The Chief, The Chicken And The Challenge!

Talking dogs, women that morph into insects and phallic roots that taste like feet are a staple it seems, of a traditional Congolese evening. I am not talking about the witchcraft and mystery that so many westerner’s associate with the ‘Dark Continent’ but a jovial experience of sharing stories, songs, traditional food and good company even through a common language barrier we now found ourselves in.

It was hard therefore, as I sat grinning with the chief or ‘Papa’ of ‘Kinkosi’ under a star littered sky and discussed the movements of the smoke in the wind from our glowing fire with much gesticulation and repetition, not to attach a friendly face to every one of the thousands of people fleeing their homes and livelihoods a thousand miles away on the other side of the country that we had learned of less than one hour ago.

Beer in hand and legs outstretched the words “thousands fleeing their homes” hung upon my conscience. I stared up at the night’s sky and tried to get my head around the many miles of political legislation and moral conflicts that needed tackling before bringing about real change in this war torn state.

Before leaving from London a leading manager for Christian Aid posed the question “Is the two week trip essential to your Gap year experience?” He asked this question in relation to the responsibility that Christian Aid has to reduce its carbon emissions for the year, not an invalid question at all but not one that I am going to answer here.
Congo needs help. I didn’t know quite how much up until now. If carbon was a currency I may have paid over the odds but the rewards will prove to outweigh the price as more and more people learn of the modest lifestyles that most Congolese people aspire for but so many are denied.

Tonight over ten thousand people in the DRC are huddled together in fear not knowing what their future holds. Two hours flight to the west I will be in a heavily secure compound thinking about the hospitality and love that these people have shown me. I think the gap year has started.

Jim

Welcome to the Jungle

Thats what those tribal leaders will be saying to us come Sunday night, because thats where we're going.

I've had 5 or so days in Congo's version of the big smoke, the capital city, Kinchasa has near enough the same population as London, and to be honest if you took out all the factors that make life difficult here I'd say the people are not a million miles from the ones that we meet on a daily basis in england.

I'm not going to dwell on that "theyre just like us" vibe, and in many ways i would say we could learn a lot from them, resilliance, togetherness and warmth are all values that we could benefit from learning a few of these traits, but the point is when you get past all that they still use mobile phones, watch TV and chase girls.

The other day i was digging shit out of an open sewer, well i was present, i avoided the digging using the excuse of wanting to talk to the locals, but i was present for the digging. Shovelling shit is a shit job but in England if you're a plumber it pays damn well, over here though people are doing it for their community, so when the floods come they dont have shit floating around the streets. It's a grim image but its also a grim reality that I experienced. I had boots on and I also had a mask, but there were school kids just running around like it was a playground it didnt phase them.

You might think these people I'm talking about would be uneducated helpless people but one thing I've noticed is theres such a high University rate in the Congo these kids are educated well, theres just no hope of getting a job when you graduate.


im in a rush, theres gunfire an stuff outside but stay locked on and look out for the next peice.... peace.

Ben

From rags to riches

Seven days, 33 degree heat, 4 villages, landslides, invasive geckos and consistent rude awakenings = 1 trip to remember. Bear in mind we are only half way through this experience, I have had a pretty substantial taste of the Congo. It's the people, the culture and their mentality that has opened my eyes, and in more ways than one.

On first glance, it is hard to see kids bare foot and walking 6km to school, mothers strapping their babies on back selling plantain attached to their heads, countless young men sitting on the side of roads contemplating over what to do next...poverty and strife comes in many forms...

But please let’s not be patronising.

Two nights ago the tiny village of Nkandu welcomes us with tradish Congolese food, dancing, fables around a fireplace with shooting stars in the sky...call me soppy, but it was pretty freakin great. Such sentiments and warmth has been recurring aspects in Congo. The majority has infectious smiles; they love their country, their people, those who want it work hard, they don't complain, they have astounding faith and welcome us outsiders with open arms and a plate of foo foo.

The package looks damaged, but the inside is golden.

I wouldn’t even dare look down on these people, as some evoke such happiness and belief than seems too much of an effort back home. Do I envy their aura? I guess I do a little. Do they envy my smoking, drinking, clubbing lifestyle? It seems not so much.

Of course this is just my perception, but the Congolese folk have humbled my preconceptions of being another Westerner with all the right answers. We obviously have a lot to learn too.

As Felix, our amazing Congolese translator said:

“In your eyes of course we look poor. But in our hearts we are richer than you can imagine.”

Dwain Lucktung

Words and just one or two sentences...

It feels a little hot and a little too hard to put together sentences about this intense week so far! As the week has gone on I've written down a 3 words that have summed up my day. So, since most people have covered the ins and outs I'm just gonna give you a snipit of my thoughts of what we have been up to - hopefully this can sum up the experience so far and give you a little insight into how this trip so far has been for me...

Exciting, smelly, eye-opening, awe inspriring, close to home, hard to get my head around, belly ache laughs, beautiful, struggle, very-Christian-Aid!, unexpected, long anticipated, tiring, long chats, speechless, struggle, hope, joy, cold air con, mind boggling supermarket.

One thing that I can get my head around is how much the ups and downs of this trip have been so much more digestable as we've experienced them together. Lets just hope that we do this real justice on our return. I've got a pretty good feeling we will...

Hannah Mah

No peace, No development

It's ironic to think I am writing this blog entry sat in the safety of the Christian Aid office in an air conditioned room in the relatively stable capital of Kinshasa, when I know that 1000 miles away there is conflict and unrest in the town of Goma in the East of the country. I guess hearing about the situation worsening over the past few days has focused my mind on the question of 'How can the DRC develop further without there being total peace?'

Over the last four days, we have visited a number of Christian Aid's partners, including Humanitarian Nouvelle, which works with street children to restore family relationships with the aim of reuniting these children with their familys; RECIC, which focuses alot on accountable governance and community action projects, three HIV projects; and CONAFED, which focuses on gender equality.

I have learnt so much from these development projects including what does 'development' actually mean? I have met so many amazing Congolese people who have really inspired me. This trip so far has hugely fuelled my passion for development work. I burn with anger to see people living in conditions like these. I have been to other developing countries where there has been more a divide between the rich and poor, but what has really struck me in the DRC is that whereever you look, there is a great need.

I could go on and on about the different things I've learnt, but what has struck me recently with the news of the situation in Goma, and has been stressed by so many of the Congolese people I have met is that to have development, you firstly need peace. Pedi (a student from the University) said 'without peace, we cannot stand up and without development in the DRC, Africa won't stand up, we need peace.' He also said 'there is a social war happening in the East of our country, but there is also the economic war of our country. You can tell your government to give peace to our country.' This need for peace was also stressed by Jacques, the head of the Christian Aid office here in DRC when he said 'for development, we need peace, which means we need democracy.'

Questions & Answers

As I type from the office in Kinshasa this morning, I´ve been reflecting on the past few days spent in Bas Congo. I´m a pretty adaptable person, which is perhaps one of the reasons I adore traveling so much, and yet sometimes by its very nature that works against me. We sat around the campfire in the jungle just two nights ago, amazed by the intensity and the vast expanse of sky and stars above us. I felt so at home in that situation, so comfortable in it; then it dawns upon me... I´m in the middle of the Congolese jungle! Not something that I can say everyday.

It´s been an incredible experience so far; yet one fraught with personal tensions. I find myself looking around at some of the sights and feeling so superior; feeling like I know better, that the farmers should grow two fields instead of one, have two cows instead of one, etc. I´m having my own perceptions challenged again as to how much we in the west impose consumerism and greed upon the African nations. Is bigger always better?

One of the other things I´m finding is that this trip is a lesson in learning to ask the right questions. Often we find ourselves asking the same question 3 or 4 times, with slightly different phrasing, to get the answer to the question we really wanted to ask. A part of that is issues with translation, but I also wonder if it is somehow indicitave of the way in which we ´waste´words. We don´t spend much time ensuring that our words convey meaning; we speak without thinking. How much trouble has our carelessness with words got us into at school, at work, etc?

Perhaps the real question is, how much is enough?

Anyone know what a genogramme is?

Yesterday we visited Humanite Nouvelle - a relatively small organisation working with street children. They mainly work with boys living on the street - often as a result of breakdown in the family, but they also work with some girls (identified by the church as being extremely vulnerable to prostitution). The girls are given training in sewing so that they can set themselves up in business. We all had shirts made (see photo) and now look like an African barbershop quartet!).
The work with the boys is painstakingly slow - they are often hardened by being on the streets for a long time, or from being abused by their family (sometimes because they're accused of being possessed). Emile, the programme manager for HUNO, is an inspirational man (see man crouching in photo) who works with each boy over several days drawing a family tree (genogramme) in order to establish who he should approach to try to find the boy a family member to live with. Over the last few months Emile has reconciled 4 families. Not a huge number I know - but priceless.

Daniel

Kosy in Kinkosi

I had finally, joyfully slipped into a lovely dream where the mosquito buzzing in my ear had been transformed by some somnambulistic sleight of hand into the comforting hum of an air conditioning unit. As if by magic I had immediately forgotten where I actually was, 14 of us stuffed end to end in a tiny hut in the middle of the rural village of Kinkosi. We had, in all fairness, stayed up past our bedtimes the night before, villagers and visitors huddled round a fire as we exchanged stories and songs while the sun bled into the horizon and the stars shone above us with an unfamiliar clarity. There had been highs (a beautiful call and response worship hymn sung in the native Lingala), lows (our inexplicable decision to respond with the Grease Megamix) and laughter as people took turns to entertain the group. And there I was performing ‘Jaberwocky’ to a bunch of village children who had no idea what in God’s name was going on as I stomped around the fire, face pulled back into a gurning death mask of horror, roaring surrealist verse into the night sky.

But that had been then, and now, as I was blissfully carried away on a tide of sleepy nothingness, I heard a voice cut through the fug …

“We need to get out of here. Now!”

And we were done with the sleeping. In the next few frantic minutes it became immediately clear that a storm was coming, one of sufficient intensity to make the roads out of the village impassable if we didn’t leave in the next five minutes. Half-asleep, half-understanding we dressed, threw our stuff into our bags and ran for the truck, the rain beginning to thunder down around us as we jammed into every available space on the two tiny 4x4s. Twenty minutes of aggressive driving later, the soggy landscape flying past our window in smudges of reds and green, we were on tarmac and safe, our little convoy catching its breath and laughing at our little adventure.

And as we clapped each other on the back and congratulated ourselves on our ‘lucky' escape, on the other side of the country, tides turned, forces fell and people lost their lives. Thousands alone and displaced, facing an uncertain future and the every present threat of more violence to come.

We play at being travellers and story tellers and sometimes we get caught up in our own fictions.

Real life is a scarier, more unpredictable place.

Chris.

Injustice

So… we’ve been here for 5 days so far and I love it! This is the first time we’ve been able to access the internet but to be honest, it really hasn’t mattered. Being cut off from the outside world is a pretty accurate picture of life here in the DRC. For the last couple of days we’ve been mainly visiting agricultural projects in Bas Congo (the region South of Kinshasa) seeing how local people are being helped by horticultural education to improve crop efficiency and how cows and ploughs have helped whole communities really improve their lives. This sounds so cliquéd but I have been astounded by how the small things like 4 day agricultural training programmes are really helping the Congolese people to learn about and effectively be able to put into place techniques which we have known about for years.

However, despite poverty in which they are clearly living I am finding it so difficult to see these smiling, friendly and hugely hospitable people as impoverished purely because their joy and laughter are shining through. We have been made to feel so welcome by every person we have met and every village we have driven through. The Congolese people are incredible and I feel so undeserving of their love for it is us in the West who are keeping these people poor. It is such an injustice that we will be flying back in a week to our comfortable homes, our full fridges and our lives full of variety and choice whilst the people we have seen will continue to live from hand to mouth for the foreseeable future. It is just so unfair that we have so much and they have so little and I can’t wait to get back home and start telling people about the DRC and about what we can do to help these wonderful people.

Où est la piscine?

I thought it might be good to let you know how this first experience is going for me. I’m not going to type much because my patience with the French keyboard is already wearing thin. It’s very strange being here, in a good way. I’m glad to be here with all these other people who can help me try and make sense of what’s going on and people who can tell me what’s being said; my GCSE French is only getting me so far. There are only so many times you can have a conversation asking directions to the swimming pool without it becoming old or just plain rude. It doesn’t seem like I’m here and I don’t know if it ever will hit me but I’m trying to learn as much as possible and make sure I can do some good work back in the UK. When I asked one of the translators what message she would like me to tell people back in the UK she said, “tell them everything you have seen, and what’s in your heart”, in just over a week I’ll be trying to do that. I feel a connection to this place already and the people, there’s so much to tell to people and it’s got nothing to do with how to find the closest swimming pool.

Campfires and evacuations...

Thought I would follow Bens lead and sum up the past day in 2 words... Last night the group who had spent the past few days in Bas Congo (to the west of Kinshasa) stayed in the tiny vilage of Kikosi, where we had what was quite possibly the most fun and memorable night ever - sitting round a canpfire with the villagers and village chief, exchanging traditional stories (our offering: the 3 little pigs) and songs (our offerings ranging from traditional hymns to Summer Nights from Grease), watching a lightning storm in the distance and staring at the stars... and the cockroaches. Sorry to shatter the romantic imagery there... there werent that many of them though, and I saw a shooting star so it was all worth it. I'm far too easily awed by things like that... After finally going to bed and getting to sleep - not easy when theres 4 of you in a bed and another 10 on the floor - we were woken at 6am by our translator, Betty, telling us the rain was coming and we had to get out before the roads became impassible. Very proud of us all for getting out in about 4 minutes, though pity the ones who had to sit in the open back of the truck...

So anyway; we're currently in the Christian Aid office in the centre of Kinshasa, looking forward to catching up with the othre half of the team tonight and doing some sightseeing over the weekend - no more pqrtners to visit til Monday when (I think) we're going to see Humqnite nouvelle, who I've been looking forward to seeing. Will post more when I can, but right now I should let someone else on the computer...

Rach :)

PS - Apologies for any typing errors - the keyboqrd is a different layout and its confusing me!

digging holes and shaking hands...

...thats basically what yesterday consisted of for me,

yesterday was my first experience of being in a developing country, and first hand its no surprise when it hits you harder than if it were on a tv screen.

We as a group were helping to dig a massive hole in preperation for the yearly floods that usually wipes out the village that we were visiting, now if that was my village i would be pissed off, but these people just get on with it which is impressive in itself.

I was also surprised at how well recepted we were, the locals all wanted to talk to us and it was smiles and handshakes all the way....

ben

The Myth of Sisyphus

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a man doomed to spend eternity rolling a boulder up a hill, at which point it would roll down again, and he would have to start all over again. Camus thought Sisyphus personified the absurd condition.

Yesterday a few of us visited a community project which is digging holes alongside the only road which leads to the town of Kindele. The holes form a drainage system, while the dirt they dig up is used for sandbags which shore up the road itself. All of the workers are unpaid volunteers from the town, who work in shifts when they can because they rely on the road, and because the town is downhill from the road, so the drainage systems are also essential to try and reduce the threat to their houses, schools and hospitals. The project is doing essential work, and at first glance seemed to have the potential to solve the problem and protect the town.

However, Freddie, who established the project, explained that they do the same job every year. Whenever the rainy season comes, which is from October to May, it washes away what they have done, and they must start all over again. Each year buildings and lives are lost, but there is no state support, even for the rebuilding of schools or hospitals, like the one which was destroyed in last year's rains. Freddie told me that "Hope is permitted", but not for now, only for the future. He said they need to construct a solid canal and to properly repair the road, but they cannot afford to do this themselves and the state has no concern with the road to Kindele, so they have no choice but to keep digging and to remain in an absurd condition.

First impressions in Kinshasa

Having an amazing if somewhat sureal experience in the DRC. The groups we´ve spoken to so far have such big visions for the future of the country but can still continue working and perservering even when they´re not seeing much in the way of progess. I can´t imagine how they avoid just getting totally discouraged and cynical. Small victories seem to make all the difference.

Coming from the UK where you find any information you want in under 5mins on the internet, the difficulties of comunication here are really striking. There are plenty of cyber cafes around the capital at least but it still seems to be a big obstacle. Even when free services like HIV drugs are theoretically available people often don´t know they have a right to it. I get the impression people don´t expect the government to do anything for them.

It´s only been a few days and I´m really looking forward to seeing more aspects of the place. I al pretty glad I haven´t seen too many beasties though, thats one part of Congo I´d rather skip.

First post from DRC

Well - it's late afternoon on Monday and we've been in Kinshasa for almost 48 hours. Arriving at the airport was, for some of us, a baptism of fire - forms being demanded (sometimes with accompanying money), queues being 'formed', people being helpful and some others being 'helpful' and general mayhem. This was replicated in the baggage hall which became a free for all, and they mayhem continued with all the passengers from our flight being squeezed through a single narrow door to leave the airport (this was made all the more difficult because of the people trying to come in through the same door and the policemen standing right in front of the door!

The place we're staying is much nicer than I had anticipâted and we had a tasty carb-rich dinner.

Sunday morning we split into three groups for church and then spent the afternoon in the incongruous surroundings of an expat French club (complete with swimming pool). As with most developing countries the contrasts strike home - the streets of Kinshasa bear no resemblance to the relative luxury of the French club; and the brand new red HYummer parked in the church carpark on Sunday morning is a world apart from the prematurely aged cars and other vehicles on the roads. It's not unusul to see cars with their windscreen completely smashed but still driving - not sure they can see a thing, but then I'm not sure that makes much difference.

There's obviously much more to say - but that's for another time.

Daniel

Um Bongo in the Congo?

I can't quite believe I am sat in the Christian Aid office in the middle of Kinshasa writing this. But to sum up in one word what is has been like so far..Amazing! We have only had two proper days here so far but I already feel so comfortable here.

Arriving at the airport was hilarious and I guess, our first experience of life here in the DRC. Us Biritsh are renowned for queuing, but here in the DRC, no-one quite knows the meaning of the word..its hilarious. So there was alot of pushing and shoving to get our bags and lots of shouting to get us out of the airport to our taxi. Alot of the security men were very interested in becoming 'friends' with us...just asking for a small fee of $20 dollars to get us through security..AS IF! My baggage unfortunately didn't arrive with everyone elses but it's just one of those things that I guess makes all this experience more memorable.

Arriving in the evening here (around 8pm) meant that it was pitch black (it gets dark here at about 6pm). It would have been great to see Kinshasa in the day but there was something very exciting about seeing it at night. Ther were many small food stalls lining the roads and many people going about their business. I was surprised at how developed the road was that we drove on, but we were told by Jacques (the Christian aid office manager) that there are only about four roads in Kinshasa which are like that, the rest are pretty dodge.

The accomodation we are staying at (CAP) is amazing. I have to say I was expecting to all be in one big room, no air-con, and one shower/toilet between all 22 of us. But we all have a room between two with air-con and ensuites. It's great! All the staff are so welcome too. They provided us with a gorgeous meal of beef, rice, chips(!) and vegetables on our first night. And then we pretty much crashed as we were knackered from our 7am flight.

The sunday was a pretty chilled day. I went to an international church in the morning which is close to the centre and really enjoyed it! They made us stand up and inroduce ourselves at the beginning of the sevrice.The rest of the day was spent having a gorgeous buffet, chilling by a pool and drinking beer at a place which is frequently visited by ex-pats. A very easy introduction to DRC...I enjoyed it, but was looking forward to getting out and seeing the real Congo.

Today was the first of our trips to visit Christian Aid's partners. We visited one called CONAFED which works on gender equality. it was so interesting to hear of their work. We then visited some students at the university who told us what work they were doing that is linked to CONAFED. one thing that really stood out to me was how desperate they are to have peace in the country. They said without peace and security, there will be no development. They asked us to talk to our government to enable them to bring peace to the DRC. I would have liked more time to talk to the students in greater depth about what they are doing to help the university and community.

Tomorrow, we will be visiting another of Christian Aid's partners which is very exciting. I am having a fantastic time here!

The World needs to wake up

With less than 24 hours till we arrive, I am getting extremely excited! It's so interesting to hear peoples different reactions when I first told them I was going out to visit Christian Aid's partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Some people didn't know where the 'DRC' actually is, , others were those who were very scared and nervous for me, and the rest were extremely excited for me. I definately fit into the latter of those categories when I was told where we would be going on our 'gapper' trip.

Until a few weeks ago, my knowledge of the DRC was extremely limted-I just about knew where it was and that it has a history of war. However, having spent time over the past few weeks reading about this amazing country, I feel alot more informed. But still, due to this country being an extremely complicated and vast one, there ae huge holes in my knowledge which need to be filled in.

Many people not knowing where the DRC actually is means that most likely even more people don't know about the monstrosaties that have gone on in this country. I found it extremely hard reading some of the stories I came accross about the DRC, some even making me feel incredibly sick. This is a country which is so scarred it is hard to believe that full healing will ever take place. When I read the figure '5.4 million' as the number of people who have been killed since the outbreak of fighting in August 1998, it was almost a figure that skipped me by as it's so hard to comprehend how many that really looks like.

When you hear other facts and figures banded around about this country, it is so easy to disgard them as merely 'facts and figures'. But this country has experienced the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II, and yet the world has not woken up and taken notice of it. And it's time we did! We need to raise so much awareness of this country that the world can no longer ignore it.

I am so looking forward to going out and experiencing the culture and meeting the locals out there. It will be absolutely fantastic to see what good work Christian Aid is doing through it's partners out there. I will fill you in on it all when I am back!

What a difference...

I was just reading Hannah's blog about how different this trip is to her life a year ago, and began trying to work out exactly what I was up to this time last year. Obviously I was still at university, living in Cambridge and reading (that's the technical term, don'cha know!?) for my degree in Education with Religious Studies.

Then I realised - it's almost exactly a year (I believe it was a year on Saturday to be precise) since I started my school placement; the placement which confirmed for me that I did not wish to pursue teaching as a career. I had already kinda decided this in the summer following my first year at university, but I had hoped this placement would change my mind. I seem to remember it taking less than in hour with a class of Year 3-4 kids (P4/5 for anyone from Northern Ireland where we use a sensible year system!) to confirm that wasn't going to happen.

One year ago I had an experience which confirmed what I didn't want to do with my life. Now, I'm still not completely sure what I want to do. However, I'm setting off an absolutely life-changing experience which may well decide my entire future, if what people have been telling me about getting addicted to development work once you've been to Africa is true! One year ago I couldn't have told you what I'd be doing right now if you'd asked... I'd probably have hazarded a guess at working a classroom assistant to earn some money for further study, or doing a psychology conversion course to train as an educational psychologist. Anything I could think of remotely related to my degree, basically. I didn't want to consider doing anything not related to it; not because that would mean I had wasted 3 years, but because that would mean admitting I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do!

If you'd told during that school placement that in a year's time I was going to be heading off to DRC with Christian Aid I'd have laughed in your face... well, I would have once you'd pointed out to me where it was on a map (Geography was never my strong point)! But here I am - me, who has shied away from church mission teams to Africa for years, preferring instead to stay in the UK or, in a moment of madness and daring, sign up to go to Romania for a week. This trip is going to be by far the scariest thing I've ever done. But - assuming I don't get eaten by a giant man-eating snake whilst there which is, I still insist (no matter what anyone says), a distinct possibility - I get the feeling its going to be the most exciting, emotional and empowering (spot the Presbyterian with the 3 points beginning with the same letters!) experience EVER! And I'M SO EXCITED!

I also couldn't be going with a better group of people! We're going to have an absolute blast, guys!

Rach x

A Dark Continent?

A dark, bloody, war stricken and diseased continent is what so often occupies our minds when we think of Africa. Even Tim Butcher's new book 'Blood River', in conjunction with his unfortunate name, gives the impression of never ending pointless violence. Whilst one must not neglect the tragic history of many African countries, this so often implies a neutral passivity of the conflicts which removes any sense of responsibility from the West.

This was particularly highlighted for me in a study of the international media's coverage of the Bosnian War and the Rwandan genocide which occurred during the same time frame. Needless to say that one could immediately see the difference in the amount of coverage in favour of the Bosnian conflict in our back yard. Yet the most shocking was looking at how starkingly different the type of language used to describe conflicts, which were essentially two ethnically motivated civil wars. With regard to Rwanda, the genocide (or acts of genocide as we liked to call it), frequently used phrases such as 'never ending African blood baths', 'orgy's of animalist killing', 'brutal butchering' and 'animal-like killings'. By contrast, the language used to describe the Bosnian conflict was inevitably phrases such as 'clean cross fire', 'strategic collateral damage' and 'strategic air campaigns'. Evidentally, the latter sounds cleaner, more modern, more humane, more white. Yes more white. That is the issue. Yes Rwandans did set against each other, neighbour against neighbour, using whatever they could find. However, I'm sure they would have used 'strategic collate bombing campaigns' if they had the means to do so. Moreover, who propped up the resented Tutsi regime which was so hated and led to the awful killings? I know I seem trite, but the point is that it is still killing. Essentially its the same. Africans aren't more bloody than anyone else, let me remind you how bloody our history has been, we had the hundred years war, the crusades, oh and Bush's latest mission in the middle east, to name but a few. Indeed, we in the West, the decendents of our imperial history have been the generations guilty of the worst evil ever; to be aware of our past injustices and yet still continue to act in ways which further the fatal consequences.

The Africa I know is one of joy, love, faith and hope. It is not a passive victim embroiled in continuous 'orgies of blood'. Yes it is scarred and still hurting very deeply in many places. But it is not all dark and hopeless as our media would like us to believe. Would it be too much to suggest that this may be because if it is seen as a pointless and hopeless continent then we have no pressing responsibility to do anything? Charity begins at home after all. No, the Africa I know, and I should hasten to add that I am not claiming to be an expert by any means, is full of people just like you and me trying their very hardest, in circumstances which we can't even imagine, through no fault of thier own, to make ends meet and live.

On thursday I am holding debate entitled 'Colonialisation and Democracy: A Reality?'. Focusing particularly on the cases of Kenya and Zimbabwe I have been reminded of the complexity of the context in which 'democracy' is expected to work, as if it is something you can simply do over night, like the ever frequent cabinet reshuffles of the New Labour government and hope its going to all OK. I will be interested to hear what the experts have to say. Surely encouraging democracy and in particular civic right education is surely needed if countries are going to be able to develop? But on the other hand are we expecting too much to soon? How much time does a political culture of pluralism take to emerge? Indeed, what makes us think we have the ultimate answer, how any of us think our democractic government has it right?

The Democratic Republic of Congo in the heart of the African continent has had it bad. In the eastern provinces of Kivu, the country is still burdened by an ongoing conflict no doubt fuelled by the fact that it is is one of the most resource rich regions in the world. Another tragic irony in African history; it should be, if left to its own devices, among the richest countries in the world. Yet, as we visit Christian Aid partners in the coming weeks I am eager to be back on African soil and meet people, who by accident of birth are so much less fortunate than myself, but stripped bare of western comforts, can see the world as it should be. Where family and community isn't an added extra to your starbucks coffee but an essential part of what life is. To quote Martin John Nichols, a singer song writer, I yearn to 'see the world through the poor's eyes'. The way God sees it.

A life changing experience?

I wasn’t even entirely sure where the Democratic Republic of Congo was when I first heard it was the country I would be visiting with Christian Aid. Of course I was in a group of people so I tried to avoid looking ignorant and instead appear as if I knew not only the location but many other important details about it varying from the size of the population (estimated to be 66 million) to the head of state (President Joseph Kabila). It wasn’t as if I hadn’t heard of the place, I just didn’t know very much about it. With just over a week before I go I can now point it out on a map, and not just because it says ‘The Democratic Republic of Congo’ on the map. Aside from that I’m not really sure if I’m ready for it. On the practical side of things I’ve a fair few things to do these next 7 days, but what about the mental preparation needed for going to a place that is massively different to anywhere else I have ever been? A place where 80% of the population live on less than US $0.20 a day. I have no personal experience to fall back on, this will be the first time I will have visited a developing country and as well as being grateful to be given this opportunity I am massively aware of how different my experience is likely to be from some other peoples’ and how little I know about what to expect. I suppose in the same way I didn’t want to appear an idiot when I heard where I was going, I want to avoid seeming completely ignorant when I’m there. In light of that I am reading plenty about the country and becoming more engrossed in both the history and current situation by the day.

I often find it strange to look at the situation I’m in now. A year ago I was at Reading University starting my third year of study for a degree entitled ‘Physics and the Universe’, had no idea what I would be doing after graduation and couldn’t point to the DRC on a map. Now I’m preparing to visit the DRC with Christian Aid and experience what I’ve only been reading about.

I’ve been told this trip may well be a life changing experience for me, I’m not sure you can know if that will be the case or how to prepare yourself for that. I can’t wait to find out the impact it will have on me though and see where these next few weeks and then 8 months lead me.

Congo With Me

“Rape and violence rife in Congo again”.

Last week the Metro headline did slightly mar my upcoming trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo. I fly out on October 25 with a team of volunteers to provide aid and gather reports in the war-torn country, and if it wasn’t enough that constant supervision and hostage training was acquired to enter such a world, this article pokes it head up at the most inconvenient of times just to remind me that nothing can prepare me for the Congo. It is a way of life so intangible at least for now.

continued at Ctrl.Alt.Shift.

Posted by Dwain Lucktung

Tim Butcher Interview

Tim Butcher’s book, ‘Blood River: A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart’, part-travelogue, part-history of the Congo, topped bestseller lists early this year. The premise of the book was that Butcher would follow in the footsteps of Stanley, the first man to map the length of the Congo River, and in doing so tell the story of the country. We had the chance to speak to Butcher recently about his experiences.

You seem to spend every moment of the book in fear for your life, did you actually enjoy the experience?

“I think enjoy would be the wrong word. It was an ordeal, and it was challenging and rewarding, but I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it. I’ve been told that there aren’t many laughs in the book, and I’m afraid that that’s because you can’t really make light of the situation. Of course I enjoyed meeting the fantastic people who helped me, but that enjoyment was tempered by the fact that I had to leave them there. I’m still in contact with Benoit, who was one of the motorbike drivers who took me on a large part of the journey, and since the book he has lost his job with Care International simply because they were downsizing their operation. He is now forced to eke out a shitty, miserable living, while in a stable country he’d have a great job, maybe the head teacher of a school. Benoit is one of the most incredible men I’ve ever met, and I would trust him with my life – well, I did trust him with my life. Some people accused me of being too negative in the book, but I reject that claim. I think I wrote about the way that the human spirit had survived, but it’s not a situation to be made light of. I think I was realistic in the book.”

Why were the local Congolese people happy to go so far out of their way to help you on your journey?

“The milk of human kindness runs very deep there. People like Benoit and Georges Mbuyu, the pygmy leader, didn’t even ask for money. They really wanted to help me. The people of the Congo are incredibly generous. It’s one of those classic cases of a tiny fringe of radicals colouring the perception of an entire group of people.”

Your journey wasn’t just unusual in that it was done by a non-Congolese person, even the locals rarely travel through the dangerous eastern provinces. How unified can the country be if communities are so isolated?

“That’s a very good question, because why would the country be unified along such arbitrary geographic lines? – lines drawn up by the very worst kind of colonialism. Amazingly there is a national identity, though, because the country passes the football test. Everybody cheers for the Simba. It’s astonishing, but even in areas of the country where it’s impossible to get television coverage of the games, everybody knows that there’s a game on and are behind the team. Since the 60s with Katanga, none of the regions have really talked of secession. I mean, some rebels have talked about making various provinces independent, but it’s just pie in the sky. Considering that it’s basically a failed state there is a remarkable amount of national unity.”

‘Blood River’ mentions the lack of institutional memory, the fact that the reasons for fighting wars can quickly be forgotten. Is Patrice Lumumba remembered as a hero of independence?

"It’s difficult to have that memory because it’s a country of young people. Lumumba doesn’t really have a Mandela-like following. He was a man of his time, and his murder was shrouded in so much mystery. It's only relatively recently that the truth has come out. The violence is so complicated and multi-layered that it is difficult for anyone to keep track of it and remember it.”

The book is full of examples of decaying infrastructure, as the jungle reclaims roads and train-tracks. Is there a part of you that enjoys the unspoilt nature of the rainforest?

"If I could guarantee that my children would be safe and that my wife wouldn’t be raped, then the Congo would be a beautiful place to visit. It’s an incredible environmental paradise.”

“There are strange benefits. It is an African irony that HIV started in the Congo, the first samples are from Leopoldville, and there’s evidence from the 30s, 40s and 50s. But the country hasn’t been that badly affected by HIV. There is HIV there, certainly, but it hasn’t spread as rapidly as it could have done, simply because the transport infrastructure isn’t there. HIV needs two things to spread quickly: poverty and good transport, and that’s why countries like Botswana and South Africa have been so badly affected.”

“So there is a positive side to the unspoilt nature. The oxygen we breath comes from the Congo rainforest, it’s one of the lungs of the world. And the unfortunate fact is that I can guarantee that the first roads that go into those areas will be logging roads.”

“Some of the remoter regions support fantastic ecosystems. An expedition recently found something like nine new species of mammal. So there is a pure, exciting, Garden of Eden, element to the country, but at the moment it’s not safe for the people.”

What does the Congo need, above all else?

“The rule of law, and transparency. People have to know that if someone takes something that belongs to them, they can do something other than take a gun and shoot them. There is money in the country. The cobalt mines are generating fantastic amounts of money, but where is it going? Into Swiss bank accounts. Of course it’s easy for me to say what the Congo needs. The million dollar question, the million dollar developmental question, is how you implement the rule of law and transparency.”

DR Congo Conference in Sussex

On the 11th November, a conference entitled "The Occupation in DR Congo: The new scramble for Africa" will be held in Mandela Hall, Falmer House at the University of Sussex.

The event is organised by the Hear Afrika and Suubira Uganda societies from the University of Sussex Students' Union, with the support of the International Relations and Anthropology departments.

The impressive list of confirmed speakers include:

• Hon.Tshela Compton, the DRC's ambassador to the UK

• Aldridge Harry, representing Nigel Farage MEP

• Stephen Carter, coordinator of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes Region of Africa

• Kofi Mawuli Klu, from the Afrika Soree-Ubuntu Democracy In Action Network

• Prof James Fairhead, of the University of Sussex's Anthropology Dept.

• Dr. Denis Tull, from Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP),German Institute for International and Security Affairs

• Bob Labi, The Committee for a Workers' International

The event starts from 1pm, and we'll be in attendance running a stall, so come along and say Hi!

Crisis? What Crisis?

A survey published today by the British Red Cross showed that most British people are "unaware of African conflicts".

99% of respondents to the survey did not know that the Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered the highest civilian death toll of any country in conflict in the last ten years. 47% of people guessed that the country in question would be Iraq, while 14% went for Afghanistan.

People were also asked to name countries currently experiencing conflict. 69% of respondents identified Iraq and 65% Afghanistan, which could be expected given the British military's involvement, although the figures still seem relatively low given the media coverage of both conflicts.

12% identified Russia and 10% identified Zimbabwe but less than one percent of people interviewed identified areas such as Sudan or Somalia.

The results of the survey come just a day after the Red Cross appealed for access to victims of the fighting in North and South Kivu, in the eastern DRC.