A hero in Africa

In class yesterday we spoke briefly on the note of heroes. This got me thinking about different characters in the book that would be considered heroes. Definitely not Leopold or Stanley, but there were others.


After finishing King Leopold's ghost, one man in particular stuck out to me. Mr. William Sheppard. This man was a black American traveling to the Congo in the name of the church. The book claims that he was the first black man to travel to the Congo, and he taught Christianity for nearly 20 years. He went to the Congo with high hopes, not knowing what the Europeans were doing to the black people there. Finally, after two years of pleading he convinced the church to let him serve in the Congo (even though it was under another Minster, a white minister to be exact.) Unlike explorers before him Sheppard was genuinely interested in helping the native people. He and his fellow missionary started right away learning the language and traditions of the native people. He was delighted to be in Africa! "my people" he states "the country of my forefathers." This man even rode what was considered the first joi de vivre (bicycle) in Africa. While stationed at the mission Sheppard became very familiar with a isolated community known as the Kuba. He was the first foreigner to reach the town of Ifuca, the place inside Kuba where the king presided. He was accepted by the king because of his skin color and spent a great deal of time there. Foreigners before him were beheaded by the king and the country fought fiercely to keep intruders out. This must have been a highlight in Sheppard's life. He had been collecting Kuba art and tapestry and studying their culture, but to be accepted into it was another story. He wrote numerous accounts of their sophisticated political system and other aspects of their daily and political lives. Although Sheppard didn't make much headway with converting the Kuba people, the discoveries and popularity he gained from them was enough to keep him in the Congo.

William Sheppard's story doesn't seem very heroic at first glance, but after going back through this part of the book, I realized it wasn't the "heroic" actions he did it was the simplicity of his heart and actions. This man, unlike many before him was not after ivory, rubber or slaves, he was there to teach Christianity and learn more about the people of the Congo. He befriended them, learned their language and became a beloved "hero" to them. He didn't try to change their behavior or teach against it, he simply influenced through his charm and personality. Amidst all the atrocities and death, this man was one of their color and genuinely cared about the people. This African-American man whose father was a slave, practiced acceptance of the Africans like no missionary before him.

-Sheppard wearing a traditional European attire.

The definition of a hero is one who puts others before themselves, and although Sheppard originally went there for himself, he came back a hero of the Africans. He put his very life into learning their culutre and serving the people.