Congo Rising

From Ann, 9/6/19

Rise. Lift. Launch. Ascend. Transcend.

I search my mind for all those words defying gravity. The Democratic Republic of Congo emerged from a dark past.  Of all the African countries, this one had the terrible misfortune to be claimed and then ruled from afar by a cruel, avaricious Belgian king, who, though he never stepped foot in his prize colony, killed, maimed, and sickened millions by decree.

I raise my eyes from the tragic saga I’ve been reading, King Leopold’s Ghost, to see a country whose people are learning, building, and creating a new future out of a  country which has belonged to them again for only 59 years since they claimed independence in 1960. Think about it—59 years. When the United States was 59 years old, we still owned slaves whose tortuous labor produced wealth they would never own. We certainly had not kept the promises we made to the world.

Everywhere here, something is rising. First, it was my blood pressure, which caused my heart to almost burst as we came within inches from a million little cars weaving through the dark of night at frighteningly high speeds. I can now ride through Kinshasa’s scrambled streets with a steady pulse.

From our rooftop, I see at least seven buildings under construction, including a high-rise in the distance with a giant crane perched on top.  The sound of hammering is incessant.

I see tall, slender men and women walking with solemn purpose. Teachers sing songs of joy. Children as young as six carry backpacks filled with books. Parents drop their children at school with unbounded hope. Men pull carts weighted by huge loads of bricks, stones, even re-bar. People balance on their heads overflowing bowls of fruit  and vegetables, stacks of bottled water, or sacks filled with the day’s  purchases.

Of course despair is here. And hunger and bleakness and disease.  Trash fills dirt streets and clogs narrow canals.

But Congo is on the rise, day by day ascending higher, transcending its past through the miraculous effort of its people.