There are a great number of Catholic nuns in DR Congo. Being that I've never really had much exposure to nuns before, it was interesting to see all of them at work in their various missions from setting up hospitals, to educating the children, to simply helping out people who come to them asking aid.
These nuns happen to be some of the toughest women on the face of the planet though. Whether their will is inherent or backed by their belief in god, they made me feel like such an incredible weakling for getting sunstroke and not getting out of bed for three days. This one nun in Kinshasa got malaria while we were there (I was of the opinion that if a mosquito bit them, then the mosquito would die, but apparently not) and kept going to work each day. To put this in perspective, lesser mortals are out of commission for around a week while taking the treatment, unless the malaria is caught in the absolute earliest stages. This sister also gave us a ride back to where we were staying. She's around 80 years old and drives like a bat out of hell, which is perfect for Kinshasa. A cop in the street was harassing her when we tried to cross and it appeared was asking for a bribe to which she just chuckled and drove on, ignoring him. She knows the system.
Then there is the fact that these nuns have been in DR Congo for literally decades. They came in in the early days of Mobutu, were there through his downfall, hung around through Kabila I's coup, then his assassination, and are still chirping on with Kabila II in power. The chunk of modern history that these women have seen is staggering and again, others in their situation fled during this time, but they all stayed put, continuing to work.
The nuns are crafty as well, making the best things there are to have in Congo. For instance, near the Bukavu airport, there are a group of nuns making some of the best ice cream you'll ever taste. The best flavor being the pistachio of course. They also make paté, sweets, good candles, and fruit wines which aren't necessarily for mass consumption. This group is also cheeky because they claim to have no change when you go to pay. Your options are either get enough items for the amount of money you have or to just let your change "go to the poor."
While I don't like much of what the Catholic church has come to stand for, the work that these women have done for the people in DR Congo is amazing. The only problem is that these women are getting quite old. Most are at least in their late 70's and some seem to be approaching damned near 100. The problem in all of this is that there are no younger sisters available to come in and take their places, which is a tremendous issue as the institutions these women have built up would more than likely collapse without them. It will be interesting to see how the next decade goes in the areas that they are heavily ensconced.
It's not a lie that DR Congo is a fashionable tragedy story as of late. Celebrities and others have latched on to it as a way to get their name out as doing good in the world by bringing light to the issues there. Well, add to that list one Ben Affleck whose reportage appeared on ABC last month.
In all fairness, Ben's work is pretty good when taken from the perspective that an American was responsible for it. If you want to judge for yourself before reading more, you can watch Part 1 and Part 2.
Finished watching? Okay, good because I wanted to say that there is something of an honesty to this piece that he spearheaded. You get the feeling that he is a person with the means to do pretty much whatever he wants and he was curious about DR Congo, so he went there to actually try to understand, which is something most people don't do. He covers the country (mostly the east) from the viewpoint of what he sees. He even tries to put a positive message at the end by saying that there is hope, which of course there is, because there is always hope.
That being said, this report says nothing new. Much like the flood of redundant coverage of Panzi Hospital, Affleck is treading on a path worn deeply by those who have come before him. Maybe this reaches out to Americans somehow as Ben is a big name and he might appeal to the everyday person more than someone from academic or NGO circles. But the one really big point in all of this and why it is so unabashedly American is that the subjects of the video are not allowed to speak in their own voices. Ben becomes a mouthpiece for them, guiding we the viewers. Much like Lisa F. Jackson, no matter what good intentions he may have had when starting the project it comes across as Ben Affleck wanting to show what Ben Affleck can do and what place Ben Affleck went to. At one point, he even seems to me to come across as falling prey to the, "I'm here to save African babies!" syndrome that many who visit the region do.
I do respect what Ben is trying to do, but it's a shame that some of these things happened. I don't know if he watched work like Lumo or Darwin's Nightmare before going, but there is a lot to be learned from films like these. They allow the narration and story to happen from the subjects of the film and thus, it's much more engrossing and powerful work.
