Travelogue: One week in Kinshasa

My first glimpse of Kinshasa was the River Congo.

As the African World Airline AWA Flight 342 from Accra, Ghana continued to circle in the air while awaiting permission to land, the sight of the gloriously serpentine river was a temporary relief to the anxiety of waiting.

Moments later, when the airport closure due to a ‘VIP Movement’ was over, the aircraft descended into the turbid embrace of a collection of clouds before erupting into the brilliant Congolese sunshine. That was when the river came fully into view. From my aerial position, I could see the river and its fan-shaped web of tributaries as it meandered through the vast mass of land before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.

Second longest river in Africa

A quick investigation confirmed that River Congo is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge volume, following only the Amazon. It is also the world's deepest recorded river, with measured depths in excess of 220 m (720 ft). With its many tributaries, the River Congo forms Africa’s largest network of navigable waterways.

I was so enthralled by the river that within 24 hours of my arrival in the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo, I was by the riverside in the Gombe area of the city for a leisurely evening walk. It was a cool and windy evening and the riverside was full of people. There were joggers loners and lovers, as well as picnicking families and groups. Along the lyrical curve of the riverside, the river elicited a collage of dreams and sundry voices that left a myriad of images in the mind. For the young, the river represented a heart-pounding adventure; for the lonely, a companion; for the weary, a solace and for a writer, a repository of stories.  

The river, a romantic interlude to the difficult history of Congo, is also the dividing line between the capital cities of the two countries.

Two capital cities

From my position on the Gombe side of the river, Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was on the right bank, while on the left bank was Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo. Spanning the river far ahead in the horizon was a splendid bridge which joined the two capital cities. 

Expectedly, some major differences exist between the two equatorial Congo neighbours. 

The DCR is much larger in both population and area with a population of about 100 million people and an area of 2.345 mill km sq out of which, about 17 million people live in Kinshasa. On the other hand, the Republic of Congo has a population of 5.3 million and an area of 342k km sq with 2.3 million in the capital city of Congo Brazzaville. I was also informed that although my visa to the DRC would not permit me to visit the Republic of Congo, citizens of both Congos do not require visas to visit each other.

Paying homage

Apart from being a formidable navigable waterway, the River Congo is the largest source of hydroelectric power in Africa. When fully operational, the river is said to be capable of providing electricity to half of the African continent. 

To the literary-minded, the river is evocative of the famous 1902 short story “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad. Conrad’s book conjured up an atmosphere of foreboding, treachery, greed and exploitation. Today, however, Congo appears as the key to the economic development of the central African interior.

In my usual practice of paying homage to any great river or ocean of my country of visit, I removed my shoes and stepped into the warm waters of the river.

I was still savouring the pleasure of the company of the deepest river in the world when a young man standing close to me shouted in French; ‘’Attention monsieur, il y a des crocodiles dans la riviere’’ (Excuse me Mister, there are crocodiles in the river).

I had come to the Democratic Republic of Congo on the invitation of the Congolese Writers Association for the official inauguration of the Pan African Literature Prize, which had been endowed by the President of the DRC and currently the Chairman of the African Union (AU), His Excellency, Felix Tshisekedi. In addition, I was to also visit the Congolese Minister for Culture and Tourism in addition to some other literary functions.