Father Huismans is a prime example of how individuals exploit history to fit their narratives of the future. But he also calls into question what the President wants to push as “true Africa.” To his mind, the Africa left behind by colonists is no longer “true Africa,” yet the President wants to create “true Africa” out of the ashes of colonial civilization. Taken together, the implication is perhaps that “true Africa” is neither the exploitation of its history and cultures, nor the post-colonial euro-modern edifice that the President hopes to create. “True Africa” looks more like the town itself, a natural meeting place, full of multiplicity and contradiction, not some monolithic ideal.