Category: thoughts
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Meeting the Pope
My handshake with the Pope. I was somehow invited to meet the Pope during his visit to the DRC.
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Another year in the DRC gone by
Since the 1950s our family has been in the DRC, since the 1950s things have gotten harder for most Congolese. Seeing a country get worse and worse for 73 years can be heartbreaking. From the 50s there have not been many families that have stayed in the DRC for so long.
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A city stuck in traffic
Nowhere to go. Stay in your seat. Watch cars squeeze left and right. Watch motorcycles slide between you and your neighbours. You’ve got AC at least Yellow taxis on the left, military 4x4s and politicians jumping the queue. Everyone is hitting their horns. Your driver is also losing patience. “What on earth is stopping everyone?”you […]
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Visiting Jaune Congo, a farm outside Kinshasa
Jaune Congo is not an ordinary farm near Kinshasa. They grow fruits and vegetables and soon, palm trees for oil production in a unique and sustainable way, hand in hand with local partners and employees. It is located here. Take the Cico cement factory road after Lukala to get there and ask for “Antoine’s farm”. […]
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Remote life
Everything is remote these days Remote jobs Remote friends Remote girlfriend Remote dancing Remote life Remote sleep Remote fun Remote families Remote death Remote birth Remote holidays Always working and messaging Always on the phone Always distracted Maybe you are now your phone’s remote? When will we realise that remote means far and disconnected Be […]
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Mama Lufuma, a single mother and child shelter in Matadi
I recently went to Matadi to visit a non profit organisation helping young mothers and their children called Mama Lufuma (Website is in Flemish. A translation to English is in progress). There are 15 or so kids that are between 6 months old and 10 years old. Their mothers also live in the shelter. There […]
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Egypt – part 2
Photos of my trip to Egypt in August 2022. Khan El-Khalili Market, Coptic orthodox churches, northern Egypt beaches (Almaza bay)
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Egypt
There is now a direct flight from Kinshasa to Cairo with Egyptair! The flight is around 600 USD. It leaves at midnight and takes 5 hours and 50 minutes. The plane is a Boeing 737. It’s a bit old and there is no inflight entertainment. You can watch the overhead movies 😀 The food is simple. There are obviously no alcoholic drinks served. You can have a Pepsi or some juices.
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Emilio in Italy
Sometimes it’s nice to get away. Living in Kinshasa is a bit intense. Getting out here and there, if you can, is a good thing to reset your mind. The madness of the city and country can get you down and narrow your mind.
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Kinshasa botanical garden
I went to check out the botanical gardens of Kinshasa (Jardin Botanique de Kinshasa) (Google Maps link) today. It is one of the only remaining green spaces in Kinshasa. Some parts were well maintained but others seemed in need of care and a thorough clean-up. I’m guessing the place, run by the ICCN or government […]
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A short summary of my family’s history in Congo
Everyone calls me Emilio but my full name is Khalid Emilio. It’s Khalid because I’m of Indian descent and also Nicaraguan on my mother’s side. My father and his father (my grandfather), Sultan, came to the Belgian Congo in the 1950s with his brothers Badhur and Sadru. They were among the first Indian Ismailis (Nizari) […]
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Childhood memories in Congo
Here are some childhood memories from the 90s I still remember that I’m sure many others can relate to and that I hope I’ll never forget.
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A real commute in Kinshasa
Maybe you wake up at 6am, have a shower, a coffee, a quick toast and a banana, then you get in your car for 10 to 20 minutes to get to the office. Your commute can arguably be considered as “pleasant” and “straightforward”.
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A quiet Saturday
There are a lot fewer cars today somehow. I don’t hear the mad traffic, the loud honking or the “wewas” zipping around. “Wewas” are motorcycle taxis. The word is in Tshiluba which is a language spoken in the Kasai ex-provinces of the DRC.
Emilio in Congo (DRC) 