Global Voices Online » D.R. of Congo

D.R. Congo: Legislator faces rape allegations

Jennifer Brea — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:08:20 +0000

Congolese blogger Alex Engwete [Fr] calls for a major politician to step down, amid accusations he raped a 12 year-old girl [Fr].

Ripples of the China Milk Scandal in Africa

Jennifer Brea — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:44:49 +0000

In China, an estimated 13,000 children have fallen ill since the tainted milk scandal broke.

Chinese influence has grown in Africa, as have imports of all kinds products, from running shoes to instant noodles. Bloggers as far afield as Congo and Senegal, concerned about the safety of Chinese products in their countries, are closely following the story.

Blogging from Dakar, Naomed of Le Blog Politique du Senegal penned this short satire, a play on “melamine,” the name of the chemical which was added to the fake milk. (”Melamine” sounds very close to “mélanine,” the French word for melanin):

A ma gauche votre petit(e) dernier(e) charmant bambin normalement constitué, héritier de la jolie couleur chocolat de son papa et de sa maman.

A ma droite, un verre de lait, un honnète verre de lait semble-t-il. Que nenni ! Un verre de lait chinois, autrement dit contaminé jusqu'à la dernière molécule de caséine. Soyons honnète, tous les laits chinois ne sont pas contaminés, mais c'est un peu comme les jeux de hasard, ceux qui gagnent le plus sont ceux qui ne jouent pas.

To my left, your charming little child, the youngest, completely normal and of the chocolate color he inherited from his father and mother.

To my right, a glass of milk, seemingly honest. Nay! A glass of Chinese milk, in other words, contaminated to the last molecule of casein. Let's be honest, not all Chinese milks are contaminated, but it's a bit of a gamble; those who win the most are those who don't play at all.

La scène est plantée, le gamin qui bave en attendant son verre de lait et le verre de lait.

Imaginez ce qui arriverait si malencontreusement vous achetiez un lait chinois pour vos enfants. Si si, cela peut vous arrivez malgré votre vigilance, tricheurs comme ils sont, les chinois sont bien capables de marquer sur le paquet “Made in Bretagne. France”. Donc, imaginez, vous servez le verre de lait au gamin et vous quittez la pièce pour continuer à vous préparer, comme d'hab vous êtes en retard pour aller bosser.

The scene is set, the child salivates, waiting for his glass of milk, the glass of milk.

Imagine then what happens if you are unlucky enough to have bought Chinese milk for your children. Yes yes, that can happen in spite of your vigilance; the Chinese are perfectly capable of marking the package with “Made in Brittany. France,” such con artists are they. So imagine that you serve the glass of milk to your child and you leave the room to continue getting ready. As usual, you're late for work as usual.

Soudain, un hurlement venant de la bonne et du salon. Quoi-t-esse-ky-n'ya ?

A la place de votre gamin, un autre gamin qui termine son verre de lait tout en pleurant, pas vilain vilain le môme, mais enfin pas aussi joli que le vôtre.

Ca va être dur de vous habituer à sa nouvelle couleur, d'expliquer aux voisins et aux parents le pourquoi du comment. On va vous soupçonner des pires péchés pour avoir été punis comme ça. Votre vie va devenir un calvaire. Je vous plaint, sincèrement.

All of the sudden, a shriek comes from the housekeeper, from the living room. What's going on?

In place of your child, another child is finishing his glass, crying. Not exactly ugly, this kid, but not as handsome as the one you had.

It will be difficult to get used to his new color, to explain to your neighbors and parents why and how [this happened]. They will suspect you guilty of the worst of sins to have been punished like that. Your life will become a living hell. I sympathize with you, sincerely.

Y'a même des gens qui disent que, quelques fois, les gamins deviennent rouges, rouges communistes. Mais ça, je crois pas, c'est juste des menteries d'anticommunistes primaires et malveillants.

There are even those who say, from time to time, that children become red, red like communists. But that I don't believe it; that's just the lies of evil and uncivilized anti-communists.

