Two Page Broken Heart

Beni Airport Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Last week I was leafing through an East African tour book checking out different places in Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kenya. I randomly stumbled upon the Democratic Republic of Congo section. Due to the size of DRC, it can be considered West, Central, or East Africa. I wasn’t sure if it would be included in this book but it was, all two pages worth. Two pages ? Seriously ? Congo is the largest country in Africa now after South Sudan’s split from Sudan, it is the size of western Europe and there is only enough tourist info to fill up two pages.

I am presently reading a book called Blood River. The author risked his life in 2004 traveling the same route the great explorer Stanley traveled in the 1800s down the Congo River. It was estimated that the exploration in 2004 was more dangerous than Stanley’s voyage in the 1800s despite Stanly facing cannibals, tropical diseases without modern medicines, no technological resources, or language capabilities. The Congo River forms the shape of half a heart thus labeling DRC the broken heart of Africa joining the other equally depressing name for the DRC – the Heart of Darkness.

Throughout this book the author recounts how beautiful and marvelous this mighty country once was. Like the majority of other African countries, Congo had very harsh colonizers. The height of DRC’s economic stability and flourishment was towards the end of the colonial period in the 1950’s. There was an amazing road, train, and river transportation system ; medical care ; and booming industries.

Unfortunately the rest of the world doesn’t realize that Congo is not the broken heart of Africa but rather the lungs of the world, well, perhaps they do as exploitation and corruption continue to ravage this mutilated society. DRC has the second largest rain forest providing oxygen to this half of the world and is the richest country in the world with natural resources such as gold, diamonds, and coltan – a mineral used for cell phones where 90% of the world’s supply is found in Congo. Unfortunately at the end of 2011, the Human Development Index rated Congo dead last on the list of developed countries, number 187.

Amongst all of my interest for this continent, no country has intrigued me more than the Democratic Republic of Congo. I can visibly see how beautiful Congo was sixty years ago as the remains are still standing rusted. At the same time, I can imagine what Congo, and even Africa in general, looked like one hundred and fifty years ago as this country has sadly backslidden to that point today. Democratic Republic of Congo 2012 is a glimpse of Africa 1900. Everyday I wish that these walls could talk and tell me their story, because I know there is one and it is unlike any I have ever heard.

Regardless of the story of 50 years ago or even 150, I know the story of today. I am living it. I don’t need to hear the walls talk, I can just look out my window. The citizens of Congo still face insecurity. People are dying of curable disease like malaria because medicine prices have gone up and treatment is not affordable. There is political gridlock in the capital, Kinshasa. The east is still fighting over land rights. People are worked like slaves in the mine fields to supply the rest of the world with diamonds and cells phones.

The tourist guide for Democratic Republic of Congo should be its own separate book, not a mere two pages combined with Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Burundi, probably all combined together equaling a quarter of Congo’s land mass. Despite the evident darkness and brokenness that still claims much of Congo, this Heart of Darkness has brought much light to my life and this Broken Heart of Africa has mended many pieces of my soul.