Saturday November 9th 2024

Dear readers,

I sit here on an overcast Saturday in Kinshasa. It isn’t too hot. The weather has been a bit unpredictable with rains in the mornings and afternoons. We’ve had some sweltering heat as well. The sun has been brutal on some days.

So how is Kinshasa these days?

To be honest, I’m not sure! I have been away in Europe for some time and probably will be away for longer for personal reasons… But don’t worry, I will still keep you abreast on the latest changes in the DRC.

I have to be honest though, I have not had much to report about Kinshasa or the Congo.

Things seem to stay the same here. Some things get worse, some get better.

What’s gotten better you ask? Hum… My gym has new machines! They invested in a larger space full of new machines. That’s about it I guess.

No but seriously, I can’t think of other positive changes at the moment.

There are new malls, restaurants and fancy hotels and new apartments selling for half a million USD but I’m not sure that’s a sign of progress or improvements.

I think the saddest or worse part of this place is the traffic. Holy s*&t! It is bad!

There is a new initiative to make all the roads one way in the morning and the other way in the evening. I think it has been a partial success but the downtown area is still a clusterf$!&k!

The filth is still everywhere.

The other day I went for a walk to a sports club in town. There are kids on the street begging with their mothers. No one helps them even if some have tried to help, the families have simply returned to the streets. They shower and sleep on the streets…

The east of the DRC is still a mess. Colleagues over there are struggling to live a normal life (displaced with their families for months to Goma and cannot go back to their villages). Goma itself is always worried about what goes on around it (M23). Roadblocks and police and military are out after 6pm (Goma, Kolwezi) checking cars for weapons but also asking for a “café”.

The DRC seems well if you go to the fancy restaurants or stay in the new malls. Once you step onto the street and try to go Goma, Matadi, Lubumbashi or any other part outside Gombe, you will see the chaos.

Just the drive to the airport will freak you out.

But you know all this, so why do you read my blog? More of the same? Confirmation of what you know?

I’m trying to see some positives in the routine of Congolese life. Maybe there is a reason to being here if you make a good living and can send it overseas to your family. But if you have to make a life here with your family, it can be hard to find a reason… Schools cost a fortune, rent too, healthcare is bad and overpriced, quality of life is also low (traffic, pollution).

Sure it is nice for a year or two. A lot of friends have come to the DRC to have beers in Ndjili, take a plane to Gbadolite, learn some Lingala, listen to some Rumba, take a taxi moto and many other adventures to see the incredible nature and wildlife (rainforest, Congo river).

But after a year or two, you’ve been there, done that and moved on to the next posting in Africa, Asia, South America or back in your homes in the West…

It was a fun experience and you made good memories but it wasn’t for you in the long term.

You’d much rather be in a place that you can build a life in and don’t want to live like a solo traveller forever.

I’ll try to post a more cheerful post soon! Sorry about that!

Have a good one and let me know what you’d like me to write about? Or have you seen a better blog about Congo? A video? A TikTok? Let me know!

Adios amigos!

Emilio

Gombe, Kinshasa