“This album … contains mistakes I did not make in the following adventures, because I had become more mature.” –Hergé
In 1930, Tintin is sent as a reporter to the former Belgian colony of Congo, where he fights against the Al Capone gang, who are trying to get their hands on the country's large wealth of mineral resources. The book's naive depiction of Africa reflects the paternalistic spirit of colonialist Belgium at the time.
For all its many charms, this episode of the intrepid reporter's adventures is entirely representative of the way Europeans viewed Africa in the early twentieth century. While Tintin in the Congo reflects the paternalistic and stereotyped attitudes so characteristic of the time, Hergé came to be painfully aware of this issue, accepting criticism of the book as valid.
Tintin, perhaps one of the most famous cartoon heroes of all time, is as much a child of the 20th century as his creator, Georges Remi—aka Hergé (1907-1983). Tintin's adventures, marked by his inquisitiveness, sense of mystery and witty humour, are deeply rooted in the events of that tumultuous era.
Featuring an official new English translation.
