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In the Forest of No Joy: The Congo-Océan Railroad and the Tragedy of French Colonialism Hardcover – July 20, 2021

by J. P. Daughton (Author)

4.3 67 ratings

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Shortlisted for the 2022 Cundill History Prize
Shortlisted for the 2022 American Library in Paris Book Award

The epic story of the Congo-Océan railroad and the human costs and contradictions of modern empire.

The Congo-Océan railroad stretches across the Republic of Congo from Brazzaville to the Atlantic port of Pointe-Noir. It was completed in 1934, when Equatorial Africa was a French colony, and it stands as one of the deadliest construction projects in history. Colonial workers were subjects of an ostensibly democratic nation whose motto read “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,” but liberal ideals were savaged by a cruelly indifferent administrative state.

African workers were forcibly conscripted and separated from their families, and subjected to hellish conditions as they hacked their way through dense tropical foliage―a “forest of no joy”; excavated by hand thousands of tons of earth in order to lay down track; blasted their way through rock to construct tunnels; or risked their lives building bridges over otherwise impassable rivers. In the process, they suffered disease, malnutrition, and rampant physical abuse, likely resulting in at least 20,000 deaths.

In the Forest of No Joy captures in vivid detail the experiences of the men, women, and children who toiled on the railroad, and forces a reassessment of the moral relationship between modern industrialized empires and what could be called global humanitarian impulses―the desire to improve the lives of people outside of Europe. Drawing on exhaustive research in French and Congolese archives, a chilling documentary record, and heartbreaking photographic evidence, J.P. Daughton tells the epic story of the Congo-Océan railroad, and in doing so reveals the human costs and contradictions of modern empire.

20 photographs, 3 maps

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company
Publication date

July 20, 2021
Dimensions

6.4 x 1.3 x 9.4 inches
ISBN-10

0393541010
ISBN-13

978-0393541014
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Masterful.... what makes it so compelling is the divide it exposes between the often admirable intentions of colonial bureaucrats who did genuinely think they were lifting Africans out of poverty, and the grim reality that they enabled."
― The Economist

"[An] unsparing history.... By highlighting individual stories, Daughton upends the Eurocentric narrative of the documents he studies, in which ‘white triumph would always discount African trauma.’"
― The New Yorker

"An unflinching book, often harrowing in its depiction of the depravity on display in French Equatorial Africa."
― Tunku Varadarajan, Wall Street Journal

"Relying on journalistic accounts from the period and the excellent use of archival materials, [Daughton’s] book paints a vivid picture of colonialism in central Africa."
― Nicolas van de Walle, Foreign Affairs

"If such a shockingly large number of people had been worked to death building a railroad in Europe or the United States, it would be as notorious as the worst deeds of Hitler or Stalin. J.P. Daughton puts this little-known tragedy on the record in a searing, unforgettable, and necessary way."
― Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa

"Meticulously researched, vividly narrated, and devastatingly compelling, In the Forest of No Joy provides a significant contribution to the mounting evidence that lays bare the self-deceiving lie at the heart of Empire, that of the ‘civilizing mission.’ J.P. Daughton details the horrific abuse carried out by the colonial regime upon the African population during the construction of the Congo-Océan railroad, from forced labor to torture and murder, and finds evidence not just of African suffering, but also African resistance."
― Aminatta Forna, author of The Devil that Danced on the Water

"In this tour de force of historical research, J.P. Daughton tells the horrifying story of the Congo-Océan railroad, a massive, ill-conceived construction project (1921-34) whose French overseers doomed some 20,000 African workers to die. This story, revealing as it does France’s imperial hubris and callous disregard of human suffering, should have been told a long time ago. But it has been buried by bureaucrats, overlooked by historians, and made invisible to those who chose not to see. We owe Daughton a great debt for bringing it to light and for masterfully adding a new chapter to the tragic history of Central Africa under European colonial rule."
― Edward Berenson, department chair and professor of history, New York University, and author of The Accusation: Blood Libel in an American Town

"Sailing with J.P. Daughton into the French empire’s heart of darkness is a visceral, haunting, and memorable experience. In the Forest of No Joy will stand alongside Adam Hochschild’s King Leopold’s Ghost as a chilling testament to the crimes of European ‘civilization.’"
― Marcus Rediker, author of The Slave Ship: A Human History

