I have been meaning to post these images for quite some time, and the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide yesterday, flooded by an ocean of crocodile tears from the international community provides a bloody good occasion to do so.

Found at Siris, these photosouvenirs are from Judge E. Gorlia‘s second journey in the Belgian Congo (ca. 1915 ). Gorlia was a keen amateur photographer and at the time acting as an alternate to the public officer at one of the seven tribunals of first instance (sic). In the description text you’ll find the following lines:

The hammock was the only conveyance available for travel on land. It was swung beneath a bamboo pole carried on the shoulders of two strong African men. They could travel 20 to 30 miles a day. In normal time, there were four pairs of men for the hammock, two men carrying at a time. Men strong enough were almost impossible to find because they were likely to go off to work in the mines.