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Congo Kitabu
Congo Kitabu is an auto-biographical book about the travels of Jean-Pierre Hallet through central Africa from 1948 through 1960. In it he documents interactions with multiple isolated cultures throughout the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi regions. His accounts provide a unique anthropological source of information of the Congo basin during that period.
Dr. Hallet's accounts include those of extensive personal participation in cultural activities of the region, including secretive and forbidden (by the Belgian colonial government) practices. In several chapters of the book are described some of his first encounters with the Efe pygmies of the Ituri forest.
Dr. Hallet's accounts include those of extensive personal participation in cultural activities of the region, including secretive and forbidden (by the Belgian colonial government) practices. In several chapters of the book are described some of his first encounters with the Efe pygmies of the Ituri forest.
First published January 1, 1964
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About the author
Jean-Pierre Hallet
9 books5 followersJean-Pierre Hallet was a man more intimately connected to Africa than perhaps any other westerner. His feats were legendary-what one expects of fiction and adventure movies. About his mission to save the vanishing Bambuti pygmy tribe in the Ituri Forest in Northeast Zaire, the newspapers and magazines of three decades reported it in various ways. He Saves Little People; A Giant Comes To The Rescue; He's The Biggest Of The Little People of Zaire; Humanitarian Sows Seeds of Hope and Pygmies Have A Friend in Hallet.
A friend, indeed. In 1955 he lost his right hand, in an explosion, while dynamiting Lake Tanganyika for fish to feed a Pygmy tribe. In 1957 he was successful in obtaining, from the colonial government, official acceptance of his "Declaration of Emancipation" for the endangered pygmies. He lived with the Bambuti pygmies for eighteen months and learned six aboriginal languages and seventeen dialects.His extensive knowledge of the pygmy language resulted in a dictionary of more than 18,000 terms, which remains unpublished. He founded The Pygmy Fund in 1974, the only organization devoted to the preservation of the lives and culture of surviving forest dwelling Efe pygmies.
Born in 1927 in Louvain, Belgium, Jean-Pierre Hallet was the son of Andre Hallet, the famed Belgian post-impressionist painter, who lived in the Congo. Jean-Pierre played with pygmy children, north of Lake Kivu, in the northeastern part of the former Belgian Congo. At six, he left his playmates to go to school in Europe. He was already the height of an average adult pygmy in the forest. He returned in 1948 with a Sorbonne education. He was now an agronomist and a sociologist. Jean-Pierre was twenty-one. He was six feet five inches tall and 225 pounds. His incredible life was about to unfold and his reputation as "father to the pygmies" and the "Abe Lincoln of the Congo" was just beginning.
Jean-Pierre Hallet would become a heroic figure. He would become an authority on African culture and a blood brother to many tribes. He was an internationally renowned africanist, ethnologist, naturalist, author, lecturer, explorer, cinematographer, artist, African art authority and collector as well as a death-defying adventurer. He delivered more than 500 African babies, pygmy and non-pygmy. It would be difficult to find another man with such a resume.
He would author three books, the Kitabu trilogy. (Kitabu is roughly translated in Swahili as book.) Congo Kitabu, the first of the trilogy was autobiographical. It would be translated into twenty-one languages including Chinese and Russian. His own words say it best. "I grew up among the pygmies, learning everything that is their world,....making my first bow and arrow.....identifying birds and animals."
A friend, indeed. In 1955 he lost his right hand, in an explosion, while dynamiting Lake Tanganyika for fish to feed a Pygmy tribe. In 1957 he was successful in obtaining, from the colonial government, official acceptance of his "Declaration of Emancipation" for the endangered pygmies. He lived with the Bambuti pygmies for eighteen months and learned six aboriginal languages and seventeen dialects.His extensive knowledge of the pygmy language resulted in a dictionary of more than 18,000 terms, which remains unpublished. He founded The Pygmy Fund in 1974, the only organization devoted to the preservation of the lives and culture of surviving forest dwelling Efe pygmies.
Born in 1927 in Louvain, Belgium, Jean-Pierre Hallet was the son of Andre Hallet, the famed Belgian post-impressionist painter, who lived in the Congo. Jean-Pierre played with pygmy children, north of Lake Kivu, in the northeastern part of the former Belgian Congo. At six, he left his playmates to go to school in Europe. He was already the height of an average adult pygmy in the forest. He returned in 1948 with a Sorbonne education. He was now an agronomist and a sociologist. Jean-Pierre was twenty-one. He was six feet five inches tall and 225 pounds. His incredible life was about to unfold and his reputation as "father to the pygmies" and the "Abe Lincoln of the Congo" was just beginning.
