Tintin in the Congo by: Herge
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Rating: 
18 reviews
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Publisher: Egmont Books Ltd
Release date: 5th September, 2005
Media: Hardcover
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Rating: 
- Truly awful book
Only fans will like this one. Ignoring the racist aspects of this book for the moment, I will say that the illustrations are poor, the characters unlikeable, and the story just plain bad. Nothing happens except Tintin saves Snowy, then everyone else, then himself, then Snowy again, then he hunts some more, saves Snowy and....I think you get my point. Put it simply, its pretty dull.
I will admit I find this book particularly distasteful. Every colonial stereotype and myth is written into this children's book. It was deliberately written to tell children about the Belgian colonization of the Congo, how it portrays this as a wonderful, peaceful event, bringing civilization, and progress to the child-like and foolish Congolese is frankly sickening if you are even remotely aware of the realities of that period. This entire piece is created for the sole purpose of indoctrinating the colonial myth in younger generations. Not to mention the derogatory visual stereotypes Herge has used.
I could go on but this is meant to be a small review, Im sure people will disagree with me- people always love the classics, simple because they are that- classics. I have just written an entire dissertation looking into the racism and the colonial stereotype in this one book.
As for the argument it was a reflection of the time, well then Id ask people to wake up. This was written in 1931, published again in 1946, 1975 and now 2005, not 1831.
Do I think it should be banned? No. I think we should learn from it and use it to show children a bit of colonial history. Do I think it should still be in print. Well, no I dont. By re-printing these images we are only contributing to the problem, every reiteration of these types of stereotypes only re-enacts race and racism. But I suppose the die hard fans do need to complete their set.
Rating: 
- Dated adventure
Time hasn't been too kind to this 1930s tale of Tintin's adventures in the Congo.
Judged by today's standards, the book strikes a rather jarring note, with its patronising depiction of the Congolese and its treatment of the local wildlife. But before we jump in to heap abuse on Herge, we should remember that this book simply reflects attitudes that were commonplace in the 1930s, however much we may deplore them now.
The story such as it is, is very patchy and episodic, and consists mainly of a series of chase and escape sequences. The drawings too are rather basic and are a long way off the standard Herge reached in the 1940s.
So all in all, this is really a book only for the real Tintinologist, who must have the whole set, but probably won't get this particular one off the shelf too often!
Rating: - Can the PC brigade lighten up.
I am not quite sure why people are up in arms about this book. It is no different to the old Tom and Jerry cartoons with the servant who kicks old Tom out all the time.
Yes it wouldn't be written today but, this is how things where perceived at the time it was written.
I have been a life long Tintin fan and was surprised on a holiday to France when I noticed 2 books that I had never seen before I was about 13. The other being Tin Tin in Moscow. My French is poor so I never bought (or got my parents to anyway) copies.
Years later I bought both while in Belgium in English Print.
The Story is typical Tintin but, in my opinion is the weakest after his Moscow adventure. Herge was still creating the character and finally hit gold with the next in the series Tintin in America. Funny how people don't think this is racist with the Native Indians?
The book deserves 3 stars and can the PC Brigade please lighten up its Tintin for heavens sake.
Rating: - Can the PC Brigade lighten up it's Tintin
I am not quite sure why people are up in arms about this book. It is no different to the old Tom and Jerry cartoons with the servant who kicks old Tom out all the time.
Yes it wouldn't be written today but, this is how things where perceived at the time it was written.
I have been a life long Tintin fan and was surprised on a holiday to France when I noticed 2 books that I had never seen before I was about 13. The other being Tin Tin in Moscow. My French is poor so I never bought (or got my parents to anyway) copies.
Years later I bought both while in Belgium in English Print.
The Story is typical Tintin but, in my opinion is the weakest after his Moscow adventure. Herge was still creating the character and finally hit gold with the next in the series Tintin in America. Funny how people don't think this is racist with the Native Indians?
The book deserves 3 stars and can the PC Brigade please lighten up its Tintin for heavens sake.
Rating: - Thouroughly racist and problematic
Reading these reviews of Tintin au Congo reminds me of the words of social analyst Jason Edward Black, "the scariest of racial stereotypes and prejudices arise when the public cannot recognize such ills." Frankly I'm concerned by some of the responses: "there is nothing here that I would personally regard as outrageous" and "It preaches the true story of colonialism and Africa. However there is absolutely nothing racist about it..."
As a child I read both Tintin and Asterix comic books, adored them and was delighted to study them in a course on la bande dessinée at uni. This is when I read Tintin au Congo which provoked pretty strong feelings of repulsion.
This is emphatically not an ideal read for young Tintin fans. It is however a thought provoking text that allows older and more aware readers to tackle issues such as cultural and political imperialism, `Orientalism', the depiction of the cultural other etc.
When my 8 year old nephew kick off his shoes jumps on his bed and settles down to another few pages of Tintin I do not want him to read this, nor do I want his best friend who is black to pick up this book and be confronted with highly racist depictions of Africans who are stereotyped as ugly, lazy, childish, inferior and stupid.
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