rear-view-mirrors - leaving the DRC behind
... on leaving hell and heaven.
My passport was returned to me on the 22ed of December.
Without a visa. The German consulate (who called me after my poor mother phoned
them in Kinshasa to help her daughter leave the country for X-mas) was unable
to take any action, but reassured me that this kind of thing happens all the
time, that I most likely would have to pay someone, hope that they don't make
me miss my airplane, and that I had the option to call them back if I do miss
it, until midnight. Thanks guys.
Turned out that our wonderful chauffeur Feli, knew the guy
that usually helped us get through the airport -Dede. They went to primary
school together. Dede on the other hand knew the head guy from customs - and
came in on his day off to "introduce us"... so an early arrival on the 23ed, lunch with
the two guys, loads of patience, waiting here and smiles there ... and an
amount to thank them after we got the stamp in our passports and through the
security check three hours later, got me in the plain. The French guy sitting
up front with the high rollers. Me sitting in the back. Fitting ending to my
Congo (mis)adventure...
The moral of the story: when governments are not doing their
job, people do what do they best: Figure S@#$ out themselves. If there is not
enough to go around though, or if alternative community organizations have been
suppressed, destroyed or unable to flourish, things get a little rougher.
The need for good leadership is everywhere. Everywhere.
Now…
Not even four months after I have returned from hell to my
country of origin. Reflections amass, questions arise, some settled, still, solutions
strive to be found. My short experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo was
certainly an intense one - on all levels. I am thankful for it, as without it I
would not be where I am today. Still this mysterious world, so close, yet so
far from what I knew before, has left its marks.
I can find myself in spirit also with the boys that decided
to kayak the rapids of the Congo river in CONGO
- The Grand Inga Project
“Sometimes it is
pretty easy to get overwhelmed with were you are. When I come out of those
situations I am just overjoyed”
“The Congo has tested
us all, more then any other experience of our lives, and we are fortunate
enough to cherish that, and I am very thankful that we are all alive”
Alive I am, and more eager than ever to understand what the
hack happened to the DRC and other African countries to be in the state that
they are in. To me that road must lead through understanding history…
On the subject of colonial legacies and realities The French
African connection is a formidable start to understand what happened to
francophone Africa. In a three part special series on the involvement of
"the French" (government) in many of its former African colonies long
after their independence Aljazeera outdid itself:
And yet another great resources is the guardian's
monthly podcast exploring the the myths
surrounding Africa. Panelists like Sylvie Aboda-Bradwell give a distinct,
critical views on the state of many African countries, development aid and the
persisting stereotypes that ignore facts and histories. The suggestion that aid
harms more than it helps resurfaces as well ...
So the journey continues. And for the moment it is
accompanied by hot showers and various kinds of chocolate. ....
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