Jean-Pierre Hallet would become a heroic figure. He would become an authority on African culture and a blood brother to many tribes. He was an internationally renowned africanist, ethnologist, naturalist, author, lecturer, explorer, cinematographer, artist, African art authority and collector as well as a death-defying adventurer. He delivered more than 500 African babies, pygmy and non-pygmy. It would be difficult to find another man with such a resume.
He would author three books, the Kitabu trilogy. (Kitabu is roughly translated in Swahili as book.) Congo Kitabu, the first of the trilogy was autobiographical. It would be translated into twenty-one languages including Chinese and Russian. His own words say it best. "I grew up among the pygmies, learning everything that is their world,....making my first bow and arrow.....identifying birds and animals."
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 14, 2018
I have just read another to add to my all-time favorite list. I love stories about personal courage against all odds, sacrifices for a noble cause, and bucking the powers-that-be for the betterment of their corner of the world. In my opinion, this memoir by Jean-Pierre Hallet fills the bill.
Jean-Pierre Hallet served for 10 years in the Belgian Congo in government administration. From 1948 until 1960, when the rebellion for independence began, he was faithful in his post. The 17 native tribes under his jurisdiction adored him, many calling him "Father" because his love for them and the Congo itself was so evident. He quickly saw that the standard practice of jailing and fining for minor infractions would never produce results. Instead he taught them. Even the Pygmy natives, who were commonly looked at as unable to be educated and as little more than monkeys, he taught to farm, educated them in schools, how to govern their little villages, and to see themselves as humans worthy of respect and dignity. He battled a full-grown lion with only a spear, a full-grown leopard with only his hands after one of his staff had been attacked, endured "blackwater fever" malaria (the most serious type, usually fatal), the loss of a hand, most of his hearing, was seriously disfigured, but in spite of all, persevered in the field every day to better the natives' lives. It broke his heart, when the independence rebellion began, that the various tribes started killing each other, destroying everything in their path, and did not know why they were even doing it.
Here, I quote him:
"Most of us had come to the Congo very young and full of altruism. Our goal had been to heal, feed, and educate some thirteen million natives; somehow to build a self-supporting nation where disease, sorcery, tribal warfare, cannibalism, and the slave trade had decimated nearly a million square miles of tropical wilderness. Ironically, tragically, the natives were about to lose, in the name of freedom, almost everything we had tried to help them build."
The book has many photographs to document all of these things that he endured, that he accomplished, and those he had witnessed. I will be rereading this definitely.
This was read for the ABC Challenge, for the letter C, on https://twogalsandabook.com/.
Jean-Pierre Hallet served for 10 years in the Belgian Congo in government administration. From 1948 until 1960, when the rebellion for independence began, he was faithful in his post. The 17 native tribes under his jurisdiction adored him, many calling him "Father" because his love for them and the Congo itself was so evident. He quickly saw that the standard practice of jailing and fining for minor infractions would never produce results. Instead he taught them. Even the Pygmy natives, who were commonly looked at as unable to be educated and as little more than monkeys, he taught to farm, educated them in schools, how to govern their little villages, and to see themselves as humans worthy of respect and dignity. He battled a full-grown lion with only a spear, a full-grown leopard with only his hands after one of his staff had been attacked, endured "blackwater fever" malaria (the most serious type, usually fatal), the loss of a hand, most of his hearing, was seriously disfigured, but in spite of all, persevered in the field every day to better the natives' lives. It broke his heart, when the independence rebellion began, that the various tribes started killing each other, destroying everything in their path, and did not know why they were even doing it.
Here, I quote him:
"Most of us had come to the Congo very young and full of altruism. Our goal had been to heal, feed, and educate some thirteen million natives; somehow to build a self-supporting nation where disease, sorcery, tribal warfare, cannibalism, and the slave trade had decimated nearly a million square miles of tropical wilderness. Ironically, tragically, the natives were about to lose, in the name of freedom, almost everything we had tried to help them build."
The book has many photographs to document all of these things that he endured, that he accomplished, and those he had witnessed. I will be rereading this definitely.
This was read for the ABC Challenge, for the letter C, on https://twogalsandabook.com/.
July 22, 2013
Rather than repeating other reviews, I want to add to their comments (which I generally agree with so far).
After reading much about Africa, I found Hallet's perspective to be very refreshing. He is a realist from another era, and he does not suffer from the flowery and politically-correct language of more recent writers. He is a product of his time, and his uninhibited thought processes might ruffle a few of the more prudish feathers among us. But for example, his overt racial profiling is very insightful and enlightening at times, regardless of what people may or may not want to hear. For example he gives a no-holds-barred take on the Hutu and Tutsi people and what really makes them different, both in terms of how Hallet perceives them, contemporary stereotypes, and importantly, how they see themselves. These are things you just cannot find in more modern writings about the Rwanda Genocide for example. He provides apt observations about many other ethnicities throughout his travels that may simplify on one hand, but also helps to enlighten on the other. There are differences between the tribes and peoples of the continent, but it seems that more modern writers are loathe to point them out or offer simple anecdotes for fear of offending someone.
