«Caribou» - a journey through the Congo
Anita Müller, program manager at Connexio develop, is travelling to the DR Congo for the first time. She tells us what it was like in the following text.
During my introduction to the work as project coordinator in May of this year, our former project coordinator Jean-Paul Dietrich had casually given me a seven-hundred-page history book on the Congo. I had firmly resolved to read at least the chapters since independence before traveling to the Congo for the first time.
From theory to practice: an «unprepared» arrival
In the end, there was only enough time to skim selected passages before I left. But as it turned out in the weeks that followed, it is indeed impossible to prepare for something you have to experience with literature.
Together with Ulrich Bachmann and our country coordinator Blanchard Ayinza Boke, I was able to immerse myself in Congolese culture for two weeks and travel across the country. Of course, we were not travelling for tourist pleasure, but visited partner organizations and projects in Kinshasa, Kindu and Lubumbashi.
Kinshasa: Of chaotic growth and marginalized neighbourhoods
Kinshasa, our first destination, is not only the country's capital, but also one of the fastest growing cities in the world. According to Worldometers sixteen million people currently live in this city and up to around five percent new residents are added every year. Many of the people who have moved to Kinshasa due to conflict or in the hope of better opportunities are settling in the outer districts - where life is still affordable. The infrastructure has not been able to keep pace with the rapid growth, and income opportunities are often severely limited. These facts and figures, which I drummed into my head shortly before my departure, ran through my mind as I looked out of the window of the airport cab and noticed the chaotic traffic and the hustle and bustle of people on the roadsides.
Kingabwa: Between police protection and fashion show
One of these marginalized districts is Kingabwa, where the Methodists run a local church and a small social center. The car ride to the Kingabwa district was already telling: from the well-developed city center, we drove along the Congo River, through the industrial area full of disused factories, over a bumpy road to the residential district of Kingabwa. In addition to a lack of infrastructure and poverty, this district also has problems with youth gangs - the so-called Kulunas. Our hosts therefore arranged for police officers to keep watch during our stay. However, we didn't even notice this in the midst of the joyful hustle and bustle with which we were greeted in front of the Methodist social center. We were eagerly treated to a fashion show in which young graduates of the tailoring course supported by Connexio presented us with the dresses they had sewn themselves. Congolese women - as I was repeatedly told during my stay - have a flair for beautiful clothes. Whether in poor districts such as Kingabwa or in more rural areas, they wear beautifully cut dresses made from colorful fabrics. We, too, were decked out in traditional clothing everywhere we visited.
Kindu: Poverty in a green paradise
After the big city of Kinshasa, our journey continued to the east - a completely different context. As soon as we approached, I couldn't get enough of the lush greenery around Kindu. For me, after the stressful time in the chaotic capital, Kindu seemed like a paradise. But behind this idyllic scene lies a lack of infrastructure, limited access to education and healthcare and hardly any income opportunities. The conflicts in the east have led to products having to be flown in from Kinshasa - with corresponding prices. The price of a small bottle of water is even higher than in Switzerland.
Center Maman Lynn: Empowerment through sewing machines
Due to the security situation, we could only use the Connexio-supported Center Maman Lynn in Kindu and - much to my chagrin - did not travel on to South Kivu, where the peace project is being implemented. At the Maman Lynn Center, women are taught reading and writing skills and then learn tailoring. At the end of the one-year course, they receive their own sewing machine so that they can put their new skills into practice independently. It was particularly impressive to visit two graduates at home and see how they have been earning a living since completing the course. One of them, Safti Lufungula, a 22-year-old single mother, sews an average of three items of clothing a day and was giving sewing lessons to a friend when we stopped by. This is how a single sewing machine becomes the engine for an entire community. These encounters made it clear to me how empowering such low-threshold training can be.
During our stay, we learned that the Minister of Defense was also in town, as the security situation around Kindu had worsened. A military parade and a plane loaded with ammunition were already waiting at the airport. Against this backdrop, we left the east with a depressed feeling - only to find a completely different reality in the south.
Lubumbashi: Deceptive prosperity
Lubumbashi is the second largest city in the country and has achieved a certain prosperity thanks to the mining industry. The streets look a little more modern and a golf course adorns the upmarket part of town. But this prosperity is reserved for the few. Not far outside the city, we are confronted with a different reality: many people from conflict-affected regions have settled in the outlying districts and live under difficult conditions. The project «Child Action Initiative» enables the most vulnerable children and young people to go to school. However, we quickly realized that it was a battle against windmills: even though many children have already benefited, the number of vulnerable children continues to rise. Accordingly, I was somewhat lost in thought on the drive back to the city center.
Our two-week trip ended with our stay in Lubumbashi. The many conversations and impressions soon made the first few days in Kinshasa seem far away. Despite the sometimes depressing realities of life, the encounters were remarkably warm-hearted. Especially in the Swahili-speaking regions, we constantly encountered the word «karibu» - «welcome», «come in». It symbolizes the open hospitality that we experienced.
Back to Switzerland: the journey has a lasting effect
Back in Switzerland, I first had to sort out my many impressions. This text is part of that process. Next, I will take the history book I mentioned off the shelf again. Because even if you experience the Congo up close, understanding the history ultimately helps you to categorize your impressions and better understand the impressive complexity of the country.
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