Tintin and Leopold in Congo
I am ashamed to admit that I only started reading the main francophone Belgian newspaper, Le Soir last week - and only due to the fact that it was available free in Exki, a common chain of lunch take-away food near the Commission. The Commission sandwiches are less appetizing after a while, and I haven't had much time for proper lunches lately due to trainings, choral concerts and actual work. The main topic in paper of last week's Thursday was the possible lawsuit against the publisher of Tintin, a.k.a the national symbol of Belgium. Bienvenu Mbutu Mdondondo, a Congolese student in Belgium accuses the album "Tintin in Congo" (known in Finnish as "Tintti Afrikassa") of racism and wants it to be transferred from bookshops to museum displays. He pressed charges in Belgium in 2007 - still pending - and in France in 2009 ( Figaro article on the issue in French). Mdondondo has proclaimed to be ready to go to the European Court of Human Rights, if needed. Previ