He is not afraid to sleep with the chiefs very young daughters and he is not worried about how his opinions will be perceived. That being said, he is not just a brutish chauvinist and racist charging his way through Africa. But to the extent that he was born in 1927, he may be a little of that, compared to modern norms and practices.
He also gives a somewhat unbiased view on what the Belgian Colonial system was actually doing in the Congo, at least by the 1940's and 50's. I think this helps to gain a somewhat more balanced view of imperialism, especially with horrible episodes like King Leopold's Congo painting every other colony with the same shameful brush. Some colonies did have tangible benefits for the people living under them, but the topic remains very controversial.
On the whole, Jean-Pierre Hallet is a very intelligent, positive and sensitive man. He is inquisitive and thoughtful and knowledgeable. You will certainly grow fond of his indomitable, yet lovable character as soon as you read his words. He was a magnificent person.
After reading much about Africa, I found Hallet's perspective to be very refreshing. He is a realist from another era, and he does not suffer from the flowery and politically-correct language of more recent writers. He is a product of his time, and his uninhibited thought processes might ruffle a few of the more prudish feathers among us. But for example, his overt racial profiling is very insightful and enlightening at times, regardless of what people may or may not want to hear. For example he gives a no-holds-barred take on the Hutu and Tutsi people and what really makes them different, both in terms of how Hallet perceives them, contemporary stereotypes, and importantly, how they see themselves. These are things you just cannot find in more modern writings about the Rwanda Genocide for example. He provides apt observations about many other ethnicities throughout his travels that may simplify on one hand, but also helps to enlighten on the other. There are differences between the tribes and peoples of the continent, but it seems that more modern writers are loathe to point them out or offer simple anecdotes for fear of offending someone.
He is not afraid to sleep with the chiefs very young daughters and he is not worried about how his opinions will be perceived. That being said, he is not just a brutish chauvinist and racist charging his way through Africa. But to the extent that he was born in 1927, he may be a little of that, compared to modern norms and practices.
He also gives a somewhat unbiased view on what the Belgian Colonial system was actually doing in the Congo, at least by the 1940's and 50's. I think this helps to gain a somewhat more balanced view of imperialism, especially with horrible episodes like King Leopold's Congo painting every other colony with the same shameful brush. Some colonies did have tangible benefits for the people living under them, but the topic remains very controversial.
On the whole, Jean-Pierre Hallet is a very intelligent, positive and sensitive man. He is inquisitive and thoughtful and knowledgeable. You will certainly grow fond of his indomitable, yet lovable character as soon as you read his words. He was a magnificent person.
December 13, 2012
I lived next to the author in Westchester LA as a 10 year old in 1964 At the time, he scared the hell out of me. (In person, he was very intimidating to a child) His house was full of strange and interesting things he brought back from africa But meeting him and knowing about his life and work also inspired my lifelong love of travel and indigenous peoples which contributed to my getting a degegree in anthropology. I would have loved to talk with him as an adult.
October 16, 2007
In my top four most-astonishing-adventure books ever read. This is Tarzan meets real life.
April 24, 2015
This book was a fantastic true story full of adventure. I highly recommend this book if you can get your hands on it. I think it would be especially good reading for any young teen who thinks reading is boring. In addition to the fantastic adventures this book has heart. The author truly cares for the people and animals of the Congo and works his hardest for their welfare. The story ends shortly after independence. His observations of that event are heartbreaking and also shed light on the issues that led to genocide in Rwanda and the current poaching to extinction problems especially with rhinos and elephants. I think this book is long out of print but if you can get your hands on it, read it.
September 7, 2012
EXCELLENT! One of the most thrilling true life adventures I have ever read, written by a man who had experienced all that Africa had to offer. Jean-Pierre Hallet truly lived life to its fullest. A real page turner, one that I was sorry to come to the end of, as I wanted it to go on and on. For those who thirst for adventure, this is a must.
August 26, 2010
Remarkable true story of the author's high adventure in the Congo, where he lodst a hand in an explosion, and lived to fight a leopard AND a lion. He made the talk show circuits and was a fascinating man.
Read
August 1, 2009This old OOP book is very exciting, and worth tracking down if you're interested in African exploration and adventure.
December 7, 2009
very intriguing story about the life of the native people in the Congo (masai, pygmies etc). John Prizer met the author Jean-Pierre Hallet.
