A Dance of Assassins presents the competing histories of how Congolese Chief Lusinga and Belgian Lieutenant Storms engaged in a deadly clash while striving to establish hegemony along the southwestern shores of Lake Tanganyika in the 1880s. While Lusinga participated in the east African slave trade; Stormsrsquo; secret mandate was to meet Henry Stanleyrsquo;s eastward march and trace "a white line across the Dark Continent" to legitimize King Leopoldrsquo;s audacious claim to the Congo. Confrontation was inevitable; and Lusinga lost his head. His skull became the subject of a sinister evolutionary treatise; while his ancestral figure is now considered a treasure of the Royal Museum for Central Africa. Allen F. Roberts reveals the theatricality of early colonial encounter and how it continues to influence Congolese and Belgian understandings of history today.
#2137458 in eBooks 2012-03-27 2012-03-27File Name: B00ANAEBPW
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Will fascinate history buffs as well as theatre lovers!By Cheryl HarringtonSusan McNicolls The Opening Act: Canadian Theatre History 1945-1953 will delight history buffs as well as fans of Canadian theatre. The authors passion for her subject is infectious. The book is meticulously researched; full of interview highlights from Canadian stars including Don Harron; Christopher Plummer; Joy Coghill; Jane Mallett; and many; many more. I took my time with this one; savouring every chapter and relishing each funny and poignant behind-the-scenes anecdote from the pioneers of modern theatre in Canada. (Once upon a time; the tax man at Canada Revenue classified actors as "travelling salesmen" - who knew?) Five stars!