"In his compelling study, J.P. Daughton evokes the murderous violence that accompanied the construction in the 1920s of a tortuous railroad in southern French Equatorial Africa, sadly representative of the French imperial project. Daughton presents a chilling analysis of French colonial attitudes toward indigenous peoples, while vividly relating the experiences of tens of thousands of ordinary Africans."
― John Merriman, Charles Seymour Professor of History, Yale University

"Daughton masterfully relays.... a compelling narrative of the effects of imperialism, still apparent in the 21st century.... This outstanding work should satisfy history enthusiasts of all levels. Daughton’s writing is heartfelt throughout."
― Library Journal, starred review

"Meticulous and enraging.... Daughton skillfully reads against the grain of these official records to uncover the harrowing reality faced by native Africans. This is a devastating record of the horrors of colonialism."
― Publishers Weekly

About the Author

J. P. Daughton is an award-winning historian of modern Europe and European colonialism and has taught at the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University. He has provided media commentary for the Atlantic, Newsweek, Time, and CNN. He lives in San Francisco, California.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company (July 20, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393541010
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393541014
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 0.05 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.3 x 9.4 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,120,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #178 in Central Africa History
- #1,081 in History of Technology
- #1,869 in French History (Books)

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4.3 67 ratings

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J. P. Daughton is an award-winning historian of modern Europe and European colonialism and has taught at the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University. He lives in San Francisco, California.

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David Freydkin

Great book about an unknown event

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2022

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Of all the European countries, Germany is, perhaps, the most notorious for her activities during the 1930s and 1940s on the European continent. Although this is absolutely justified, what is not so well known are the atrocities committed by other European colonizers in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. A great example is the French colonization of the Congo in Equatorial Africa as greatly presented by J. P. Daughton in his book In the Forest of No Joy.

During the early 20th century, the democratically elected French leadership decided to have a railroad built from the village of Brizzaville, now the capital of Congo, to Pointe Noire on Africa's Atlantic Coast, with the primary aim of transporting raw materials from Equatorial Africa's interior to a port for export and eventual economic gains.

Due to a lack of sufficient manpower in the areas around Brizzaville, French colonial administrators and local African collaborators commuted up north and, largely, forced mostly men but also women from villages to travel to the jungle environments of Equatorial Africa to construct the railroad, a mammoth undertaking. Most of the people came from arid climates and were unused to the equatorial Central African climate. The company in charge of the railroad construction chose not to utilize modern excavation and other technology and chose to have the workers build with their hands and basic tools. They literally hacked down forests and moved mountains with their hands.

In addition, insufficient food, housing and medical care was provided to the African laborers. Often, it was cheaper to have a worker starve to death and replace him rather than feed him. Disease was rampant as well. There is even evidence that this event was the beginning of the spread of HIV, which may well have existed in Central Africa during those times. Per research, the disease first spread to humans in Central Africa from monkeys since many hunters killed and ate monkeys for nourishment. Since many inhabitants were forced to live together under crowded and primitive circumstances in cheaply made huts, the spread of HIV was largely facilitated.

Also, the African workers were often on the receiving end from the abuse of both their European and African overseers. Beatings, whippings and other physical punishments often resulted in deaths or serious injuries. At the end, France claimed credit for the construction of the Congo-Ocean Railway with barely a mention of the significant African contribution. It is estimated that anywhere from 15,000 to 25,000 people died building the Congo-Ocean line.

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Don F Holmgren

A great read about a tragic period in French history

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2021

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An exhaustive history of a relatively resent occurrence of out and out brutality that was totally ignored by the populace and government alike in the nineteen twenties.

2 people found this helpful

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GKC

Another horror story about the colonial attack on the Congo region and peoples

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2021

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Congo-Ocean railway, built in the 1920s and 1930s with forced labor, killed tens of thousands of African workers and local people due to French Colonial arrogance, indifference, and greed. A detailed tale of the toll it took.
The railway is indicated to still be open to at least irregular traffic, so it might be an interesting ride if a traveler were so bold as to visit the Congo these days.

One person found this helpful

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TFredD

Masterful and penetrating critique of French colonialism in central Africa

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2021

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Brilliantly written and scoring examination of the depredations of the French colonial administration in building a railroad in the French Congo.

3 people found this helpful

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John Hurd

Excellent

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2021

Excellent

The atrocious and heinous crimes of French colonialism in Africa

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2021

"Liberty, Equality,Fraternity"- these are the words which constitute the motto of the French Revolution. In reality, the French perpetrated an endless number of crimes that make this motto a total mockery.
Enter Professor's Daughton shocking and devastatingly compelling book to demonstrate to what extent the minds of the French rulers at the beginning of the 20th century were perverted.
They came up with a project called the Congo-Ocean railroad which stretches from the Republic of Congo in the South to the Atlantic port of Pointe-Noir. Congo was in those times a French colony and this project, which took 13 years to complete, destroyed, demolished and killed circa 50000-60000 innocent African lives.
African workers were separated from their families and endured a kind of Holocaust in the name of French Mammon and in the name of the desire of the French to civilize the African "primitives". Tens of thousands of African men, women and children excavated by hand thousands of tons of earth in order to lay down tracks or build bridges and tunnels.Of course one is reminded of Conrad's famous novella "Heart of Darkness', but conrad's fiction pales in compariosn to the evidence brought here for the first time.
The French considered themselves humanitarian who just wanted to improve the lives of those living outside Europe. In reality, the construction of this project was an act of extraordinary violence. This included physical violence, an endless number of torture methods, psychological harm, heartbreak,social dislocation ,rampant injustice and trauma. Village communities were torn asunder, families were broken apart, homes were burnt and overrun. All the Africans were forced to work in abyssmal conditions, because of the desire to portray Europeans as civilized and progressive. Therefore Africans were considered bloodthirsty, irrational, cannibalistic,indolent and docile.
What makes this book such a unique one is the fact that almost nobody had written about this project or did everything in order to bury archives, documents and testimonies of the heinous crimes committed by the "advanced" French rulers. In other words: to hide the truth.. But eventually the truth-and so in this case as well - always comes out , although sometimes it might take a long time until this happens. True, not only the French were guilty of these kinds of crimes, because all the other major empires which regarded Africa as a very good source of income committed similar crimes. Suffice it to mention the horrible crimes committed by Belgium Leopold 2nd's troops as shown in so many books, the most famous one by Adam Hochschild. Ditto with the English the Germans,etc.
The French were busy with showing to the world their racist ideas by exterminating by force those peoples whom they considered inferior. This is exactly what happened in this case. The "negro" was considered a bestial being worthy of re-education and/or extermination, in the eyes of the French administrators in Paris.
This chilling book, which catalogues an endless number of crimes against the Africans, and which was written after careful examination on untapped archives both in France and in Congo, shows the depravity of the French and their hypocrisy everywhere they ruled. This book is a "must" and should be in every intelligent person's library and I am more than certain it will become a classic soon. A very original book,full of relevant and very rare photos, superbly written and more than highly recommended.

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Mi

Excelente!

Reviewed in Brazil on March 27, 2024

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Nao sabia nada sobre a construção dessa ferrovia antes de ler o livro. Aprendi muita coisa. O autor revela fatos e faz comparações super interessantes. Descreve as condições subumanas que os congoleses viveram durante a construção da ferrovia, sem ferramentas adequadas, sem o mínimo de higiene, sem uma alimentação digna, enquanto que os franceses tinham suas mordomias e lazer. Descreve também as doenças e compara com outras construções que não mataram tanto quanto esta ferrovia. E como dados importantes do que aconteceu ali nunca foram encontrados. Gostei bastante e recomendo.

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T. Dunn

I found the book very repetitive

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 4, 2022

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This look at the construction of the Congo-Ocean railroad is both shocking and enlightening.

However, it does not come across, to me at least, as particularly rounded in its approach. Every chapter just lays on thicker than the last the appalling behaviour of the French who were responsible for this colonial project towards the Africans they coerced into helping them.

It is relentless in its criticism of the French colonial authorities but tells little about the actual construction of the railroad or of life in French Equatorial Africa

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