January 24, 2011
His passionate love of the Congolese landscape, it's animals and people is extraordinary.
December 5, 2011
For many, many years this was my all time favorite book.
July 2, 2012
Spell-binding autobiographical narrative of Hallet's ethnographic studies and travels in mid-20th century central Africa.
May 28, 2017
Very good depiction of life in Africa in the '50's through the eyes of a government worker. An important perspective on the independence movement of the '60's in the Congo and surrounding areas.
January 22, 2013
Read it many years ago. What an eye opener, especially when it comes to the community of elephants
March 10, 2015
one of my favorite book. Funny, informative
April 26, 2018
Hallet gives us first hand accounts of his experiences with unique and remote cultures in the Congo as he works as an agronomist for Belgium. He joins these communities in ways never done before or since, a truly once in a century experience that he documents with vivid detail, humor, and native languages.
He quickly becomes a hero for the natives of the Congo and isn't afraid to "stick it to the man", his Belgian administrative supervisors. He gives his head and his heart to the people he meets. He seeks to understand the various cultures of the Congo by insisting to participate in ritual ceremonies, diets, hunts, love, and dress. Every chapter is rich with adventure as his passion for the natives pours out of the pages.
It is an INCREDIBLE story and one of the best I have ever had the pleasure to read. This man experienced things you wouldn't believe and fortunately for us he wrote a book all about them. I'm now more aware of African culture and the many ways in which humans live on this planet. The theme of man's relationship to the land and to each other is a timeless point. This book encouraged me think of community, sustainability, the natural world, traditions, and the importance of culture. It was a rollercoaster of events, feelings, places, people, and power.
Highly recommend.
He quickly becomes a hero for the natives of the Congo and isn't afraid to "stick it to the man", his Belgian administrative supervisors. He gives his head and his heart to the people he meets. He seeks to understand the various cultures of the Congo by insisting to participate in ritual ceremonies, diets, hunts, love, and dress. Every chapter is rich with adventure as his passion for the natives pours out of the pages.
It is an INCREDIBLE story and one of the best I have ever had the pleasure to read. This man experienced things you wouldn't believe and fortunately for us he wrote a book all about them. I'm now more aware of African culture and the many ways in which humans live on this planet. The theme of man's relationship to the land and to each other is a timeless point. This book encouraged me think of community, sustainability, the natural world, traditions, and the importance of culture. It was a rollercoaster of events, feelings, places, people, and power.
Highly recommend.
July 30, 2025
Travel memoir
1948 - 1960
He fell in love with the indigenous people in the Republic of the Congo (and other countries nearby) and wrote this book to make us love them too, and to care about their continued existence, including creating a nonprofit.
“Since 1974, The Pygmy Fund is the ONLY organization in the world dedicated to saving the Ete Pygmies from extinction and preserving their way of life with self-reliance and dignity."
Nice!
1948 - 1960
He fell in love with the indigenous people in the Republic of the Congo (and other countries nearby) and wrote this book to make us love them too, and to care about their continued existence, including creating a nonprofit.
“Since 1974, The Pygmy Fund is the ONLY organization in the world dedicated to saving the Ete Pygmies from extinction and preserving their way of life with self-reliance and dignity."
Nice!
November 4, 2018
Absolutely incredible. Hallet is a man among men, inspiring not only for his many feats of daring and bravery, but also for his unparalleled care and empathy towards the Congo and its inhabitants (human and animal, alike). Seeing the pre-Republic Congo through his eyes showcases the intense beauty and culture that drew him back time after time.
March 12, 2022
Truly amazing man, Jean Hallet. This book came to me, sent by a young man I’ve known in Cincinnati for some 20 years. I am very grateful to Brandon for sending this to me to read. Unbelievably inspiring story of a man who never gave up!!
February 21, 2023
Not at all what I was expecting, but really good nonetheless. Everyone I know that’s been to Africa can only rave about it and can’t wait until they can go back again. I hope to somehow go just once.
July 4, 2020
My favorite was "Congo Kitabu" by Jean Pierre Hallet a non-fiction book. You should be able to find it by itself and not just in the Reader's Digest condensed version. It was a page turner and very exciting. He was in the Congo about the time I was born in 1951. If only Belgium had been able to stay there, he had made so much progress. It must have been heartbreaking to leave and see what a return to anarchy will do to a country.
I also read Avalon (fiction around 950ish-100 AD concerning a woman captured by Vikings) and Children of Hope (about a couple adopting a Baby from VietNam in the 1960s). They were very good.
I also read Avalon (fiction around 950ish-100 AD concerning a woman captured by Vikings) and Children of Hope (about a couple adopting a Baby from VietNam in the 1960s). They were very good.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews