Bienvenu a Kinshasa!
22 June 2009
Not long after my Kenya Airways flight slalomed into N’djili Airport, I began to hear the noise. Drum beats. Cheering. Flag-waving masses of people. “Wow,” I thought, “what a welcome.” I had heard the Congolese were welcoming, but this is a bit over the top!
A Hero’s Welcome – Note the caravan of fans at the top right!
It turns out the ad-hoc parade wasn’t for me (Bummer!) but for the coach of one of the club football (soccer) teams here in Kinshasa. Nevertheless, the conglomeration of people and noise proved to be an ideal introduction to this pulsating metropolis. With 8 million souls, Kinshasa is considered by many to be the largest french-speaking city in the world. It is the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the third largest country in Africa, bordering almost all major conflict regions on the continent.
Usually, when I tell people I’m heading to the “Congo,” I get the same almost-scripted reaction. Puzzlement, worry, doubt – “why would anyone willingly go to the DRC?” I suppose the Congo has come to be seen as a basket case, a land of war, violence and suffering. What I see, however, and what I hope to convey through this blog over the next two months, is Congo as a land of opportunity, a land of hope.
Let me be clear. Congo has issues. Power outages, crime, rampant corruption, the DRC ranks 181st out 181 countries on the World Bank’s “Doing Business” report. But with tremendous challenge lies tremendous opportunity.
Rich in mineral wealth, and relatively stable since elections in 2006, the DRC seems to have finally turned the corner after centuries of violence and exploitation. This is where you (Kiva Lender) come in. By lending directly to entrepreneurs in the DRC through Kiva you are, in a way, reversing history, connecting with the Congolese on a basis of dignity and mutual respect. So be sure to keep an eye out for DRC loans this summer and beyond, as the MFI I am working with, Hope DRC, plans to ramp-up its Kiva lending!
John Soleanicov is serving as a Kiva Fellow with Hope DRC (KF8).
Entry Filed under: All, Congo, DRC, HOPE DRC, a partner of HOPE International, KF8 (Kiva Fellows 8th Class). Tags: blogsherpa, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, Kinshasa, microfinance.
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1. John Briggs | 22 June 2009 at 09:19
The first Kiva Fellow-man in the DRC! One small step for Kiva, one giant step for HOPE.
Great post. Looking forward to more!
2. Zack Turner, KFP Coordinator | 22 June 2009 at 10:52
I’m with Briggs. Well done Soleanicov. Looking forward to learning and seeing more from your work with Hope DRC. Stay safe!
3. Suzy Marinkovich | 22 June 2009 at 11:34
I really look forward to your blogs and I’m glad you’re there. I was in North Kivu, DRC a couple years ago and it was anything but stable — but the people there are incredibly warm and hard-working. Wishing you absolutely the best of luck
4. Unilove | 22 June 2009 at 21:14
“…By lending directly to entrepreneurs in the DRC through Kiva you are, in a way, reversing history, connecting with the Congolese on a basis of dignity and mutual respect…” Nicely put!
Unilove aka Lisa
5. Rizik | 5 July 2009 at 16:13
MJPC blames the Congolese Government for the Deteriorating Situation in East Congo(DRC)
“There is no excuse for missing to pay salaries to soldiers in a lawless eastern Congo for six months”
Following the deteriorating situation in east Congo, the MJPC called today for the Congolese Government to urgently pay the salaries to thousands of soldiers who have not been paid for over six months in eastern Congo, take swift action to enforce the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) warrant against Bosco Ntaganda and to hold accountable perpetrators of sexual violence against women for their acts.
“Failing to hold accountable individuals who commit war crimes and crimes against humunity continues to be the leading cause of widespread and systematic sexual violence acts against girls and women in the easten Congo” said Makuba Sekombo, Community Affairs Director of the Mobilization for Justice and Peace in the DR Congo (MJPC).
Mr. Sekombo again criticized the government of Congo for not only the continuing failure to protect women and young girls from sexual violence, but also for “encouraging conditions that create opportunities for sexual violence to occur”. “There is no excuse for missing to pay salaries to soldiers in a lawless eastern Congo for six months” said Sekombo.
The MJPC has also renewed its call for the Congolese government to take urgent needed action to end human rights abuses in east Congo, hold perpetrators accountable and ensure reparation for the victims of sexual violence.
The MJPC has been urging the Congolese government to compensate the victims of sexual violence in order to also help combat impunity in eastern part of Congo where sexual violence against women and children has been widely used as weapon of war for more than decade. The MJPC online petition calling for for help to put pressure on Congolese Government to compensate victims of sexual siolence in Eastern DRC can be signed at http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/26180.html
About MJPC
MJPC works to add a voice in advocating for justice and peace in the DRC particulary in the east of DRC where thousands innocent civilian including children and women continue to suffer massive human rights violations while armed groups responsible for these crimes go unpunished
For more information about the MJPC and its activities, visit http://www.mjpcongo.org. or call Makuba Sekombo @ 1-408-8063-644 or e-mail: info@mjpcongo.org. The online petition calling on the Congolese Government to put urgently in place a comprehensive program of compensation for the victims of sexual violence in eastern Congo can be signed at http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/26180.html