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Du port de Matadi aux mines du Katanga, le cinéaste remonte le cours du fleuve, s'arrêtant ici et là, pour célébrer le chemin de fer, les belles avenues à Léopoldville ou à Stanleyville, et observer les "populations primitives". Un éloge du "génie créateur" de Léopold II et de la colonisation, qui ne résiste à aucun cliché d'époque, surtout quand il confronte les ethnies.
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The living waters are those of the Congo River, the vital artery of the immense Belgian colony in the heart of Africa. From the port of Matadi to the mines of Katanga, the filmmaker sails upstream, stopping here and there to celebrate the railway, the fine avenues of Leopoldville or Stanleyville, and to observe the "primitive populations". A eulogy praising the "creative genius" of Leopold II and colonisation, the film resists none of the period's clichés, especially when confronted with non-white ethnic groups. Images of a time gone by, to be (re)seen so that the existence of this state of mind can be (re)acknowledged.
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