KING LEOPOLD'S GHOST

The story of Belgian King Leopold's conquest and rape of the Congo in the late nineteenth century deserves a prominent chapter in the history of human rights. From the Belgians' practice of tallying dead natives using amputated right hands to their buying of ivory with human flesh, we discover shocking human atrocities for profit. The narrator's somber mood and articulate cadence make the listener wonder how man can be so cruel. The European colonialists thought of the African natives as savages, but the listener will likely conclude it was clearly the reverse. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 01]