that there are two congs and many people still confuse it. One Congo was colonized by Belgium, this is today’s Democratic Republic of Congo (KDR), but for the purposes of this interview we can call it the “Great Congo”. This was ruled by the Belgian King Leopold, who is known as a mass murderer and used slaves in Belgium. This great Congo is not only larger, but also richer than the former French Congo, or “Little Congo”, where I come from. It is officially called the Republic of Congo.
But the “My” Congo (Republic of Congo) is famous because during World War II French General Charles de Gaulle set up his free France headquarters in our capital Brazzaville, which is a term for all the African colonies belonging to France. So it was important for the French, and from here they also managed other their holdings in Africa. We gained independence in 1960.
But I am one of the few survivors who have experienced colonization, as I am 83 years old.
How did you live in Congo before or after independence?
Before 1960, the French had all the rights and we were just their servants. Although we went to the same schools as they where they let us, which was quite surprising. For example, I graduated with French children.
When independence came, I was still in high school. But I was very lucky because in that year, when I got a school -leaving certificate, I won a scholarship to the United States. It was the first time the United States offered a scholarship to students from a French -speaking country. Until then, all scholarships were directed to English speaking part of Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, or other former colonies.
Many African countries gained independence in the 60s. Interestingly, you mentioned that you are one of the few survivors of both worlds – that before and after independence and it, so you can compare it.
I remember it well, because when the Republic of Congo gained independence, I was 16 years old and I was almost an adult. A few years later I went to the United States where I did my doctorate. Later I ended up in France, but I finally returned to Congo.
Why did you return to your native Congo?
Because I always wanted to teach in my country, help her and I did it until 1998, when I had to escape under dramatic circumstances because I was threatening death. Then there was a coup in Congo. I lost everything then. The soldiers looted there and murdered uncomfortable, often children. But I managed to miss because I had previously studied in the United States where I found friends. Among them was the famous writer Philip Roth. We also made friends thanks to literature, as I was already a writer and wrote novels about Africa.
Roth pulled me out of the civil war under dramatic circumstances, as I had to hide, but eventually it did with the help of his help. In 1998 I returned to the United States. where I taught until retirement four or five years ago.
When was a better life in Congo? Before or after independence from France?
That’s really hard to say. Today it is better because we are not under the government of any foreigners and we manage everything ourselves. We own our country, we are independent. At the same time, the situation in the Republic of Congo is not much better, because we have lost all the few progress we have now achieved since the independence, because of the civil war, government instability and the military coup. And today things are not as clear as we thought they would be when we were independent. But a few years after independence, things were very good. The country really moved forward until the army came and took power. And these days it is not very good.
Especially when you look at what is happening among the “Great Congo”, and which adjoins Rwanda. Today there is a war, but the West seems to have not noticed and have died there by thousands of people. What is this in this conflict?
This conflict is incredible because the large Congo is very rich in all minerals, especially cobalt or copper. And we, Little Congo, are again rich in oil, we have a lot of oil. And so there are many predators. You have many people in this region who want to touch this wealth, these minerals. And Rwanda is one of these countries that attack Congo.
There are also a number of mercenaries from foreign countries, there are many foreign companies and exploitation is undergoing. I fully understand that sometimes it is difficult to know what is actually happening here. But in principle, there is a struggle for minerals, the wealth of the country. The problem is also that the Congo government is corrupt. That is why this part of Africa has deteriorated this way.
Are there any investors in the Republic of Congo?
Yes, there are many of them. They are both the Chinese and the French. But they don’t care how the country is. If they make profit, they are satisfied. In addition to the Chinese, the Russians are now the latest.
Do you think what we see now in many African countries that have so many mineral resources is a picture of something we can call modern colonization?
Yes, we call it neocolonization. It is the term we use to describe what is happening now. Because during the colonization of the French, the British or Portuguese, all these European countries simply confiscated our property and our resources. They can’t do it directly after independence. So this happens through disadvantageous contracts or corruption in our countries.
