Tim Butcher, a journalist with the "Daily Telegraph", one of Britain's most-read newspapers, wanted to draw the world's attention to the bloodiest war in the world. It was 2002, and in the Congo, deep in the heart of Africa, one thousand people per day were dying as a result of the violence. Butcher knew this was something he should write about but struggled to find an angle, until he realized that he had a personal connection of sorts to the region.
In the 1870s, the Daily Telegraph had sent another journalist, Henry Morton Stanley, to the Congo. Stanley had already made a name for himself by uttering the most famous sound bite in history - "Doctor Livingstone, I presume" - and was trying to capitalize on his five minutes of fame. By playing off his New York editors off against his British ones he manages to raise the funds for a trip that would solve one of the last geographical mysteries of the world - the entire route of the Congo river. Butcher formulated an idea to replicate Stanley's journey. Despite the fact that it appeared to be a dangerous and suicidal mission it was the result of meticulous planning spanning two years. His journey is sometimes hazardous, always rewarding, and a wonderfully-written travelogue - except it isn't a travelogue, but a documentation of a bloody time in African history. By making connections between his own travelogue and the writings of those who went before him Butcher traces the history of the Congo from occupation through independence and paints a picture of a country with a murderous heart. The most important conclusion he draws is that the Congo is not just underdeveloped but under-developing, despite help and aid from the developed world.
Although a serious and weighty subject the book became a popular best-seller and was listed in the Top ten Books About Africa by the National Geographic Society.
