The West has a tendency to divide the world into what is real and what is outside, and Joseph Conrad is no exception. Chinua Achebe critiques Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness,” asserting that it is racist and falsely portrays African culture while overall contributing to a flawed European understanding of Africa. In “An Image of Africa,” Achebe cites Conrad’s inability to understand African culture and his fetishizing of the African body as reasons for his unfair portrayal of African culture. Understanding European colonialism in the 19th century is critical in understanding the cultural conversation surrounding “An Image in Africa.”

European colonist inability to perceive the depth and richness of African culture contributed to Conrad’s erroneous representation of Africans as Achebe points out in “An Image of Africa.” European colonialism was founded on the basis of exploitation. Nations came to Africa in search of material goods they could use to advance their own wealth. England, France, and Portugal are all countries that profited from the exploitation of Africa’s natural resources through the use of slave labor. By successfully dehumanizing the natives, European nationals could exploit the local population without fair compensation with no moral qualms. For example, when William Cadbury, an English Quaker, heard African slave labor was being used to harvest coco beans for his chocolate company, he sent an officer to west Africa to investigate. A man by the name of Burtt spent months traveling the Portuguese colonies exploring the claims made about an abusive labor system. In his conclusive essay to Cadbury, Burtt diagnosed the problem with African culture as having a weak and ignorant work ethic. The contributing factor to this conclusion was Burtt’s inability to understand that a culture could exist outside the European definition of what is work. The African slaves did not meet the English standard of industrial output therefor they could not possibly have human qualifications (Higgs). Similarly, Achebe critiques Conrad for trying to fit Africa into a European context. Conrad writes about Africa as the antithesis to Europe rather than accepting it as something completely different. While Europe has progressed in different ways Achebe shrewdly points out Conrad’s fear of recognizing the, “common ancestry,” between the two cultures (Achebe). Remaining ignorant to the cultures’ shared humanity prevented the accurate portrayal of African culture to Europe.

Furthermore, Achebe notes how Conrad’s fetishizing of the African body detracts from the recognition of their minds. Conrad uses an entire paragraph to describe an African ‘savage’ who is operating his steam boat. In a condescending tone, using language such as, “poor devil” to refer to the man, he describes the physicality of the worker rather than the job he is performing. Achebe argues that Conrad would rather have the Africans performing a kind of dance than operating a ship because that is where they belong (Achebe). Conrad’s sentiment was reflected in the actions of other Europeans at the time. In “Magomero: Portrait of an African Village” Landeg White describes the Nyasaland uprising which was led by an African native named John Chilembwe. Chilembwe was educated in Virginia and returned to his homeland to fight colonialism. As a converted Christian, Chilembwe used his knowledge of the Bible to portray himself as Paul and the British Empire as Caesar. Through this comparison he was able to use the lessons of Christianity against the very missionaries who had brought Christianity to Africa, and portray them as the anti-Christ. He wore suits and bow ties and appropriated European style. Soon Chilembwe was beheaded for his fight against colonial power, as there was nothing Europeans feared more than an educated native (White). Conrad would rather focus on the physical qualities of the African worker because to acknowledge his mind would be to afford him advantage. As seen with the example of Chilembwe, the only thing more threatening than an African wearing a suit was an African with knowledge. 

Achebe asserts that Conrad’s portrayal of Africa is, “bloody racist,” and affords him little to no forgiveness for his contribution to the erroneous portrayal of Africa. While Achebe holds strongly to his claims, it is often argued that Conrad’s work is merely art, therefore it cannot be held to the same standards as a scholarly account. These shallow claims are a weak defense against such an offensive piece. It is possible to use art to portray another culture without painting it in a negative light due to one’s lack of understanding. For example, the Copperbelt of Northern Rhodesia created a popular dance, known as the Kalela dance, which portrays a post-World War European society. African dancer’s put on suits and part their hair in a manner resembling European fashion at the time. The dance integrates tribal tradition of song and dance with the urban African experience to create an artistic portrayal of culture (Zeitlyn). The dance is proof that artistic interpretation and offensive sentiments due not have to go hand in hand when literature or dance is created. Furthermore, Achebe would argue that while Conrad may consider “Heart of Darkness” art, many Europeans did not know better than to take it as fact. 

The style of the article resembles the journal of an anthropologist of the time. Without a clear disclaimer the literature could be mistaken for a scholarly source. 

Achebe makes many observant criticisms of Conrad’s portrayal of Africa. His claims are founded in the historical framework of the time which is why an understanding of European colonialism is necessary to truly unpack the controversy surrounding the conversation. Conrad’s short sightedness contributed to the false representation of Africa to Europeans as a direct result of his lack of understanding for cultures that are not his own and his refusal to acknowledge the mind of an African natives. While literature is artwork, Conrad’s offensive writing was avoidable and did nothing but contribute to a false representation of African culture. 
