This chapter introduces E. D. Morel, who finally puts a dent into Leopold's ghostly armor. Morel worked for a shipping company that Leopold used. When he discovered the atrocities that were committed in order to get the goods that his company was shipping, he found the urge to publicize them. Assuming Leopold had a lot of shipping, Morel was asked to keep quiet more than a few times; offered bribes and really nice jobs in different areas. Morel wasn't wealthy, nor could he just quit his job and attempt to use his journalism full time.
But he did, and he developed his own publication, West African Mail, which had specific sections devoted to exposing the atrocities in the Congo. Originally, he used pen names, but he rose to become the most outspoken critic of Leopold's exploits. This is where he differed from other critics; he had a fanbase. People came to him with stories and information, even people who were supposed to be on Leopold's side. This was especially notable when the letters for the missionaries, who had their own mail service that was not censored by Leopold's men, because their letters were the most horrifying. Morel so far is the most successful guy in doing publicity damage to Leopold, because he got the situation onto the minds of members of Parliament.
No comments:
Post a Comment