PART 1THE CONGO IN FLEMISH LITERATURE 1. Flemish Literature 2. The Colonial Era 3. The Postcolonial Period 4. Conclusion PART 2SELECTED EXTRACTS OF FLEMISH PROSE Aldemar-Camille van der Cruyssen A Peaceful CrusadeCyriel Buysse White DepravityPieter Danco A Mini-Europe in the TropicsPieter de Mey A Giant Step for CivilizationConstant De Deken A Missionary with a CauseHenri van BoovenNo Place for EuropeansHenri Bossaerts White InjusticeLeo BittremieuxLight in the DarknessErnest Tilemans True Interracial LoveRené Poortmans Under the Leaden SunJean Gustave Schoup A Tragic FateAdolf VerreetPaternalistic BenevolenceBert Nacht No Place like HomeAlfons WalschapInner ConflictGerard WalschapA Humane Approach to ColonizationJac. BergeyckFrom a Congolese PerspectivePiet van AkenCynical Power StrugglesJan van den WegheA Plea for CooperationRobrecht De Sadeleer The Disillusionment of the ColonialDaisy Ver Boven Friendship between Black and WhiteJef Geeraerts Paradise LostPaul Brondeel The Agony of a NobodyLieve Joris In Search of the Real CongoMarcus LeroyPolitical GamesList of ReferencesFirst-ever anthology of Flemish Congo proseThis book presents the first anthology of Flemish prose on the Congo, the former colony of Belgium, in English translation. Because of the Dutch language barrier, Flemish literature on the Congo has traditionally remained inaccessible to and thus neglected by international scholarship, as opposed to French or English prose on this part of the African continent. That this particular perspective has thus far remained underexposed, or even disregarded, is all the more regrettable in light of the fact that the vast majority of Belgians who went to work in the African colony came from Flanders. The Congo in Flemish Literature now represents a key step towards filling this lacuna by providing an overview of the different societal attitudes towards the colonial undertaking prevailing in Belgium during and after the colonial era, the way the relationship between Belgium and the Congo changed over time, subject to the zeitgeist and sociopolitical and economic developments, and the individual authors' varying points of view with regard to the colonisation. Flemish Congo prose offers a fascinating glimpse into Belgium's colonial past and legacy, primarily during the colonial era, but also at the time of its violent aftermath following Congolese independence on 30 June 1960, and well into the following decades.First-ever anthology of Flemish Congo proseThis book presents the first anthology of Flemish prose on the Congo, the former colony of Belgium, in English translation. Because of the Dutch language barrier, Flemish literature on the Congo has traditionally remained inaccessible to and thus neglected by international scholarship, as opposed to French or English prose on this part of the African continent. That this particular perspective has thus far remained underexposed, or even disregarded, is all the more regrettable in light of the fact that the vast majority of Belgians who went to work in the African colony came from Flanders. The Congo in Flemish Literature now represents a key step towards filling this lacuna by providing an overview of the different societal attitudes towards the colonial undertaking prevailing in Belgium during and after the colonial era, the way the relationship between Belgium and the Congo changed over time, subject to the zeitgeist and sociopolitical and economic developments, and the individual authors' varying points of view with regard to the colonisation. Flemish Congo prose offers a fascinating glimpse into Belgium’s colonial past and legacy, primarily during the colonial era, but also at the time of its violent aftermath following Congolese independence on 30 June 1960, and well into the following decades.