Leaving DR Congo
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2005
1
Trip End
Dec 12, 2005
Kinshasa,
Congo - The Dem. Repub.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Continuing the theme of extremes, so the people I have met through work have come from all walks of life. From the most beautiful young UN Volunteer, to the less than beautiful ex SAS, ex mercenary, current aid worker who used to say things like, "I can't stand Kenya, I've been stabbed there twice and shot once." Before producing the scars to back up the, already far too graphically depicted stories!!
DRC is also characterised by extremes. It is extremely beautiful, extremely fertile, extremely under developed and extremely big. It is populated by, undoubtedly, the most gentle, kind, smiling people I have ever met. For them music and art are everything, and it is impossible to escape from either in DRC. The most ramshackle bar in the most remote town will boast freezes of breathtaking beauty around the walls. All hand painted by one of the many local artists that occupy all regions in this country. Bars in Kinshasa are dark, smoky and moody. At midnight the band starts and, as the hours wear on, so it grows. Regulars wander in with their trombones, trumpets or guitars and merge themselves seamlessly into the songs that come up. The regular singers are interrupted by others trying their hand. An expat sometimes gets up, takes hold of the guitar offered to him and starts strumming and singing to a song unknown to the band. They listen, heads bobbing, within a few bars the bass guitarist will kick in, picking up the rythym, after his lead the drummer takes the reigns too, by the next chorus the regular singer is offering vocal support and the trombone is adding its own unique atmospheric roar. It's a wild insight into musicians at work. All enhanced by the stunning artwork on the walls, strong cocktails and an atmosphere that has been plucked straight from a thirties gangster flick.
My work has been interesting too, although without the instant satisfaction of unearthing large caches of explosives that somewhere like Afghanistan or Sudan gave me. Instead, work in DRC has been more cerebral, more considered. Trying to negotiate the politics of mine action whilst, at the same time, exposing to my employers at UNHCR a large amount of hype surrounding the problem in DRC. The decisions I've taken and the advice I've given will affect the lives of thousands refugees for several years to come. I enjoy that kind of responsibility but sometimes I catch myself and, with a brief flush of panic, realise the enormity of what I'm doing. I'm reassured by these brief moments of self doubt as I think they are vital to my work and hold the key to maintaining perspective and keeping in touch with the reality of the decisions I make.
I fly back to the UK tonight. Plans, so far, revolve around Christmas in London and New Year in Val d'Isere. I'm hoping to catch up with as many of you as possible and will be on my UK mobile for the duration of my time at home, 21 Dec - 11 Jan. My flight out of the UK in January returns me to Southern Sudan and, more specifically, the town of Juba. This place is a true UN circus, awash with white land cruisers and hideously overpriced. I'm hopeful that, as before, my work there will see me spending more time out of Juba than in.
