Cannibalism is “the eating of the flesh of an animal by another animal of the same kind” (“Cannibalism Definition & Meaning”). As depicted in the Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad, the act of cannibalism is something that one may be led to believe is quite normal in this area; this is not the mainstream case. Within the colonial period, the Belgian Congo participated in processes that involved cutting the body that both populations in the Congo, as well as Belgian colonizers often mistook as cannibalism (Au). Additionally, this process did not just apply to the dead; it also was used in conjunction with the living as well (Au). This was often done to understand certain medical practices, and because of the nature of the work; many colonizers had a tendency to perpetuate the notion of cannibalism due to ignorance (Au). While there certainly were instances in which natives participated in eating human flesh, it was not as often as one would be led to believe in Heart of Darkness (Au).

In terms of Conrad’s work, this sheds much light on the book as a whole. First, it creates an additional point of the disconnection the colonizers in the story have with the Congo, itself. Calling the natives “cannibals” is disingenuous, and I think when one understands this, it reinforces how the white men are the actual darkness on the land.

Works Cited

Au, Sokhieng. “Cutting the Flesh: Surgery, Autopsy and Cannibalism in the Belgian Congo.” Medical

history vol. 61,2 (2017): 295-312. doi:10.1017/mdh.2017.5

“Cannibalism Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/cannibalism.

Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. 1899