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Congo RDC |
SOCIAL CONDIT.
The state of the commerce shows Congo’s economy
is still the politicians’
playing field
There’s one significant point running right through Congo’s economy — the moment there’s some kind of socio-political agitation and it assumes a sickly hue. It could be the exchange rates have gone haywire; or there’s dramatic food price rises; or public transport is out of sorts. Shortly after the New Year 2001 holiday, Kinshasa’s worthy citizens experienced a sensational price-rise in goods — they were doubled! Locally, this is known as «the 13th month».
When it became known that President Kabila (father) had been murdered, the businessmen and petty traders staged a legendary rise in the prices of their goods. Nothing unusual in this, to be sure, as it’s not the first time they’ve done it — under the eyes of the authorities (the State’s economic wizz-kids, the Ministry for the Economy and Kinshasa’s Governor); and let’s face it, with their blessing. But, truth to say, these so-called «authorities» have for ages been unable to control the situation vis à vis the «market magnates», whose customers become their servants.
Let’s take a look at what’s happening in the public transport sector. Kinshasa is an enormous city with an estimated population estimated between 6 and 9 million inhabitants. There’s no longer any question of «supply and demand», rather it’s a matter of political expediency placed above morality. Plus the fact that when the petroleum distributors enter the fray, then you’ve got all the makings of a catastrophic situation. Congo’s capital city and the entire region is heading for immediate collapse. In fact, there was great talk of the petroleum distributers being in cahoots with the Western powers to bring about Kabila’s downfall.
«Kabila’s Bread»
As soon as Laurent-Désiré Kabila’s rebels entered Kinshasa, a new sized loaf of bread went on sale which was quickly called after Kabila (he was well-built and heavy). As soon as Kabila was murdered, then bread-prices shot up and, obviously, everything else automatically followed. Strange as it may seem, there was hardly a murmur from the people — they seemed to be too brow-beaten to protest.
Now, Kabila’s son, Joseph, is sitting in the presidential palace, and people are hoping for better times, especially when it comes to trying to eke out a living with basic necessities. Will Kabila Jnr be able to provide bread for the people? It should be remembered that in Kikongo (the language spoken in Bas-Congo and Bandundu), «kabila» means «to give, to share». And in Lingala, the language mainly spoken in the capital, «kabela» means «to give». So, great things are expected from the new Kabila!
Cassava in short supply
For nigh on six months, Kinshasa’s food market has had a serious shortage of «foufou» (a paste of cassava flour and water and the average citizen’s staple diet). Its scarcity could be explained by Congo’s on-going and never-ending war situation, thus making it extremely difficult for cassava to reach the capital from the rural areas. But the two main cassava-producing areas, Bas-Congo and Bandundu, are the provinces closest to Kinshasa and have always remained under government control. So, Kinshasa’s citizens just can’t understand why cassava is in short supply in the capital’s markets. An ever-increasing number of tradesmen are crossing the River Congo (which forms the frontier between Congo RDC and Congo-Brazzaville) to buy some bags of cassava in neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville. Imagine, this is happening when Congo RDC has incredibly rich and fertile land!
These days, a measure of «produced in Congo» cassava costs twice the price of a similar measure of rice imported from Vietnam or Thailand. Less than a year ago, rice was a rather luxurious food product but now you’ll find it in all the cooking pots. Kinshasa’s citizens want their traditional foufou, so what have they done? They’ve discovered that grinding the rice into flour, produces a flour which, from its taste and whiteness reassembles semolina. Rice is also very nutritious. On the other hand, it’s been shown that eating too much cassava results in goitre-connected diseases.
So, some good can come from a bad situation. It could be that one day our country will manage to put its socio-economic situation to rights and then Kinshasa’s citizens might return to a «normal«alimentary situation. But in the meantime, what’s happened? They’ve discovered a recipe which is fit to be put on the table. So, enjoy your meal, citizens of Congo RDC, and best wishes for your health and future prosperity!
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