There are other little bits that I didn't like in how this story was presented, but they are quite subjective, so I won't get in to them unless people feel like commenting. I just really wish that people could get Bernard Kalume's job title correct though. Bernard is the fellow helping Ben with translations out in the bush. He is not a "contractor with the UN". He is a fulltime employee with the UN who friends of mine know well and I would have met had he still been in Bukavu and not up in Goma. I'm told that he's a great and extremely capable guy who speaks English, French, Swahili, and Kinyar Rwanda. In short, he's very smart and does his job well. Yet, he never gets credited as being a fulltime employee. The only reason that this must be the case is because it would paint the UN in a light that was less than negative and we just couldn't have that now, could we?
The large, glossy-format printers that we have in the US don't exist in DR Congo. This makes it very difficult to create large advertisements. Despite this, you see big bulletins for products everywhere. The secret to these are the signs painters; groups of very talented artists who eek out a living painting signs around the country.
The quality of these guys work is amazing. Not only do they have crap paint and brushes to work with, but they are also doing this outside in the sun and yet are duplicating the original products so well that you don't even realize that a whole advertisement was painted by hand. Once you do realize this, the scope of the work that is done is mind blowing.
From toothpaste to beer to ads for Nokia, these guys do it all. If someone were daring enough, a documentary about this group would be fascinating. As it was, I just managed to get a few pictures of them at work and the countless billboards that are their work around town. One road in particular, which was supposed to be the road for heavy trucks, but now everyone uses, has a continuous wall between it and the railroad tracks. This wall rarely has any empty space on it as sign painters have plastered it with advertisements. You can see an example of a guy at work below.
This is just one of those small things that a person can appreciate in a country as broken as DR Congo. Artists are everywhere and somehow throughout history they always find some niche that allows them to survive.
Le Marché des Valeurs is the largest conglomeration of Congolese arts and crafts for purchase in Kinshasa. The only problem is that it is also the largest conglomeration of crooked Congolese salesmen in the entire city.
It's an obvious magnet. There are countless expats wandering through the stalls of the market, looking for a good deal on something "authentic" to take back to friends and family or decorated their Congo home with. The Congolese aren't stupid. They picked up on this fact and the fact that most of the people are from countries where haggling is considered low brow and thusly, they don't do it. But even for those who are willing to haggle, it's a lot of work to get anywhere near a decent price on this.
On our first visit, we did rather well. It was a Sunday and it seemed like it was a slow day or they were just out of it, but the haggling was good. We managed to pick up two necklaces for $7 that they originally wanted $25 apiece. That's not so bad, but it should be kept in mind that they probably cost less than 50 cents to make, so even this markup is quite massive, but we were happy with these few souvenirs that were hopefully made in DR Congo.
It should be noted that the actual name of the place is "Le Marché des Valeurs" which means, "The Market of Values", but most everyone calls it, "Le Marché des Voleurs" which means "The Market of Thieves". With this in mind, it's no wonder that our second visit fared much worse.
The biggest problem that most folks run in to is the general attitude of the market on the day that you visit. The second day we were there, they were not in a haggling mood. There were one or two other mundele (white folk) wandering the stalls, so they didn't feel like they needed to come down on their prices at all. The other big problem is that they communicate with each other faster than the speed of light. If you start looking at an item in one stall and ask about the price, but then put it away to go to another stall, it's more than a little suspicious that the next guy will offer you the same thing that you were just looking at with the same starting price. For instance, we took a liking to these tribal necklaces that probably originally consisted of red flat, round stones or other items strung next to each other, but were now round plastic discs. Despite this, they were still quite cool, but the "merchants" had the nerve to quote a starting price of $65! Again, they're probably about 50 cents to make and when throwing them down on the table in disgust, they halved their prices immediately because they knew that they had completely overshot. We moved on to other stalls to find the same type of necklaces with the same unfortunate prices. There was no bargaining with these guys. They knew that we wanted one of those necklaces and so we just gave up. It was not a good day to shop.
For anyone else that finds themselves amongst the "value thieves", keep a few things in mind such as the fact that you can easily haggle 60-75% off the asking price. Also, while they will tell you that someone is coral or a precious stone, they most likely are not. Beware the sellers that can speak English. The assumption in Kinshasa is that if you speak English, you've got money and they're ready to get that money from you. You will constantly hear about how much "quality" there is in each piece. I've had nights out drinking in dive bars that consisted of more quality than is in most of the stuff at the market. I mean, it's a bunch of stuff on a string, let's be realistic and just call it a knick knack that most of us aren't planning to have become part of their inheritance to future generations. Lastly, if you don't feel like dealing with these guys, then go to a place to eat like Surcouf where there are some guys who will come by your table with the same things that are at Le Marché des "Voleurs". The difference is that their prices will be lower and you can sit down while haggling and take your time as you eat. It suddenly makes the tables turn just a little bit more in your favor.