Equally tongue-in-cheek, a reader, Thomas, responds:

y'a aucun risque avec le lait au sénégal, puisqu'ici c'est pas du lait qu'on boit, c'est une poudre blanche sur laquelle on ajoute de l'eau… on m'a souvent dit que c'était du lait en poudre, mais franchement, vu le goût, j'en doute ;)

There is no risk with milk in Senegal, because here what we drink isn't milk, it's white powder to which we add water…I have often been told it's powder milk, but quite frankly, given the taste, I doubt it ;)

Le Blog Politique du Senegal strikes a more serious note in another post on the scandal, “Some Chinese milk for the little Blacks.” Naomed writes that certain African countries import Chinese milk, but that “We are so used to Western products which are regulated and inspected that we forget that the rest of the world, for those who have the minimal respect for norms of security and for the consumer, looks a bit like Africa” [Fr].

Naomed continues:

Je ne veux pas dire que l'occident n'est pas avide, que le capitalisme n'y redeviendrait pas sauvage forcené si on le laissait faire. Non, mais justement, on ne le laisse pas faire. Les états ont posé des règles minimales, qu'ils font appliquer sous la pression des consommateurs/citoyens.

I don't mean to say that the West is not greedy, that capitalism would not come back with a savage fury if they let it. No. But rightly, they don't let it. Countries have imposed minimum standards which they apply under the pressure of consumers/citizens.

Nous allons chercher nos modèles chez les chinois et les indiens sans vouloir regarder leurs conditions et modes de fonctionnement. Aveuglés par un prétendu miracle économique que pour rien au monde nous ne voudrions subir, nous en occultons les pratiques.

We go to the Chinese and the Indians and look for models, but we don't want to look at their conditions and methods of operating. Blinded by an alleged economic miracle that no one, not for anything in the world, wouldn't want to undergo, we conceal the practices.

Naomed doesn't think Africa should follow this model:

Ce miracle économique, c'est le miracle de l'esclavage, de l'exploitation forcenée, de l'irresponsabilité. C'est le miracle capitaliste.

This economic miracle, it's a miracle of slavery, of vicious exploitation, of irresponsibility. That's the capitalist miracle.

In Congo, Forum Realisance also blogged the milk scandal story. Munsengeshi Katata writes that the tainted milk was exported not only in Asia to places like Bangladesh, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan, but reportedly also to countries in Africa, like Burundi and Gabon.

Et curieusement, de la part des africains, pas un mot, pas des demandes rapides d´éclaircissement afin d´établir la responsabilité commerciale, d´aider les enfants touchés à se faire soigner rapidement, et endiguer les dégâts en retirant rapidement les restes de ces postes du marché. Rien. Et je dois avouer que ce silence met en colère et prouve, encore une fois, combien l´Afrique est fragile dans la défense de ses enfants et se ses intérêts ouvertement lésés…

And curiously, not a word on the part of Africans, no demands for immediate clarification in order to establish who is responsible, to help those children affected to be quickly treated, and confine the damage by quickly recalling the rest of [the tainted products] from the market. Nothing. And I have to say that this silence angers me and proves, once again, how weak Africa is when it comes to protecting its children and its interests, clearly threatened…

D.R of Congo: Searching for Congolese musicians

Ndesanjo Macha — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:18:06 +0000

Are you a Congolese musician?: “University of Bergen in Norway is searching for Congolese musicians who perform Congolese music”

D.R. Congo: Several television and radio stations shut down

Jennifer Brea — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 04:33:02 +0000

Mediatic [Fr] writes about the recent ban on five unauthorized television stations and two radio stations in Kinshasa and suggests this is just a preview of the big “housecleaning” of the government has been promising. (via Réseau International de correspondants francophones)

South Africa: DRC Band Rocks Highway Africa 2008

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:37:06 +0000

A musical treat from the Democratic Republic of Congo at Highway Africa 2008 in South Africa: “Participants at the 12th Highway Africa conference in South Africa were mesmerized as Afro Fiesta musical group from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) took the stage at the Associated Bank of South Africa (ABSA) dinner night on Monday.”

D.R. of Congo: Dinner

Ndesanjo Macha — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:02:57 +0000

Congo Girl writes about dinner in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “Last night I saw some old friends and some of their friends, all bachelors. I lucked out because they were cooking, and it was good food! Why did this surprise me? I don't know - I guess I usually consider Congo to be generally more traditional when it comes to gender roles. But I was happily wrong in this case.”

