JORIS, Lieve; — BACK TO THE CONGO,

London, Macmillan, 1992 Bound, black cloth, illustrated black dustjacket, 135 x 220mm., 231pp. ISBN 0333543696. When she was a child, Joris's missionary uncle traveled to the Belgian Congo and returned bearing gifts and telling wonderful stories. As an adult, Joris traveled to contemporary Zaire in order to see what her uncle had seen. She found a persistent memory of colonization and of the "other," finally making the colonial past and its consequences the main motifs of her book. The boat to Zaire, the urban areas and Kinshasa, the "bush" and interior--all are described in a clear personal voice, with a journey on the Zaire river to the town of Kisangani the high point of her adventure. The people she met, rather than any view of nature, motivates her writing. Because this travel book has a particular vision--it is especially concerned with the Belgian version of Africa--it will appeal to a select audience. In good condition.