Exploring the Congo's Collapse and the Great War of Africa with Jason Stearns' 'Dancing in the Glory of Monsters'

Chris E: This is a book I would recommend to any who are interested in the recent history of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the deadly wars of the 1990s and early 2000s. While it was written a few years ago, and many things have developed in the DRC, this still remains a great reference. The style is highly informative while being written in a certain narrative, thematic way that makes it accessible for those who don't read history or political science often. In all, highly recommended.

Canada on Aug 28, 2020

Malarchy: Dancing in the Glory of Monsters is an exceptionally well written set of accounts of the actions in and around the Congo Wars. This is not a history of the wars themselves but a series of expertly interwoven narratives charting some of the actions of the people involved. It is the story of politicians, perpetrators, and victims. The logic and reasoning behind some of the myriad different actors in the Wars is touched on and offers a great introduction to understanding Africa's World War.

The book rightly starts at the genesis of the Wars - the Rwanda massacres of Tutsis by Hutus. Strange that so much suffering in Congo can have been caused by this bout of outrageous violence in small, neighbouring Rwanda. Jason Stearns takes an holistic view, not just looking at the actions within Congo but the motivations of those around. Of course Rwanda is the most important because it was the Government of Paul Kagame who toppled Mobutu Sese Seko.

The thinking behind the Rwandan intervention is fascinating. Impressive to see such access to some of those in the inner circle that Kagame put together. Of course the Rwandans made a terrible mistake in installing Laurent Kabila and...

United Kingdom on Jun 22, 2018

R. M. Peterson: Of the too many hellholes on this planet, perhaps the worst is the Congo. Starting in the sixteenth century it became the center for the European and Arab harvesting of slaves. Not only were millions of Africans hauled away as slaves, the slave trade devastated what previously had been a relatively stable system of government. Then, beginning in the late nineteenth century, the Congo was ravaged by colonialism, led by the monstrous King Leopold II of Belgium. Millions of severed hands; millions of unnatural deaths. When colonial territories in Africa became untenable, Belgium abandoned the Congo in 1960, leaving it without any meaningful political traditions or infrastructure. Military dictators filled the void. They became the new "monsters" of the Congo.

The first was Mobutu, who ruled from 1965 to 1997. He was succeeded by Laurent Kabila (1997 to 2001), who was succeeded by his son Joseph Kabila (2001 to the present). The title of this book comes from Laurent Kabila, who once berated the Congolese for supporting Mobutu: "We saw you all dancing in the glory of the monster." But Kabila père et fils did not reverse the model of big-man politician presiding over a corrupt...

United States on Jul 24, 2017

Tembo: Having worked on and off in the Congo since 2002, when I met the author at the beginning of his experience of the country, and just recently returned after a year in Kinshasa, when I again had the good fortune to talk to him (from Goma, January 2016), I found Jason Stearns' book both extremely comprehensive and insightful. To have pulled together the myriad strands that make up the history in such a way that can be understood and readable at the same time represents a challenge that he has risen to magnificently. The DRC is in the news today as much as ever with the political contortions just as challenging and confusing. The book gives a detailed explanation on what, why and how events have reached this pass. Two things especially stay with me; the thread illustrated throughout the book getting first hand accounts, in particular the devastating impact of the mindless brutality and, secondly, Jason’s explanation of the psyche which, as he puts it, is not due to a missing “virtue gene” but owes its origins to a much deeper and darker history of abuse going back hundreds of years. This is an account delivered both factually but also with an obvious personal compassion. If you...

United Kingdom on Sep 20, 2016

Peter Pieck: Wer sich mit der jüngsten Geschichte der Demokratischen Republik Kongo beschäftigt, gerät schnell in die große Ratlosigkeit, wo jede auch nur annähernde Übersicht verloren zu gehen droht. Zu viele Beteiligte, zu viele Parteien, zu viele bewaffnete Gruppen, von denen jeder dann auch noch - je nach Lage und Gewinnaussicht - kurzfristig die Seiten wechseln kann. Stearns Buch hat das ambitionierte Ziel, ein bisschen "Ordnung" in das Chaos zu bringen - ich weiß, das ist ein Widerspruch in sich, erst recht im Kongo! - oder zumindest, dem Leser zu helfen, das Gesamtbild nicht ganz aus den Augen zu verlieren. Und das ist ihm gelungen.
Er beschreibt und analysiert die Jahre von 1994 bis 2010 mit dem Völkermord in Ruanda als Ausgangspunkt und den zwei darauf folgenden "afrikanischen Weltkriegen" und ihren Konsequenzen. Das gelingt ihm deshalb besonders gut, weil er nicht nur chronologisch Abläufe nachzeichnet und bewertet, sondern beteiligte Personen - Entscheidungsträger wie die sogenannten "einfachen Leute" - zu Wort kommen lässt.
Das Erschreckendste ist, dass ein historischer Fortschritt nicht zu erkennen ist, anscheinend wiederholt sich der immer gleiche Kreis von...

Germany on Mar 17, 2016

Pelagea: This is a highly readable book, which I found difficult to put down. The author went through great lengths collecting first hand evidence. The book is full of vivid descriptions of what actually has been going on in the Congo, so that after reading it, it is hard not to appreciate all the horrors experienced by the people.

However, I found major problems for it to be considered a serious history book.

1. At the outset Mr. Stearns warns the reader that the conflict in the Congo has been complex and confusing. Intentionally or not, but the author does not help to disengangle the confusion, but rather adds to it. The story is full of breaks in the chronology and a non-linear timeline, so often it is difficult to follow the author's narrative, let alone the moves of the protagonists. What works for "Pulp Fiction" is less helpful here.

2. Interviews with real participants of the events do illuminate the story, but I often found the book too much focused on interviews themselves rather than drawing connections between the described events and the larger story. It felt at times as if I was reading "World War Z".

3. I would hate to imply that the author is...

United Kingdom on Jun 29, 2012

J. Scott Shipman: Several thoughts come to mind when reflecting on Jason K. Stearns' epic Dancing In The Glory of Monsters, The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa, but "dancing" doesn't figure into any of those thoughts, and monsters are writ large, center stage. And make no mistake; we're talking fiendishly horrific monsters, almost inhuman, as if drawn from a dictionary definition: "Anything horrible from...wickedness, cruelty or commission of extraordinary or horrible crimes; a vile creature..." So the reader should be advised, some of the stories are very disturbing.

Indeed, Mr. Stearns paints a gut-wrenching portrait of a nation and region ravaged by colonial meddling, venal and brutish politician/military leaders, and centuries old ethic strife all culminating in "many wars in one" beginning in 1996 in Congo (the former Zaire) and including active participation of neighbors Rwanda and Uganda just to name a couple. In terms of geography, Congo straddles the equator and is the size of Western Europe, or slightly less than one fourth the size of the United States. According to the CIA World Fact Book, the literacy rate is 67% and the mortality rate a surprisingly "high" 54...

United States on May 18, 2011