Congolese bloggers on the American elections

Jennifer Brea — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:29:21 +0000

Congolese bloggers Musengeshi Katata and Shaka Bantou have been closely following the American Democratic and Republican conventions at Forum Realisance. Both are staunch supporters of Obama and sharp critics of the Republican Party. Like many around the world, bloggers in Congo and across Africa have been following this American election with the belief that its outcome is incredibly important not only for America, but for the world.

Bantou writes that the American election is “a good chance to learn certain profound truths.” He advises everyone, especially Africans, to follow the elections so as to learn how to “decode the intentions and the strategic labyrinths the West uses to arrive at its ends” [Fr].

Katata explains why he thinks the world is watching the American elections:

…parce les 8 ans de George W. Bush l´ont profondément choqué, et parce que, comme un miracle sorti des légendes des mille et une nuit, un brillant et talentueux Obama venait y défendre la commune renomée du fameux rêve americain.

…because the eight years of George W. Bush have been profoundly shocking, and because, like a miracle out of the legends of one thousand and one nights, a brilliant and talented Obama comes to defend the famous American dream.

Katata writes that America, “with her economic power or the influence she likes to impose or transmit around the world to establish her interests,” has created an image of herself around the world of actually being that dream. It is a dream that has always been plagued by its own history:

Chaque fois qu´on parlait du rêve américain…on ne manquait, hélas pas…de s´interroger sur le contenu réel de ce fameux rêve américain né de la dépossession territoriale des indiens d´Amerique et leurs massacre ou consignation dans des reservoirs reculés. Oui, un rêve qui se servit de l´esclavage des africains pour accumuler, orienter son bien-être social et propager les inégalités ainsi établies des siècles durant comme principe social dominant. Et même si ces inegalités, avec le temps, se résolvent lentement sous la pression et l´évolution des droits et des libertes sociales aujourd´hui, les lésions causées par l´injustice, le racisme ou la discrimination sociales, elles, perdureront encores leurs effets négatifs loin dans les génerations à venir. Ainsi, ce rêve américain, au fait, pourrait-on se demander à juste titre, est-il sincère ou n´est-il rien d´autre qu´une demi vérité qu´on vendait comme l´idéal le plus juste et le plus fier de l´existence humaine pour que ceratins en profitent, sous cette ombre trompeuse, pour exercer toutes leurs bassesses les plus viles comme jadis ?

Each time we speak of the American Dream…we should not fail to question the actual content of this famous American dream, born of the disposession of Native American territory, the massacre of Native American peoples, or their relegation to remote reserves. Yes, a dream that used the slavery of Africans in order to accumulate, to direct its social well-being and to propagate the inequalities established over centuries as the dominant social principle. And even if today these inequalities, over time, are slowly being resolved under pressure and with the evolution of rights and social liberties, the negative effect of these lesions caused by this injustice, by racism, or by social discrimination, will be felt by generations to come. So can't we quite rightly ask whether the American Dream is in fact genuine, or nothing more than a half-truth that is sold, as the most proud and right idea in human existence so that the few who benefit from it can, under this deceptive shadow, exercise do their worst as they always have?

Blogging the Republican convention: Stuck in the past

Of the Republican convention, which wrapped up on Thursday, Katata writes:

Depuis que la Convention Républicaine a ouvert ses portes ce lundi 1er septembre 2008, on apprend, une nouvelle fois, ce qui différencie fondamentalement les républicains des democrates. Tous aiment leur pays, tous sont touchés par la crise économique qui le secoue dans ses structures autant sociales que financières; mais sur les moyens de mieux gérer ou répondre aux exigences que leur imposent à tous l´avenir, les méthodes divergent diamétralement dans leur systématisme. L´Amérique…Un pays à part ou un pays qui a oublié, depuis qu´il est devenu le pays le plus puissant du monde, que les autres pays, les autres peuples avaient, eux aussi, droit à la liberté et au bien-être matériel auxquels tout americain se réclamait si fièrement sans pour autant y être socialement ou intégralement admis comme on le sait…?

Since the Republican Convention opened its doors…we have learned, yet again, the fundamental difference between Republicans and Democrats. They both love their country [and] are affected by the economic crisis that is rattling social and financial structures; but in terms of the way to better manage or respond to the challenges they all face in the future, their methods are diametrically opposed. America…a country isolated or a country that has forgotten, since it became the most powerful in the world, that other countries, other peoples also have a right to the liberty and the material well-being all Americans invoke so proudly, without necessarily being socially or fully accepted, as we all know…?

Katata was not impressed by Sarah Palin's debut:

Son discours à la convention, par ailleurs, n a rien été d´autre qu´un vide cancan de femme inexperimentée jouant à l´agression bon marché. Ah, quelle difference de style et de contenu intellectuel et politique avec Hillary Clinton ! Le jour et la nuit la plus noire qui soit. Si c´est tout ce qu´elle sait faire…sa nomination n´est pas un compliment pour McCain ou avait-il à ce point besoin d´une chienne de garde plus hurlante que mordante ?

Her speech at the convention was nothing else than the empty quacking of an inexperienced woman playing with cheap aggression. Ah, next to Hillary Clinton, what a difference in style and intellectual and political content! The difference was night and day. If that's the only thing she knows how to do…her nomination does not pay compliment to McCain; was he really that much in need of a guard dog, whose bark is worse than her bite?

Nor was Bantou:

Si sa propre fille ne fait cas de ses conseils éducatifs, comment diable veut-elle s´imposer chez les autres avec lesquels elle n´a aucun lien étroit et familial ? Avec la violence et l´intrigue, peut-être ? Crédibilité, hein!

If her own daughter can't follow her advice, how in the world does she hope to impose it on those with whom she has no direct family relation? With violence and intrigue perhaps? Where's her credibility?

Blogging the Democratic Convention: The race for the future in a changing world

Katata and Bantoul also wrote last week about the Democratic convention. Katata was impressed by the Clintons and the Obamas, and especially by Mark Warner, former governor of Virginia who is now running for the U.S. Senate:

Parce que mieux que tous les orateurs précédents, il alla en détail et avec précision au cœur du problème américain contemporain en qualifiant avec justesse que ces élections n´étaient pas, contrairement à ce que les gens le prenaient par trop spontanément, un choix entre démocrates ou républicains, entre ceux du Sud ou du Nord, entre les riches et les pauvres ; mais bien entre le passé et l´avenir ou encore entre un président ancré dans le passé et celui qui aurait une vision ambitieuse et innovatrice pour promouvoir un meilleur avenir aux américains. Il parla de l´indépendance de l´énergie que l´Amérique d´Obama voulait réaliser, et critiqua une gestion bushiste illuminée qui avait dépensé les ressources humaines et financières dans des guerres grotesques et ruineuses, ainsi que dans des structures économiques et industrielles conservatives et dépassées, sinon incapables à préserver l´avenir dans le monde changeant et exigeant de demain. Apparemment les républicains ne semblaient pas saisir que face à la Chine accourant à grands pas à l´excellence mondiale, la course pour l´avenir était ouverte. Et celle-ci ne pouvait se gagner que par l´innovation, la créativité industrielle assidue et l´utilisation optimale des facteurs de production.

Better than any of the other speakers, [Mark Warner] got at the heart of the contemporary American problem in detail and with precision, rightly describing the elections not as a choice between democrat or republican, between South or North, between the rich and the poor; but between the past and the future, between a president stuck in the past and someone with an ambitious and innovative vision to work for a better future for Americans. He spoke of the energy and the independance that an Obama America hopes to realize, and criticized the Bush administration which has wasted vast human and financial resources on ridiculous and expensive wars, as well as in its conservative and outmoded economic and industrial structures, otherwise incapable of securing a future in the changing and world of tomorrow. Apparently, the Republicans seem not to have gotten that with the grand strides towards global success China is making, the race for the future has [already] begun. And this can only be achieved through innovation, industrial creativity and optimal usage of their productive capacities.

Et je dois avouer qu´avec Mark Warner j´ai été autant séduit que réconcilié avec les démocrates. Parce que cela m´a laissé entendre que le discours si souvent incompris d´Obama a été bien perçu par ceux qui s´étaient donnés la peine d´aller au fond du problème qui sous des aspects divers et des variantes contextuelles ou géopolitiques, touchait le monde entier, mêmes les africains ou les islamistes extrémistes qui trompaient leurs monde avec un absolutisme religieux qui, en lieu et place de s´industrialiser, de créer le bien être pour les leurs, croyaient primitivement qu´il ne s´agissait, dans l´existence, que de croire aveuglement à une religion quelconque !

And I must say that with Mark Warner, I was as seduced as I was reconciled with the democrats. Because [his speech] helped me understand that Obama's discourse, so often misunderstood, has been understood by those who have gone to the trouble of going to the heart of the matter which, with its many aspects and varied contexts or geopolitics, affects the whole world, even Africans or Islamic extremists who, with their religious absolutism, instead of industrializing, instead of increasing the well-being of their own, that in this existence all one need do is believe in whatever religion!

Croyait-on que le progrès se ferait à coup de sourates aussi passionnées soit-elles ; ou s´achèterait chez ceux qui se seraient donnés la peine d´inventer et de produire ? Mais alors il faudrait avoir les moyens financiers d´acheter…indéfiniment. Est-ce possible sans produire soi-même et développer l´intelligence et la créativité des siens ? Faut pas rêver…Les démocrates, en tout cas, ne se font aucune illusion : il s´agit de protéger et de garantir l´avenir de chacun de leurs enfants dans un monde où la concurrence, prochainement, deviendra accrue et sélective au plus haut niveau.

Do they believe, passionate as they are, that progress will come from some chapter of the Koran; or will they keep buying from those who have gone to the trouble to invent and produce? But that would mean having the financial means to buy…indefinitely. Is that possible without themselves producing and developing their own intelligence and creativity? They're dreaming…the democrats, at any rate, are under no illusion: it's about protecting and safeguarding the future of their children in a world where, in the very near future, competition will only increase.

Bantou also has high praise for Obama but wonders if the American electorate will make the right choice this time:

En fin de compte, et après 8 ans de visible gestion cabalistique de la part de George W. Bush, le peuple américain sera-t-il capable, est-il capable de juger adéquatement et objectivement ? Rappelons-nous, c´est ce même peuple qui, contre l´avis certain candidat Kerry et même de beaucoup d´analystes politiques avisés, vota, contre tout bon sens, George Bush à la tête de ses institutions ! Comment réagira-t-il le 4 novembre prochain ; qui le sait ? Peut-être que les douleurs, les blessures ou l´amère pilule républicaine que subissait la société américaine actuellement n´étaient pas encore assez cruelles… ? Ou ce peuple dira-t-il, comme Obama : 8 ans, ça suffit, nous en avons assez!

At the end of the day, and after 8 years of the patently of George W. Bush, will the American people be capable, are they capable of making an adequate and objective assessment? Remember that these are the same people who, against the advice of and many informed political analysts, voted, against all good sense, George Bush to the head of its institutions! How will they act on next November 4th; who knows? Maybe the pain, the wounds or the bitter Republican pill American society is being subjected to have not been cruel enough…? Or will this people, as Obama, say: 8 years, that's enough, we have had enough!

The stakes are high:

Mais nous souhaiterions aussi, et cela est un vœu pieux de haute espérance éthique et morale humaines, que ce pays ne ferme pas toujours les yeux sur les droits et les libertés des autres peuples. Même dans l´intérêt d´un quelconque rêve américain d´hégémonie et de domination sur le monde. Ces temps-là sont révolus, et devant la Chine, il est temps de défendre des valeurs qui soient valables pour tous. Sinon la Chine pourrait invoquer ces écarts et ces interprétations restrictives pour faire la même chose…

But we also hope, and this is a a solemn vow of the highest ethical and moral aspiration, that this country will no longer close its eyes to the rights and liberties of other people. Even in the interest of a mundane American Dream of hegemony and world domination. Those days are over, and in the face of China, it is time to defend the values that are good for everyone. Otherwise China can invoke these gaps [between rhetoric and reality], these limited interpretations, to do the same thing…

D.R. of Congo: Biomass Charcoal

Ndesanjo Macha — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:48:24 +0000

Ethan blogs about biomass charcoal in Eastern Congo.

AIDS: XVII International Conference call for videos

Juliana Rincón Parra — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:54:10 +0000

Image by Robert Miller used under cc license.

The XVII International AIDS Conference will take place in Mexico City between August 3rd and the 8th, and Witness' THE HUB has a series of videos uploaded by community members and organizations reflecting diverse approaches to HIV-AIDS related issues. The innitiative is towards creating a repository of work, testimonies, video and photographs to be shared through their site before, during and after the conference. Videos already online in THE HUB's AIDS conference special coverage page include testimonials from India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Malawi.

“Lives in Focus“, a website on living with HIV/AIDS in India brings us A Medical Miracle, a video interview with a young girl living with HIV in a shelter. For this child, receiving first line anti-retroviral drugs has made it possible for her to thrive beyond expectations, surpassing the short life expectancy that used to be the norm for children with HIV/AIDS. In the 4 minute video, 12 year old Deepti sings her favorite song and tells about her life in the shelter.

From the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Ajedi-ka organization is prompting viewers into action through a video excerpt titled Awaiting Tomorrow where 25 year old Jean-Jacques speaks about the current situation in the Eastern Congo, where the government doesn't provide economic aid towards purchasing medications, thus reducing the life expectancy of HIV/AIDS + population, and the government has also ignored the requests for testing and treatment centers.

The Tichezerane AIDS Support group in Malawi has created a Participatory Video where they speak about their experience in the group, their daily activities and how the group has improved their lives. Their support of sick members, the workshops where they learn improved farming techniques so they can have fresh vegetables to eat and sell and the impact the group has had on married lives is also shown in the video.

D.R. Congo: Kinshasa's “baroque” style

Jennifer Brea — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:22:35 +0000

Du Cabiau à Kinshasa writes about Kinshasa's love of excess in a recent post titled “Kinshasa is baroque” [Fr].

« Le baroque est un style qui se caractérise par l’exagération du mouvement, la surcharge décorative, les effets dramatiques, l’exubérance et de la grandeur parfois pompeuse.»

Alors, Kinshasa est incontestablement baroque. La simplicité est rarement du goût des kinois. A la sobriété, ils préfèrent la surabondance. De l’architecture à la musique, de la danse à l’habillement. Ici, on force le trait. En particulier quand il s'agit de frimer, on aime l’excès.

“Baroque is a style characterized by exaggeration of movement, decorative excess, dramatic effects, exuberance and a grandeur that is at times pompous.”

So, Kinshasa is undeniably baroque. Kinois [people of Kinshasa] rarely have a taste for simplicity. They prefer overabundance to sobriety. From architecture to music, from dance to dress. Here, they go overboard. In particular when it comes to showing off, they love excess.

Ndombolo is a prime example. “The music in Kinshasa today,” Cabiau writes, Ndombolo was born in Kinshasa but “makes the girls move all the way to Dakar and Abidjan. It is the pride of all Congolese.”

Généralement, les (très) longs morceaux de ndombolo commencent doucement pour évoluer vers le «sebene», la partie déjantée de la chanson, ces quelques minutes où la piste de danse entre en ébullition. Les riffs de guitares sont alors ininterrompus et le rythme ultracadencé. Là dessus se greffent les chanteurs et les ambianceurs qui donnent de la voix… en même temps! Pour le profane, cette partie est presque inaudible tant le style est chargé. C'est pourtant le coeur de l'ambiance kinoise.

Generally, the (very) long pieces of Ndombolo begin softly before evolving toward the “sebene,” the crazy part of the song, those few minutes where the dance track begins to simmer. The guitar riffs are continuous and the rhthym ultra-(swinging). The lead and backup singers graft their voices on top of this…all at the same time! For the uninitiated, this part is so cluttered it is almost inaudible. Yet it's the heart of Kinshasa's vibe.

A French aid worker in Congo, Cabiau admits that he has trouble telling Werrason apart from Wazekwa, but that he's “developed a taste for this joyous cacaphony.”:

Lorsque les décibels s'affolent, impossible de rester assis. Si l’on se donne la peine de s’aventurer sur la piste, au milieu des miroirs et des déhanchements endiablés, on ne peut que succomber. On est alors entraîné dans des chorégraphies délirantes que tout bon kinois connaît sur le bout des doigts. C’est le feu. De la folie furieuse. C’est Kinshasa.

When the decibels reach a panic, it's impossible to stay seated. If make the effort to get out there on the dance floor, among the mirrors and the frenzy of swaying hips, you cannot help but give in. You are led out into wild dance moves that every good kinois knows at the edge of his fingertips. It's on fire. It's madness. It's Kinshasa.

Cabiau also writes about the phenomenon of “libanga.” Libanga is to Congolese music what product placement is to American film and television. For a few thousand dollars, “a company, a brand of beer, a politicians, or an officer in the army” can see his name placed in a song. Several dozen such paid shoutouts might be in a single song. “Curiously, that doesn't seem to bother many people,” Cabiau writes.

Comme la «sape» et bien d’autres phénomènes sociaux ou musicaux, le «libanga» est né à Kin pour se répandre par la suite à travers continent. Kinshasa, c’est l’Afrique de l’Afrique. C’en est à la fois le cœur et la caricature. Comme un aimant, le noyau attire à lui ce qui l’entoure. Les éléments convergent vers Kinshasa. Une fois au cœur du cyclone, ils se mélangent, se transforment, renaissent et rejaillissent. Même si la ville a perdu de sa superbe, c’est ici que surgissent nombre d’influences qui se propagent ensuite alentours. Kinshasa est un bouillon de cultures. C’est le cratère du volcan. Tout ici est exacerbé… baroque…

Like “sape” and other social and musical phenomena, “libanga” was born in Kinshasa before spreading all over the continent. Kinshasa is the Africa of Africa. It is both its heart and its caricature. Like a magnet, it draws those around it. All the elements converge in Kinshasa. As soon as you are at the heart of the cyclone, they all mix, transform, are reborn, and flow back. Even if the city has lots its splendor, it is here that a number of influences rise up and spread elsewhere. Kinshasa is a stew of cultures. It is the center of the volcano. Everything here is larger than life…baroque…

D.R. Congo: Audit reveals US$1.3 billion diverted by government agencies

Jennifer Brea — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 03:02:19 +0000

In Congo, the Office of the Prime Minister has accused ten government agencies, including those responsible for collecting taxes and customs revenue, and the national water, electricity, and insurance authorities of embezzling US$ 1.3 billion, reports Forum Realisance [Fr] via Le Potential.

Serbia: African Bloggers' Reactions to Karadžić's Arrest

Elia Varela Serra — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:39:15 +0000

After news broke on Monday night that former Bosnian Serb leader and one of the world’s most wanted persons Radovan Karadžić had been arrested, astonished bloggers in the Balkans and all around the world started reacting to the story. And because of the recent request by the International Criminal Court's (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo to indict Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, some bloggers have been making comparisons between the two cases.

For instance Greater Surbiton, a blog focusing on the Balkans, commented:

The Bashir indictment is to be celebrated, because whether or not it results in the tyrant ever facing justice, it represents a nail in his political coffin; a push sending him further along the road already trodden by Milosevic and Karadzic. His international isolation will increase; what is left of his legitimacy will decrease; it will be more difficult for other states to collaborate with him; and if he survives his eventual overthrow, the successor regime will have to collaborate with the ICC in bringing him to trial, which will be a catalyst to its own democratic reform - just as enforced collaboration with the ICTY catalysed democratic reform in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia.

Similarly, bloggers from Africa have been drawing parallels between Karadžić's indictment and arrest, and the potential coming ones for African dictators such as Omar al-Bashir in Sudan or Rober Mugabe in Zimbabwe (coincidentally, Sokwanele informs that yesterday Enough and Impunity Watch released a paper on the “Legal options available in holding accountable President Robert Mugabe for possible international crimes”).

Faustine Barraza, a blogger from Tanzania, commented:

It now appears that Karadzic will have his day in court […]
It is a good lessons to African dictators that the World is watching and that one day, they might be called to account for what they did. I hope Al-Bashir and Mugabe are paying attention.

Musengeshi Katata of the blog focusing on the DR Congo Forum Réalisance [Fr] also warns other dictators:

Il n'y a pas meilleur avertissement pour Omar el Béchir, le prochain candidat de la Cour Internationale de Justice. Ainsi qu'à tous ceux qui croient qu'ils peuvent, sans tenir compte de nos valeurs, de notre éthique et morale humaine, nous servir impunément leurs bassesses quelques soient les fonctions qu'ils exercent, leur nationalité, leur confession, la couleur de leur peau. And justice for all.

There is no better warning for Omar al-Bashir, the next candidate for the International Criminal Court. As well as for all those that believe they can, without taking into consideration our human values, ethics and morality, impose their vileness with impunity no matter their position, their nationality, their religion, their skin color. And justice for all.

Black River Eagle from the blog Jewels in the Jungle on African issues, participating in the debate at the portal African Loft, wondered:

Let’s see if Serbia extradites this European war criminal to Den Haag (The Hague) or demand that he be tried in their own national courts. This could have a negative impact on the pending indictment and trial of Omar al-Bashir at the ICC if the Serbs insist on doing the latter.
[…]
Because he is a Muslim, a serving head-of-state of an African country he should escape international justice? In the name of peace for Darfur and a negotiated political settlement that will hold up over time? Give me break. Karadzic specialized in the slaughter and mass rape of thousands of Muslims in the heart of Europe, and the sucker is going down I guarantee you.

A few other Africans have given their opinion regarding Karadžić's arrest on the BBC World Have your say blog, on yesterday's post about his arrest. Below is a selection of them.

Arnaud Ntirenganya Emmanuel, a Rwandan in Cameroon:

As a victim of Rwandan genocide the arrest of Radovan Karadzic is not enough at all, this man is supposed to tried quickly and pay for suffer and misery he caused. His arrest can only help to heal the wounds if he is treated exactly the same as his victims. For me I will have peace of mind when all perpetrators of Rwandan genocide are hanged.

Kelvin Kamayoyo:

The issue of sitting presidents hidding in the principle of sovereignity must not be their defence and lead to prolonged suffering of the innocent citizens as in the case of Zimbabwe, Sudan-Darfur. Omar al Bashir must be indicted as soon as possible and spped up the trials of the alleged cases before him as doing so it will enable to hasten the quenching of the civil war in Darfur.

George Wills Bangirana:

This is very interesting news for all citizens of the world but more so for us in Africa who live the brutality of our leaders past and present.
It beats my understanding how these once “mighty” people who hold political office unleash all kinds of mayhem on the very people they are supposed to protect without as much as a flinch and then when their turn in the cooler comes up, they live like rats-Saddam Style- or cry out to the very people they were brutalising for mercy and help. it only confirms one thing that No condition in the world is permanent and leaders better beware. Your turn may be not very far away.

Julie Kampala:

Though the arrest of Karadzic will not ressurect the dead that he killed. It will deter other dictators or dictatorships like Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Bashir of Sudan and the Burman government.

D.R. of Congo: Ceasefire violations

Elia Varela Serra — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:26:30 +0000

Accross the divide: Analysis and anecdote from Africa comments on the ceasfire violations of the Goma Peace Agreement, according to a Human Right Watch communique. He says: “civilians continue to die in far greater numbers than before the Goma Agreement was reached six months ago. A serious lack of political will on all sides is undermining the agreement”.

DRC: Kabila meets with Sarkozy

Jennifer Brea — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:38:48 +0000

At his meeting with Congolese President Joseph Kabila yesterday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy extinguished any hopes of more debt relief. Blogger Alex Engwete has this to say [Fr]: “the lesson to take from the diplomatic debacle is that the development of the DRC will not happen by way of the West or the Bretton Woods institutions.”

Congolese blogger applauds Bashir ICC indictment

Jennifer Brea — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:54:05 +0000

Forum Realisance applauds the ICC's decision to indict Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir [Fr] for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.