A lot of people talk about the cult of personality that is Apple Computers and Steve Jobs. It's true that he's really managed to build up a base of loyal followers that will buy anything Apple craps out no matter how expensive, initially broken, or ridiculous. There are two other companies that I think do an even better job of this, but in different ways. One is Coca Cola, which has such deep market penetration that the military regimens of the world should study their strategy. But they only have one product that never changes and when it does, it flounders (I'm looking at you New Coke on the 80's.) Another company that is a bit more like Apple is Mercedes-Benz. They bring out new models all the time and an undying base of fans snatches them up continually no matter what the reviews say about quality or safety. If there is the "land, sea, and air" emblem on the hood of the car, then it is fit for purchase.
My neighbors up the street from my parents' house were your typical Mercedes owners. Every two years, there was a new Mercedes in the driveway and they bought everything from the sports coupe (for the midlife crisis-addled father) to the SUV's (for the on the go soccer mom). But they're Americans and Americans love any semblance of being a VIP or upper class, so they buy these cars without hesitation and in blind faith.
Such it seems is the case in DR Congo. Mercedes-Benzes are everywhere in Kinshasa and other towns. These are not the Mercedes of my neighbors though. Well, actually, they might be the ones that they had 10 or 15 or even 20 years ago. These things are old and they get older even faster because they're driven ragged over the potholed and dilapidated streets of DR Congo. But it doesn't matter if the muffler is being held on to the car with the muffler of another car or three of the doors can't open because they were smashed in an accident; it's a Mercedes and that means status. With status comes the premise that you can be an asshole. I had to laugh at the fact that every time a Mercedes would cut us off while driving or walking that it reminded me of the same behavior I'd see back in the US. It's true that BMW drivers are the absolute worst assholes in the world, but folks with Mercedes are an incredibly close second. In DR Congo it's a funny concept to see someone driving so fast when in reality there really is nowhere to go, as the vast majority of people are unemployed or not employed through traditional means.
So there you go. Even in a country like DR Congo where the infrastructure is in ruin, corruption is rampant, and a good monthly salary for a family of four is $200, the Mercedes still rules as the car of choice for those on the up and up.
After getting bumped off of one of the UN flights east, we took the day to go up to see the bonobo monkeys in a protected reserve a bit outside of Kinshasa. Thankfully some friends of friends were headed that way as you really have to have a car to get to Lola Ya Bonobo.
DR Congo is the natural habitat for the bonobo monkey, which naturally means that they, like a great many animals in the country are threatened by all kinds of things from habitat destruction to poaching. This reserve is a place that was founded to give ones that have been abused a place to heal and live in safety. That being the case, these guys are quite friendly with humans, to a point of being kind of creepy.
The bonobo happens to be the closest animal relative to the human being. They really are something with how they look at you with what seem to be intelligent stares. It's to the point where I would dare any creationist to go and visit these buggers and then look me in the eyes and tell me that evolution is a steaming load of crap. You see where we come from when you look at these guys.
Bonobos happen to be some of nature's biggest perverts. They solve disputes through stimulation and sex acts instead of fighting, so they're always mighty friendly with each other. They thing nothing about giving each other a little "rub" here and there to make sure that things are good. They don't really care with which gender they give the rubbing. They also don't think twice about sitting under each other while one pees and they can have a drink. They're just out and out nasty. Oh yeah, the groups are also matriarchal, which means that the ladies are in charge.
Unfortunately it was the peak of the day and quite hot out, so the monkeys were a bit lazy. When they're more active, they'll think nothing about stealing your water bottle, heading over to a stream and filling it up. They also love to steal cameras and destroy them if you get too close to the fence. And as they stare out at you from behind that fence, you also feel as if we're the ones on show for them. Again, I can't get over how they look at you.
For those even more curious I managed to put up a bonobo gallery to show our little stroll through the land of these monkeys.
