"My Dear, This is Congo!"

During my time here so far in Congo, I have experienced a number of things that are different from life in the US.  Kalongo’s most frequent saying since we have been here is “My dear, this is Congo.” This phrase is used to describe the differences between Congo and many other countries.  Here are some examples:

- Roads: The roads are not developed and many are not paved.  Before heading out to the villages I always take Dramamine to avoid getting nauseous because the roads are so bumpy.  I have heard recently that NPR reported that Congo has the worst roads.

- Cell phones: Many people in Bunia have at least 2 SIM cards with different phone numbers from different cell phone providers.  This is because the networks are often not working (despite the fact that your phone shows that you have a strong signal).  If one network is not working, you can switch your SIM card and use your phone on the other network.

- Electricity: The power/ electricity in the house can go out at anytime.  There is a big market for flashlights and generators in Bunia.  Households are charged the same amount of money for electricity service each month regardless of how much electricity they use.  I have a habit of turning off the lights when I am not using them but I have been told by our host family that it is not necessary to do this but I still do.

- Water: The water in the house can also go out at anytime.  When it comes water and electricity here it is like the movie “Friday”, we never have 2 things that match.  We may have water but no electricity; we may have electricity but no water.  If we are lucky we will have both but that does not happen too often.  Today the water was off in the house all day and we ran out of water all together.  We keep 3 large containers filled with water in the house for the days when the water is off but today, we ran out of water in those containers as well.  I went with the girls to a neighbor’s house 2 doors down to get water.  Since our house is higher up on the hill than the neighbor’s house, they have water when we may not.  Still have not really figured out how that works but we were able to get water from them so it was all good.

- Government: There is a land issue between 2 tribes and the government was asked back in June to come settle the dispute.  The communities were told that someone will come out after the elections (after January) to solve the dispute.  Meanwhile, the government has sent poorly paid soldiers with lots of extra time on their hands to the area to help prevent a conflict from occurring.

- Military: We were going to spend 3 days in the villages, spending the night there but have had to change our plans.  We were advised not to stay because it may not be safe due to the military presence in the village.  This is ironic because the military was sent there to help protect the village and keep it safe.

- Drivers’ License: You can apply for a driver’s license without taking a test and be qualified to drive anything from a moped to an 18 wheeler!

- Elections: Elections were held this past Monday.  Most of the campaigning I have seen involved groups of people riding around with flags on the backs of their cars and motorcycles with blaring music and megaphones.  The current President has a monopoly on the campaigning.  I was watching TV and asked Akiki why there were no other candidates being presented as running for the elections.  She told me that the channel we were watching was the current president’s channel so it was all about him.  Elections results should be announced next week so we are continuing to pray for a peaceful election period.

- Taxes: If you want to buy a car that costs $9,000 you would end up paying $13,000 due to the high taxes in Congo!

- Food Prices: A box of cereal costs $7.00-$9.00 and that is the regular price, not the mzungu price.

- Resources: The Congo is full of fertile soil for planting various crops yet rice is imported from China.

- Postal Service:  We have a post office box in Uganda because that is the closest place to send and receive mail (and by closest I mean a 5 hour car ride and a 2 hour boat ride).  Additionally we have been waiting over 6 weeks for a shipment of sports equipment from the US.  We have been tracking it and went from Florida to Belgium to Nigeria to Gabon and now we think it is somewhere in Congo but not really sure.  We also have no idea when we may receive this shipment.

Some other facts about Congo: In the most recent United Nations Development Program report, Congo was rated as the worst country in terms of the Human Development Index.  It ranked 187 out of 187 countries.  In terms of good governance Congo is rated the 4th worst just ahead of countries such as Somalia which currently does not even have a government.  Here the gross national income for a year is about $280 which is less than $1 per day!  Kalongo has told us that Congo is about 50 years behind its neighbors such as Uganda.

Despite these facts, I see hope in the Congolese people.  For me, it is mostly portrayed in the faces and the smiles of the people we meet.  When we go out to the villages and meet with our committees we are greeted by the hope on the faces of the children and the community members.  Their smiles are very charismatic and contagious.  There is a long road ahead but I do believe that change can occur.  This is evidenced by small changes we are witnessing already such as the site of over 100 men working hard on the field in Vilo to create a place where the community can play soccer.  It was also evident when I came back to Vilo this past week after my impromptu peace education session with the kids and they still remembered “cheka and furahi” from the happy faces that I drew the previous week.  This week I introduced “salama” which means peace and drew peace signs for them.  I even got a little girl in the community to stop calling me “mzungu” and just call me Selina! I know these are all small steps in the grand scheme of things but it is all a step in the right direction.
 
“There is not doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Meade