This is a definition of non -colonization.
We are fighting this intellectuals, but also our youth and activists. We don’t accept it. Our people do not accept it. But people who are in power, have an army, have money, have support from the outside, especially from Western countries, but now also from Russia and China. So what can you do? It’s a really unequal struggle.
Do you think that these countries such as China or Russia actually encourage this conflict that we see in the Democratic Republic of Congo with Rwanda, during which Rwandou supported militias attack parts of the “big” Congo?
I do not think China and Russia are stimulating, rather it does Rwanda. But the Chinese and the Russians benefit from it. Turkey has now joined. Iran even came because he signed a contract with Niger. And it’s a fight. Everyone fights for their part. The powers do not come to help Africans. In fact, this is not a situation that would be advantageous for both sides, it is disadvantageous for Africa.
What do you think we Europeans, perhaps even Americans, should do to help African countries economically?
We can expect anything from Europe. We used to think they would help us. At the same time, we have learned that we cannot rely on European, American or any other aid. Look, for example, US President Donald Trump has just interrupted all humanitarian aid. He woke up one morning and thought it would cut her up. I think that Africa must understand that it cannot count on foreign help and should learn to live with it.
From the mid -80s we remember concerts Live Aid, which collected funds to help Africa, but at least this problem has been aware of the general public. At that time, Africa was a big topic in the Western media. This is not the case now, perhaps because the economic situation in most poor African countries has not changed much since. In Slovakia we have such a proverb that if you want to help people, give them a rod and teach them to hunt fish, instead of giving them only fish. Do you agree?
Yes, I know the proverb from America. If you look back 50 years later, we have certainly achieved some successes. We expelled foreigners, French and everyone. But that is not enough for young people. There is little work, there is a weak education and health. And add things that people do not control, such as climate change, the image is then even worse. A year ago I was in Brazzaville (the capital of the Republic of Congo). You can feel a change in seasons, such as the rainy season has changed. Traditionally, we have two seasons, drought and rainy season. Now it’s all mixed. You never know when it will rain and when it will be dry. This is a huge problem.
Do you think Western NGOs that come to help Africa sometimes worsen the situation by giving you the feeling that everything is free? Maybe something similar is now happening in Latin America or in the poorer areas of Asia.
Look, I don’t want to damn NGOs, they are sometimes useful. I saw NGOs save people. But they cannot be a replacement for a good government. Sometimes, when the government sees that NGOs are working, the government does not do its job. It relies on NGOs. And then you have a culture of addiction you suggest.
Recently, there was a report that the charity founded by Prince Harry in Congo, in your Republic of Congo, violates human rights. Is this an example of what you talked about?
Probably. I don’t know. I didn’t read that. But yes, sometimes I saw it, for example, the exchange of sex for food. It happens. It’s terrible. Sometimes NGOs do not behave as they should.
You are primarily a writer, according to your novel Johnny Mad Dog, also made a successful film of the same name Is one of your goals through your novels more to understand Africa by people from the West?
No, not at all. Especially when the writer writes, he has a story he wants to tell, and I don’t write primarily for “Westerners.” I write only for my readers, especially in diaspora, ie for African migrants or for the original Africans. But I look forward to being successful in the West. But if people born in the West read my books, they will better understand what Africa is about.
Africa is not a country, it is a continent, it has many different countries that often do not have so much in common. What is the biggest misconception about this continent in the West?
They think that Africa fails because it is not intelligent, lazy, cannot understand the modern world, cannot understand its complexity. Another thing is a racist undertone. Many say that Africa is a country. Africa is not a country, it is really diverse. Some countries have succeeded better and some worse, and you have many examples of successful countries from this continent. At least from an economic point of view, it can be mentioned by Rwanda, although I hate to mention it, because it is a dictatorship and is now in a military conflict with Congo. But a successful example is Botswana, which is rich in diamonds, but it is guarded and did not allow the West to seize this wealth.
But a huge problem of many African countries is mainly corruption.
