Ouroboros

Panel taken from the comic book Tintin au Congo.5.7 x 5.2 cm. Tintin au Congo, a comic book by Hergé, is set in the Congo when it was a Belgian colony. In panel after panel of caricature and racism, Tintin decimates wildlife, ridicules native beliefs and traditions, and portrays the Congolese as savages. However, the comic should be preserved and is worth rereading, as it relates a past that we have inherited. Many things we accept today will be reread in the future with different eyes. Some truths will have become false and some rationalisations inconceivable. When Tintin au Congo was published, the book was not considered either racist or controversial. This is why one should not forget the past, and why we should recontextualise its imprint in order not to repeat it. The drawing shows a snake biting its own tail, and Tintin, in the sentence above says: “And now, enjoy your meal …”