Actress Grilled Over Srsly Dodge Anecdotes From ‘Memoir’ On Life In Africa

Well, here’s your latest entry. Scottish actress Louise Linton is currently copping some reasonably hilarious heat over her very very seriously titled book In Congo’s Shadow: One Girl’s Perilous Journey To The Heart Of Africa. Sounds like some kind of racist 19th century pamphlet, but look – we’re willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

It’s about her soul-searching journey into the Congo, aged 18, when she was allegedly caught up in the civil war. But whereas she says she was in Zambia, actual Zambians are a little bit perplexed by her descriptions of the civil war, which didn’t actually affect their country in the way she claims it did.

Zambia in 1999 according to #LintonLies;

?Monsoons
?Civil War
?Rebels
?Jungles

I’ve been in the wrong Zambia all my life????

— Bornface (@Bfacemwape) July 5, 2016

An extract of the book was published online, and not only does it tick all the boxes for the white saviour of Africa genre, it also seems to be, uh, not that factual. Africans are calling out the weirder parts with the hashtag #LintonLies. Apparently her recollection of the civil war is a little bit off, and the encounters she describes couldn’t have happened where she says they did.

Taking care of Zimba, while dodging Rebels,& wildlife close calls in Africa’s darkest jungles of Zambia. #LintonLies pic.twitter.com/iSDs0JO9x1

— Lusé Fiasco (@Skip_toMyLu) July 4, 2016

Y’all, I legit can’t stop laughing. They even took the drag to Amazon!!! ???????? #LintonLies pic.twitter.com/OEW1oqBtFL

— Brittany Packnett?? (@MsPackyetti) July 4, 2016

Dear Louise – @louiseLinton, we are hunting down the lions, elephants, crocodiles and snakes that spared your life. Unacceptable #LintonLies

— Muchemwa Sichone (@WriteRevolt) July 4, 2016

@TeleWonderWomen “armed rebels from the Congolese war”? In Zambia? This has never even made our local news.

— Maambo (@TwentyKwacha) July 4, 2016

@TeleWonderWomen “the dense jungle canopy above me”? Zambia has savanna grasslands, not dense jungle. But i guess “English girl experience”.

— Maambo (@TwentyKwacha) July 4, 2016

The funny thing is that even if you accept her version of events as true, she doesn’t really look that good?

“I went to Africa and left an orphaned sick child for dead but the real Africa was the friends I made along the way” pic.twitter.com/iD9Pcm8TVb

— christian (@christianmccrea) July 5, 2016

All sounds a little bit fantastical, hey.