In the Heart of Colonialism: Is Conrad’s Heart of Darkness a Friend or Foe of Africa

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a novella that has received, and continue to receive, varied literary interpretation since1899, when it was first published. The basis for such a mix   reaction to the novella is largely on the personality of the author as well as the time and place in which the novella was written. A Polish-English novelist, Joseph Conrad was writing about his voyage up the Congo River and into the Congo Free State, at a time when European Imperialism and colonialism were at their apogee. While many see the novella and the author as racist, others think he just presented a right picture of the Congo at that time, and therefore should be seen as a realist. This article examines the novella from the perspective of whether it should be considered a great work of art that promoted the African course, or that it demeans Africa and Africans. It adopts a review methodology to look at the works of people who have written for and against the book before drawing a conclusion. The paper seeks to answer the question; should the novella be considered a book that stands for Africa or against it. Is the book a friend or a foe of Africa? The article concludes that even though the book may have spoken against colonialism, it largely cannot be considered a friend in the canon of African literature because of its offensive and abusive use of language against African and Africans.