Walter Geerts

Testimony by a Belgian journalist who grew up in the Congo, worked for the colonial radio service, and after Independence worked for the Flemish Radio-TV.

Contrary to what the title suggests this is not a biography of Mobutu. If anything it is a testimony of a former Belgian colon on the process of decolonization applying an ethnocentric view on post-Independence developments in the Congo-Zaire. Walter Geerts’ views are not exceptional, yet typical for a former Belgian settler – paternalistic, lacking critical self-reflection, and latently racist. Geerts claims he knows how to talk the ‘Bantu-way’ and therefor is capable of adding insights where others fail. Yet in his report on the crucial interview with Mobutu for Belgian television towards the end of his tenure, it is more likely that Mobutu wanted to talk exclusively with Geerts, because Mobutu found him easy to rebuff and because Geerts did not pose very critical questions.… (más)