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.
If you're driving to work in San Francisco and you're stuck on one of the many highways around the area, you might often yell, "This traffic is insane!" I would counter with the fact that no, it's quite normal, orderly, and even predictable. I will take the traffic of the US or anywhere in Europe, any day, over what I saw in Kinshasa.
The problem of course revolves around the fact that somehow, despite all the poverty, there are what seem to be millions of cars in the city that are hell-bent on moving around the 10 million inhabitants on a daily basis. The great majority of these cars are not in good shape, so they pollute like it's going out of style. They also break down quite often and are either repaired in the middle of the road or abandoned, which is done in the middle of the road as well.
It's a mess that starts around eight in the morning, gets steadily worse until gridlock sets in, in the middle of the day, and then things smooth out a bit near the end of the day, when it gets dark around six. A lot of these cars are missing headlights, so it's difficult for them to drive after dark. If it rains, the roads are abandoned because probably 90% of the cars simply can't drive when there is a downpour.
But it's how people drive that make the traffic what it is. If you ever get mad at some random jerk who cuts you off on I-880, you shouldn't drive in Kinshasa. That is how people always drive. They just kind of slam their way through all the cars to get where they're going. It's a bit like American individualism on crack. There are surprisingly few accidents though, which I attribute more to the fact you can't drive faster than 60kph anywhere, so it lessens the impacts. I did see one though and it was nasty with both cars folded up in what looked like a direct head-on collision.
There are many mundele who drive though and as amazingly as it is, I drove in all of this as well. It was quite an experience, but because everyone is doing it, it makes driving somewhat easy. I mean this only in the sense that you can kind of handle it if you start driving like the Congolese. Trying to be proper and allowing people to merge or obeying the right of way at four way stops will get you nowhere. No one has gone to driving school, although there is one in the city. Most folks either hop in a car and start driving or pay the $50 to pick up a driver's license. That's all there is to it. You pay the money and you can legally drive. No test. No other rules. I almost bought one as a souvenir, but didn't have the time, nor the inclination to go down and deal with it. It's a cool license though, because where in the US you need a different license to drive different classes of vehicles, the Congolese have streamlined the process and have this license allowing you to drive anything from a motorcycle, to a big rig truck, to a steamroller.
Overall, I'd have to say that I wish to never drive in Kinshasa again. One experience was definitely enough and it can be summed up by the fact that when we were stuck in some detour that was causing a massive juggernaut, I was passed by a guy going 30kph (20mph in metric-so-scary-land), on my left, in reverse. If that doesn't blow your mind, then you should consider a future career as a taxi driver in the center of Kinshasa. They can always use a few more.
