Republic of the Congo — books & literature

The story of Republic of the Congo

Long before European contact, the region that is now the Republic of the Congo lay within the sphere of the Kingdom of Kongo, founded around 1390, and the smaller Loango and Teke (Tio) kingdoms, which controlled trade in ivory, copper and textiles along the Congo River basin. European contact began in the late 15th century with Portuguese navigators, and by the 19th century the coast was drawn into the Atlantic slave trade. In 1880 the Franco-Italian explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza signed a treaty with Makoko, ruler of the Teke Kingdom, founding the settlement that became Brazzaville and opening the territory to French colonization as Middle Congo. Absorbed into French Equatorial Africa in 1910, Brazzaville rose to continental importance during the Second World War, serving as the symbolic capital of Free France under Charles de Gaulle from 1940 to 1943. The Republic of the Congo gained full independence on 15 August 1960. Political turbulence followed, including a Marxist-Leninist one-party state from 1969 to 1992 and a civil war in the 1990s that returned Denis Sassou Nguesso to the presidency in 1997. Today the country blends its Kongo, Teke and Loango heritage with a francophone, oil-driven economy centred on Brazzaville and the port city of Pointe-Noire.

Timeline — key moments

1. circa 1390

   Kingdom of Kongo founded, its northern reach covering part of the modern country.

2. late 15th century

   Portuguese navigators make first European contact along the coast.

3. 1880

   Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza signs a treaty with Makoko of the Teke Kingdom, founding Brazzaville.

4. 1910

   Middle Congo becomes part of French Equatorial Africa (AEF).

5. 1940-1943

   Brazzaville serves as the symbolic capital of Free France under Charles de Gaulle.

6. 1944

   The Brazzaville Conference on the future of French African colonies is held in the city.

7. 1960

   Independence from France under President Fulbert Youlou (15 August).

8. 1969-1992

   People's Republic of the Congo: a Marxist-Leninist one-party state.

9. 1997

   Civil war ends with Denis Sassou Nguesso returning to the presidency.

10. 2021

    Congolese rumba, co-rooted in Brazzaville and Kinshasa, is inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Top 10 things to know about Republic of the Congo

1. Brazzaville and Kinshasa (DRC) are the two closest national capitals in the world, facing each other across the Congo River.
2. The country is named for the Congo River, the second-longest river in Africa and the deepest river in the world.
3. Brazzaville was the symbolic capital of Free France for three years during the Second World War.
4. Congolese rumba, recognised by UNESCO in 2021, has roots in Brazzaville as much as in Kinshasa.
5. French is the sole official language, but Lingala and Kituba are widely spoken lingua francas.
6. Much of the north lies within the Congo Basin, the world's second-largest rainforest.
7. Odzala-Kokoua National Park is one of Africa's oldest protected areas and a stronghold for western lowland gorillas.
8. The Kingdom of Kongo, founded circa 1390, once extended into the country's southern reaches.
9. Petroleum, produced mainly around the port city of Pointe-Noire, anchors the national economy.
10. The country was a Marxist-Leninist one-party state for over two decades before multi-party elections in 1992.

Famous people from Republic of the Congo

Say it in Republic of the Congo's language

Did you know?

• ★Brazzaville and Kinshasa are separated by only a narrow stretch of the Congo River, yet they are two different countries' capitals.
• ★Brazzaville hosted Charles de Gaulle's Free French government-in-exile from 1940 to 1943, making a Congolese city briefly the capital of French resistance.
• ★Congolese rumba, born from the Kikongo dance "nkumba" ("waist"), spread across the continent and shaped modern African popular music.

Republic of the Congo culture

• Congolese rumba and its guitar-driven "sebene" bridges are central to national musical identity, shared with neighbouring DRC.
• French remains the language of government and education, while Lingala and Kituba dominate everyday and musical life.
• Cassava (manioc), plantain, and freshwater fish from the Congo River form the base of everyday cuisine.
• The rainforest and the Congo River shape both the economy and traditional beliefs across many of the country's ethnic groups, including the Kongo, Teke, and Mbochi.

Why read Republic of the Congo's books

Congo-Brazzaville's literature grew out of the oral storytelling traditions of the Kongo and Teke kingdoms, then flourished in French through writers who turned exile, colonialism, and political upheaval into some of francophone Africa's most acclaimed fiction.