The Best Pakistani Novels & Books on Pakistani Culture
Pakistan often finds itself in the spotlight for good, bad, and ugly reasons. The reason is quite simple: it is a nation of contrasts and
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo DRC) has a contrasting history. It has a great culture, a long history, and natural resources. If we consider the land area, it’s the second largest country in Africa and the 11th largest in the world.
So, with abundant natural resources in a vast land, external powers have always been drawn to it, which made occupation inevitable. Its modern history is deeply tied to colonial rule, and its present also has social and political challenges.
Whenever we consider books about Congo DRC, Congo by David Van Reybrouck often comes to mind. While this is an excellent starting point, many other fiction and nonfiction Congo books that talk about its past and present.
Before discussing the top 10 books on Congo, please note that Congo DRC is different from the Republic of the Congo. Though the two countries share a name and border, they have different histories.
I will explain that through a comparison table and then proceed to discuss Congo DRC books.
| Feature | Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo DRC) | Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) |
| Capital City | Kinshasa | Brazzaville |
| Size | ~2.34 million km² | ~342,000 km² |
| Population | 105.8 million (2023) | 6.18 million (2023) |
| Colonial History | Former Belgian colony (Belgian Congo) | Former French colony (French Congo) |
Now that the difference is clear between the countries, let’s discuss the best books about Congo DRC.
Congo: The Epic History of a People is one of the most acclaimed works on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Van Reybrouck is a Belgian archaeologist and political scientist, who combines analysis with storytelling. This extensive work has made it a reference book about Congo DRC.
It covers the history from pre-colonial times to the present. It has a history of ancient kingdoms, the brutal Belgian colonization under King Leopold II, and the turbulent journey to independence.
The book reads very close to an experience because Van Reybrouck shares firsthand stories of ordinary Congolese people.
It also discusses post-independence struggles, covering Mobutu’s dictatorship, civil wars, and corruption. Also, how the country’s natural wealth and external powers influence its fate.
The book has won critical awards like the Nederlands Geschiedenis Prijs (Dutch History Prize) in The Netherlands and the Prix Médicis Essai in France.
Fiston Mwanza Mujila is a Congolese writer and poet, who teaches African literature in Austria. Tram 83 is his debut Congolese novel, which brought him critical acclaim. Chaos, survival, and postcolonial struggles are some of his main themes.
Tram 83 revolves around Lucien, a writer returning from abroad, and Requiem, his opportunistic friend, alongside other writers, drunkards, drug dealers and dreamers.
Tram 83 is basically a name of a chaotic nightclub, where these characters frequent and that’s where all the city’s corruption, violence, and survival instincts play out.
It is an apt Congolese novel about a resource-rich but unstable country, where political instability and economic greed shape everyday experiences. For its unique narrative writing about urban African life, it was longlisted for the Man Booker in 2015.
You can read the extract here.
Sony Lab’ou Tansi was/is one of the most prolific African writers. As one of the pioneers of “New African Writing”, he wrote many novels, short stories, plays, among other works in French language.
The Antipeople is one of his best books about Congo DRC. Dadou is a civil servant who unknowingly stumbles upon a secret government list of people that the government plans to execute.
Stumbling upon such a secret list makes him fear for his life. And he has no option but to go into hiding to avoid certain death. In such difficult times, even his friends and colleagues turn against him.
It’s a great novel on the absurdity of dictatorship, where survival depends on loyalty to a corrupt system. The novel’s theme may seem like a very serious one but Tansi is famous for writing biting satires. So, you will enjoy reading this tragic-comedy work.
Sandra Uwiringiyimana is a Congolese author and activist who survived the Gatumba massacre as a child. She was born into the Banyamulenge ethnic group and had to flee the violence. Now, she lives in the United States.
She has co-written her memoir with journalist Abigail Pesta. The book begins with Sandra’s harrowing experience of the 2004 Gatumba massacre, where armed rebels killed her younger sister and many others. She talks about the chaos, survival, and the trauma that followed.
When she settles in the U.S, after facing many hardships, she comes across a new world of cultural differences, racism, and survivor’s guilt. Overall, it’s a great story of identity, resilience, and the struggles of displaced communities.
The Congolese book has 1000s of Goodreads reviews, making it one of the best books on Congo. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is another novel about an African woman moving to the U.S. I covered this in Nigerian books.
You can also check my curated list of books about migration if you want to explore the topic broadly.
Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja is one of the finest Congolese writers, historians and political scientists. His work on African politics, democracy, and decolonization makes him a leading subject authority on Africa.
