Here I Am, Eager To Begin!

I'm relatively new to this blogging deal. It's my understanding that I am to use this space to promote upcoming articles and my topic in general. Let me advance the opinion that one of the challenges of writing about African History is to try not to make it all bleak. No doubt that continent has been through a lot! With that in mind, I plan on writing two articles a week: one on a serious area of concern and one on a lighter note. I think it's often overlooked that there is, and there has always been, great joy, wisdom, and cultural achievement in Africa. Warlords, famine, and the colonial aftermath cast large shadows over people who are just trying to survive and prosper like anyone else. Having just finished reading "King Leopold's Ghost" by Adam Hochschild, the fate of the Congolese under Belgian rule is very much on my mind. Many of you have probably heard of these outrages in the unlikely format of a novel: Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness." For levity this week, I've opted to talk about crypto-zoology and the possibility that prehistoric creatures, such as the famous Mokele-mbembe ( which, for all purposes, appears to be a small brontosaurus ), continue to live in the massive and almost entirely unexplored swamps of the Congo.