Passenger air service in the DRC has been abysmal for decades, and again the international press and media have covered these stories adequately. The only truly reliable air service within the country is provided by a handful of private companies and entrepreneurial bush pilots flying small, short-range propeller-driven aircraft. Of course one can hitch a ride on an old Antonov plane piloted by some of Viktor Bout’s boys and other enterprising ex-Soviet flyboys operating in the country. These flights are primarily for the transport of cargo (illicit gold, cassiterite, small arms, and diamonds) so passengers stand a good chance of getting bumped-off the flight (in mid-air) if things get a little hot on takeoff.

As far as boarding a McDonnell Douglas DC9-51 aeroplane in the Congo: the DC-9 series of jet aircraft was one of the great success stories in aviation, with over 2400 units manufactured up to the last aircraft delivery in 1982. There are still plenty of DC-9’s in service today around the world, all over 30 years old, and they do require regular expert maintenance in order to takeoff, stay airborne, and land safely. This most likely is the reason for the the Goma crash of April 15th, poor periodic maintenance and no spare parts to replace broken systems.

The airline operator Hewa Bora Airways has been blacklisted (banned) from operating in European airspace since October 2006. As a matter of fact, “All air carriers certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of the Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC) are banned.”

SF Bay area artist Nancy Worthington’s artwork, “Gateway To Hope” has been censored from the international women’s exhibit, Her Presence in Colours VIII–Beijing 2008, taking place in April 2008 at the China National Art Gallery. On March 25, 2008, Ms. Worthington received a phone call and e-mail from the Conservatory of Fine Arts (exhibition coordinators in Malaysia) telling her that “Gateway To Hope” was being censored by the China National Censorship Board because of its political context. (Although works by other artists, which contained political content such as opposition to the Iraqi war and Palestinian-Israeli conflict, were left in the show.)

Nancy Worthington’s artwork was accepted in October 2007 into the exhibition organized by the International Women Artists – China (INWAA-China) and the Beijing Women Artists Association. Nancy Worthington was one of 8 artists representing the United States in this exhibition. Artists were asked to submit an artwork that “reflects an issue that is related to the theme: Dream of Peace.” Ms. Worthington created “Gateway To Hope” specifically for the theme of world peace, and the image was posted on the Her Presence in Colours website (www.art-her.com) in January 2008, in the USA artists’ list. “Gateway To Hope” has now been replaced by “Elvis Solid Gold”–which has nothing to do with the exhibition theme.

For more information: go to Nancy Worthington’s website at: http://www.domjoy.com and click on site news.