As a Congolese born, he has written a great political history of the nation by examining its past from colonial rule to modern leadership. He starts with King Leopold II’s brutal era, the independence, the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, and the dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko.
In the post-Mobutu era, the book discusses the wars, political instability, and foreign interventions. Nzongola-Ntalaja critically examines colonial legacies, neo-colonial influences, and the fight for democracy.
V. S. Naipaul is not a Congolese but a British-Trinidadian writer. This is one of the books about Belgian Congo by an outsider. Although a very influential and critically acclaimed writer, Naipaul’s work is also controversial for the way he wrote about colonialism, displacement, and identity.
This novel happens in an unknown African country, widely believed to be the Congo DRC. Salim is an Indian-African trader, who moves to a remote town along a great river to earn livelihood. As the country undergoes political turmoil, Salim witnesses dictatorship, corruption, and a society caught between tradition and modernization.
Naipaul’s exploration of colonial legacy, identity, power, and survival in a postcolonial Africa makes this a significant and authoritative work. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1979 and one of his finest works in postcolonial literature.
V. S. Naipul also had an Indian background and he also wrote some of his books about India. For more exploration, you should check out the best Indian novels.
The Poisonwood Bible is probably one of the best books about Belgian Congo written by American novelist Barbara Kingsolver. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. It has won the National Book Prize of South Africa and the PEN/Faulkner Award, among many others.
This Congo book follows an American missionary family, the Prices, who moves to the Belgian Congo to spread Christianity. There are five women in the family, the mother, Orleanna, and her four daughters. Each of these characters experience the unfamiliar and harsh realities of Congolese life differently.
As the Congo gains independence from Belgium in the 1960, the Price family is caught in the political upheaval and cultural clashes. As the instability grows, the family also falls apart because tragedy strikes, relationships fracture, and each member makes difficult choices.
While Nathan remains stubborn in his mission, his wife and daughters must find their own paths.
JJ Bola is a Congolese-British writer, poet, and former refugee, and he writes about identity, migration, and belonging. His personal experiences of displacement influence his works of fiction, poetry and non-fiction.
The story is about Jean and his family, who flee the DRC due to political instability and get asylum in London. As Jean grows up in a foreign land, he feels trapped between two worlds—his Congolese heritage and the British society.
His parents, despite their sacrifices, struggle with the new life due to financial hardship, cultural alienation, and the fear of deportation. As Jean grows older, he falls in love with Alicia, a relationship that forces him to question his past and the complexities of identity.
Meanwhile, his father, not liking life in exile, makes the painful decision to return to the Congo. Jean, however, chooses to stay in London, realizing that this is the only home he knows. It’s a great coming of age story about the struggles of displacement and past and future.
If you like such stories of growing up with uncertainty, you should check coming of age movies.
Téa Mutonji is a Congolese-Canadian writer. She came to Canada with her mother at a young age and her work reflects experiences of two cultures and identities. Shut Up You’re Pretty is her debut collection of interconnected short stories.
It follows Loli, a young Congolese immigrant growing up in Canada, and follows her through different stages of life. Each story follows different stages and experiences of Lilo’s life.
One story explores her first sexual experience, another follows her family’s struggles with immigration and poverty, while others examine femininity, cultural expectations, and self-worth.
Loli, as a character, constantly reinvents herself, sometimes out of survival, other times in a search for meaning. She does all of this while facing being a Black immigrant woman in Canada.
Shut Up You’re Pretty has almost 4000 Goodreads reviews, making it one of the best books about Congo DRC.
In Koli Jean Bofane is a Congolese writer who blends satire, politics, and social critique in his works. Congo Inc.: Bismarck’s Testament is a darkly humorous novel about globalization, corruption, and the legacy of colonialism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Isookanga is a young Pygmy from the Equator Province, who leaves traditional life and moves to a city for modern life. However, in Kinshasa, he becomes entangled in the city’s corrupt economy, foreign exploitation, and power struggles.
Durling all of this, he crosses paths with warlords, Chinese businessmen, and UN officials. It is one of the best books on DRC about how multinational corporations and local elites profit from chaos and conflict.
The best books about Congo DRC reflect the country’s past and present, shaped by colonialism, political instability, and economic struggles. The best part is that Congolese writers don’t shy away from using fiction and nonfiction to confront these realities.
These Congo books may seem like sad readings but they are a great source of reflection and awareness. After all, they are also inspiring new generations of Congolese writers and readers to think beyond conflict.
As literature has the power to shape perspectives, and as more voices emerge, one can hope that hope will help Congolese people imagine a future beyond the struggles of the past.
Interested in knowing more about the continent, check out the highlighted countries in Africa section.
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