Posts filed under 'Congo, DRC'
Kiva Starts Lending in Eastern Congo
By: John Soleanicov, KF8 DRC
Since the mid 1990s, war in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo has taken more lives than any other conflict since World War II. Started in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, the war involved 7 African countries and more than 25 armed groups. By some estimates, more than 5 million people lost their lives, many from illness and malnutrition. As a result, eastern DRC has also become notorious for the widespread use of rape by various parties as a weapon of war.
One of the main epicenters of the struggle, and site of several key battles was Kisangani, the town in which Joseph Conrad’s tragic hero, Kurtz, lost his sanity and his soul. Last week, I made a trip out to Kisangani to see the “Heart of Darkness” for myself and to help kick-start Kiva lending there.
7 comments 4 August 2009
The World’s Most Expensive Cities – Oslo, Moscow…Kinshasa?
By: John Soleanicov, KF8 DRC
Nope, that’s not a misprint, nor an exaggeration. You can find the source right here. Kinshasa comes in at number 6. The first time I tried to go grocery shopping, I thought I had the exchange rate wrong. $20 for a small piece of beef? That can’t be right. Well, it is.
Can this really be one of the most expensive cities in the world?
Home of the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been flooded with foreign troops, aid workers and diplomats, many with generous per diems. This, combined with Congo’s poor infrastructure and lack of production capacity, has resulted in prices that match or exceed those in most developed countries. (Note: Luanda, Angola is ranked even higher, at number 1, for similar reasons.)
It is possible to purchase locally-produced items at more reasonable prices (and this how local Congolese are able to survive) but not in the center of the city, where expatriates live. Getting to areas where food is actually affordable is difficult and can be unsafe, especially after dark. The center, meanwhile, is dotted with expat-oriented grocery stores filled with imported goods at exorbitant prices.
(more…)
6 comments 20 July 2009
My Run-in with the Congolese Police
By John Soleanicov, KF8 DRC
I could feel the beads of sweat rolling down my face. Sitting in a makeshift police station under a tent, I was surrounded by three Congolese policemen and my accuser, a young man that could not have been past his mid twenties. My crime: videotaping in public.
As I was returning from a group visit with Hope’s Kiva Coordinator, Robert, I wanted to capture the infrastructure realities of Kinshasa (more on this in a later post). The young man noticed I was taping and began to follow our motorcycle. You can actually hear him in the video.
Once we arrived at our destination, he made a big scandal, refusing to let us leave peacefully. Since he was clearly not a police officer, Robert suggested going to a nearby police station to settle the matter “officially.” Having heard horror stories of the notorious corruption of Congolese police, I feared the confiscation of my camera, passport, or worse.
6 comments 1 July 2009
Bienvenu a Kinshasa!
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).
5 comments 22 June 2009
RSS - Posts