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Congo RDC |
SOCIAL CONDITIONS
The West — a paradise now closed to Congolese
More and more Congolese are dreaming about emigrating to the West in search of a better life. They want to go there because poverty goes on and on in their own country whereas in the West life seems much more comfortable. A popular radio broadcaster in Kinshasa makes «Tozali awa Na lola, Na paradizo» (i.e. «The West, especially Europe, is heaven...is paradise»), his theme tune. And what about Congo? Well, if Europe is heaven, then Congo must be hell and who wants to stop in hell? Everyone wants to go to heaven...
Any means are taken to go to the West. For example, there’s the «Ngulu», a Lingala word indicating all those who pretend to be part of a group or who attach themselves to an individual having the right to a visa for the West. Everyone’s in on the game! However, in February 2003, Western consular services had their eyes opened when the star of the Rumba Zairoise, Shungu Wembadio, alias «Wemba Dad», was arrested. He was accused of having organized the illegal immigration of hundreds of nationals from Congo, to France and Belgium during two years. He was released on bail in July 2003. Consular services are now more careful before granting visas to Congolese. Government officials, members of the Opposition, priests, pastors, musicians, members of human rights NGOs can no longer get visas easily.
«Economic» or political refugees?
The late President Mobutu Sese Seko had good reason to declare that many Congolese living abroad, who were pretending to be political refugees, are actually economic refugees. The proof: They persist in remaining abroad, in spite of Congo’s various changes of government and improvements in the political situation.
NGOs concerned with human rights and press freedom issues, as well as so-called opposition political parties, try to justify the fact that so many Congolese are living abroad, by inventing human rights abuses committed against them. Thus, many Congolese receive the right of asylum in the West by pretending to be victims of police repression, following an opposition party (of which they claim to be members) demonstration.
Some leave the country on the visa list of an orchestra scheduled to give concerts in the West. Once they arrive, however, they call themselves «political refugees» and request the right of asylum. Others join the entourage of officials, pastors and priests visiting the West. Things got so bad that in November 2002, Cardinal Frédérick Etsou, Archbishop of Kinshasa, issued a message to all his priests and parishioners, reminding them that parishes are not travel agencies or chancelleries where visas are issued. He deplored the behaviour of some priests who act as if they are travel agents or consular officials.
Illegal emigration
Mgr Lozano was formerly the Vatican’s Apostolic Nuncio to Congo. In May 2001, in a press statement, he rebuked those priests who use the good offices of the Catholic Church as a getaway network by abusing the travel facilities granted them. Religious leaders from the various Churches (Catholic, Protestant, revivalist) take every opportunity, while they are in Europe for preaching engagements or following courses, either to settle there permanently, or at least to facilitate the way to the «Western paradise» for their brothers, children, friends or members of their Churches.
The fact is, an increasing number of Congolese are continually leaving the country, seeking to emigrate towards better pastures. Priests, pastors, musicians, actors, officials, students have all jumped onto the illegal emigration bandwagon. Any Congolese who does happen to return home once his/her reason for being abroad has ended, is called «naive» by their family. All the above mentioned individuals establish networks to help each other. An official with Congo’s Directorate-General for Migration says that leaders of national and international NGOs are running the networks.
Every Congolese seems to have one aim: «See Europe and die». Some do manage to stay in Europe but it costs them dearly — frequently the sale of the family home. However, they hope to double their profit once asylum has been granted. And when a migrant is established in Europe, the whole family pins their hope on this person who must make every effort to earn plenty of money and when necessary to send money back home to help the family when in need. This has given rise to an active money exchange business and international parcel service run by specialized agencies. There’s any amount of second-hand vehicles on Kinshasa’s streets — all thanks to Congolese emigrants.
A number of diplomats from various embassies seem to be mixed up in the «Ngulu» business. Approving visas is an opportunity for them to line their own pockets. People who want to go to Europe for genuine further studies have problems in obtaining visas, whereas musicians have every opportunity. They’re the main network for «facilitating» immigration. But now Wemba Dad, suspected of organising an illegal immigration racket has been exposed. In his line of business, candidates for emigration towards Europe had to fork out anything between 3,000-4,000 dollars per person per journey.
From now on, even when an orchestra has definite contracts lined up for giving concerts in Europe, it’s quite difficult to obtain the fifty to a hundred entry visas needed. Beforehand, there was no problem. Consequently, many orchestras have to refund tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in advance bookings. Now that embassies in Kinshasa have tightened up their act when it comes to issuing entry visas, heaven (or is it paradise?) has closed its gates suddenly on the Congolese.
- Tshibambe Lubowa, Congo RDC, October 2003 — © Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgment