Readers have been kind enough to ask for further recommended books on the history of Africa, and two on my bookshelf immediately sprung to mind. They are both about the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which was also known as the Belgian Congo under King Leopold II of Belgium, and Zaire under the despotic rule of Mobutu Sese Seko. The DRC is a fascinating country with a tragic history of violence and resistance.

Michela Wrong’s In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz is an enjoyable and accessible account of the rise and fall of the charismatic but ruthless Mobutu Sese Seko. It is a compelling narrative of the comedy and tragedy of his thirty two years in power.

Adam Hochschild’s King Leopold’s Ghost is a tougher read but no less worth the effort. It’s a fascinating account of how one man’s ego created a personal colony in the heart of Africa that destroyed the lives of millions, and how the courage and tenacity of a journalist eventually uncovered and publicised the Belgian monarch’s appalling crimes.