Congo Prophet

In Frederic Hunter’s Congo Prophet, we are in the Belgian Congo in 1921. Maurice Count Lippens, the newly appointed governor-general, is sent just 13 years after the end of the Congo Free State, King Leopold II’s exploited and terrorized colony, with the goal of reforming Congo’s administration and bringing the rule of law. Reforming the administration previously used to oppress Africans is much more difficult than it sounds. Belgium rules the millions of Congolese with only a few thousand administrators, plus the Force Publique, the Army that provides policing to the colony. The key stakeholders are the Roman Catholic church, Protestant missionaries, Belgian settlers, and the administration. Confronted with a Congolese healer who has attracted thousands to leave their homes, the stakeholders all want the healer killed, so that the situation can go back to “normal.” However, the healer has broken no laws. This is the Count’s dilemma: how can you bring the rule of law to a broken country? Congo Prophet brilliantly portrays the conundrum of colonial administration, the rule of law, and the meaning of justice. 

—Ted Anagnoson, Professor Emeritus, Political Science, Cal State Los Angeles

Congo Prophet is an incredible story that's been waiting patiently to be told, and Hunter's done everything right to become the writer to tell it.  His personal experience in the Congo, as well as his clear understanding of its troubled history, have made him the right author at the right time. Congo Prophet is an exciting, inspiring, provocative novel - his best work yet.

—Charles Wilcoxen, author of Nicolini’s Song