In this blog, I will be discussing Herge’s early comics’ alleged connection to propaganda. In this, I will be mentioning Tintin.
Propaganda according to the Merriam- webster dictionary refers to propaganda as “the spreading of ideas, information, or rumour for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person. Or ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause,” (Merriam- Webster dictionary, 2020). It is no secret that the man behind the name Herge, Georges Prosper Remi, held a conservative right-wing point of view (Mountfort, 2020) with him even in his later years refusing to accept the reading of Tintin as a possible member of the LGBT community (Mountfort, 2020). However, the question is whether he as Herge brought these beliefs and in some cases prejudices into his comics? If that is the case was it in a deliberate manner in order further early conservative and far right-leaning groups or to damage opposing causes to the far right?
In regards to Herge bringing his personal beliefs into his early work one does not have to look far, unfortunately, to find Tintin in the Congo a comic that played into many racist motif’s such as the depiction of the Congolese characters as having the large red lips as well as the depiction of Tintin, the white character, taking on a role of teacher to the uneducated natives(Herge, 1991). In regards to Herge stance on the political movement at the time one can look at the comic Tintin in the land of the soviets one could only describe this comic as Herge’s expressing his anti-Bolshevik point of view with his readers which would be putting it lightly with one of the panels depicting the soviet citizens attending their election while at gunpoint(Herge, 1989).
The question now becomes whether these examples were Herge’s deliberate attempt to spread the message of the far right-wing conservatives who then evolved into a fascist movement and the anti-Bolshevik movement. In regards to Tintin in the Congo, one notes the one-dimensional discussion of the realities of the Congolese people and the Belgian colonisation Tintin in the Congo gives a sanitised version of the horrifying reality in the Congo replacing those facts with a nice comic panel of Tintin educating the native Congolese children on their home country Belgium (Mountfort, 2020) and there is a chance Herge version of the story could have been effective in spreading the pro colonisation ideas however one can’t be too clear on whether it was deliberate or not. However, in regard to Herge spreading the anti-Bolshevik movement deliberately there is no doubt in it as Herge himself has admitted to this himself (Mountfort, 2012).
Tintin being a franchise that expands over multimedia and many decades has touched so many lives mine included. As someone who read graphic novels, comic books and anime the Tintin franchise was one of the first of its kind that I came across in the side of the kiddie of the library. I loved these adventures, in particular, Explorers on the moon (Herge, 1959) as I went through a period in which I was obsessed with anything relating to space. But just because I enjoy these comics and hold nostalgic feelings towards it doesn’t mean I am unable to separate my enjoyment from the blatant propaganda and racism within Herge work. Is Tintin enjoyable yes is the connection between these texts and propaganda also yes.
References
Herge(creat). (1991). Adventures of tintin in the congo. Brussels, Belgium: Casterman, Egmont.
Herge (creat). (1959). Explorers on the moon. London, England: Methuen.
Herge(creat). (1989). Tintin in the land of the soviets. Not available: Sundancer.
Mounfort, P (auth). (2020). Tintin: the franchise and hergé’s the blue lotus (1983; 1936). Retrieved from https://blackboard.aut.ac.nzwebapps/blackboard/content/ listContent.jsp?course_id=96250_1&content_id=_5273101_1&mode=reset
Mountfort, P. (2012). ‘Yellow skin, black hair … careful, tintin’: hergé and orientalism. Australasian Journal of Popular Culture, 1(1), 33 – 49. Retrieved from https://black board.aut.ac.nz/webapps/b lackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_96250_1&content_id=_5273101_1&mode=reset
Not available. (Accessed August 2020).”Propaganda.” merriam-webster dictonary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propaganda
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