Emilio in Congo (DRC)

Tag: Kinshasa

  • Music in the DRC

    Music in the DRC

    A short history of Congolese (DRC) music with a few classic tracks

  • A walk around Gombe

    I went for a walk🚶‍♂️ today. Gombe before sunset is a chaos of speeding cars. Police and random people standing outside properties staring at the silly white guy walking around with his earphones. “On fait tâche” The streets are clean enough. Sidewalks are littered with plastics. Public spaces aren’t cleaned. People waiting for buses. Some…

  • Driving around the city

    Driving around the city

    Driving around the city

  • Littering on the river loop

    Littering on the river loop

    In nice settings, sometimes littering is normal and accepted. How to change this behaviour?

  • Recommended bars and restaurants in Kinshasa

    Recommended bars and restaurants in Kinshasa

    Here are a few places I recommend in Kinshasa. You will quickly figure out that there aren’t too many places to go too but some are nice but somewhat overpriced compared to other places in the world! Avoid them when they are crowded! Try to go during office hours or really early. Most can deliver…

  • More photos of Kinshasa during Covid

    More photos of Kinshasa during Covid

    More photos of Kinshasa during the curfew/Covid… Things haven’t changed much. Just masks, get home before 9pm. Parties start earlier now. Bars and restaurants are changing their hours. No one wants to sit at home.

  • Photographs of the river loop before a storm

    Photographs of the river loop before a storm

  • Mwambe (Palm chicken dish)

    Have you had mwambe (or moambe, the spelling is always a problem!) ? It’s a palm oil based chicken dish in Congo. You should give it a go. It is served with sweet fried plantains, “saka saka” or a type of spinach like dish using manioc leaves. It’s all served with some normal local rice.…

  • Kayser in Kinshasa

    Have you been to Kayser Kin Plaza? It’s the place to be apparently. Go there on a Saturday afternoon and you’re sure to bump into someone you know. A lot of people like to come here for the food and atmosphere. They make great bread. Their lunches are delicious too. It’s like you leave Kinshasa…

  • Driving in Kinshasa

    Driving in Kinshasa is a nightmare. There are no priorities. You constantly feel anxious. The police don’t help. They harass passengers and drivers. Courtesy is inexistant. It truly is remarkable how people go from their home to the office everyday without heart attacks or road rage. I don’t even imagine the difficulty of finding a…

  • Another Sunday in Kinshasa

  • Sunday in Kinshasa

    It’s quiet today. It’s the best day to drive around and see the city. There’s no traffic or hardly any. You can take a few pictures without being harassed. If you want, you can drive out of the city but there’s tons of traffic as you leave the city centre… It’s getting warmer. The rainy…