DR Congo- Metamorphosis to Democratic Republic of China

DR Congo- Metamorphosis to Democratic Republic of China

Kinshasa- Circa 2004

I have a thick mop of black hair on my head and I eagerly look forward to a stint in the congo.
The country is just coming out of a decade long conflict and I am about to be intiated into parenthood. . There is a transitional government in place with a president and five vice presidents and I am experiencing transit professionally where I move to start a new business. The Big 6 have taken upon themselves the onerous task of reconciling their own conflicting interests and usher in the era of transition. This is a brave announcement considering the past history.

It did take half a decade, a few rounds of shootings, international community and EU’s interference to resolve their own differences , elect an undisputed leader and get the country inch forward . The five chantiers of development taken by the new government is an ample proof of the same.

Back to 2004

Kinshasa , in the transitionary times, has few hundred Chinese souls seeking salvation in this cursed land of plenty, There is a chinese restaurant located on the top floor of a government building and was the favourite of the erstwhile president Mobutu ,if the grapevine is true . The local trade is dominated by the lebanese and Indian origin populace which has made Congo its home for 2-3 generations. There is a substantial flow of the “ diver articles’ from china but the food and machinery still comes from the colonial masters. The coffee and cocoa plantations have been abandoned for a decade and the main biz is “ trading” . The local trading minority has begun to shake hands with few business partners in Guangzhou . The travel to China is done by the heads of the importing houses and they hold forth , on glitz ( read massage) and business prospects of China , in any social get together. The Chinese embassy is not an imposing building and depositing the visa form is not time consuming and stressful.

The roads of Kinshasa are bumpy to say the least . The main boulevard constructed during colonial times has a big divider , is safe to drive and is lined with green trees on both sides. The golf course is partially visible from the main road with thick tall trees hiding the lush and well manicured grass inside.

The local markets are littered with shops owned by Lebanese and Indian origin people . The most common names of shops are soha, shalini and shabnam - each name clearly reflecting the origin and religious affiliations of the owner. The shops are manned by gawky Indian and lebanese teenagers who seem a lot happier selling candles and lanterns than attending high school back home. They also have a shared vehicle provided by the patron for their weekend ventures out.

City life is witnessing an inflow of expats mainly due to increasing UN presence and some business houses who have faith in economic potential of the country.


Circa 2009

I have some strands of grey now coz I have become wiser!

The transition era has given way to the era of reconstruction.

Kinshasa is all dug today… The roads are being broadened ! Much to the dismay of local population , it is a chinese company which is doing this. China has signed a 9 billion usd “infrastructure for minerals” deal with the government with massive mining rights for copper, coltan and cobalt. The roads will surely get broad soon but there are no dividers on the main boulevard now and every weekend a few zombies take each other head on! The trees on either side have been decimated and the golf course seems to have been robbed of its clothing and looks ugly in nudity.

The drivers of the bulldozers and the helpers roaming around the road construction have distinct mongoloid features . I can not mistake them with local physical looks. There are hundreds of Chinese in the expat area of Gombe and there are 4 restaurants which I have visited myself.. Bon marche, the night den of city, with plethora of night clubs and meat eating joints and where Kinshasa comes alive each night is full of Chinese singles. Limete residential and limete industrial has 4 chinese restaurants and numerous massage parlours . A chinese friend and business partner of mine experienced it first hand in his visit and is horrified by the entry of fellow countrymen in the oldest profession .

Prison space is being created somewhere on the planet , behind the big walls!

The marche is full of shops like congochin now co existing with the Sohas and shalinis. They have one thing in common, The entire” article diver” has come from the same country. The world has undergone a change and so has DRC. Even food products like tomato paste , onions, garlics, kidney beans and even milk powder have “ Made in China “ mark.

Each member of the procurement team of mid size importers has visited china . Small time importers now travel to china every 6 months and there is a huge queue in front of Chinese embassy . Local mamas , an importer of 1 container and many young Indian, Lebanese men jostling for timely submission of forms. It takes about 30 days to get the visa !!!

The patrons of the old Lebanese and Indian trading groups have given space to the new entrants and have moved over to greener pastures like construction – as they put it! The city is witnessing a huge activity in housing sector and very soon it is expected the “ accommodation blues” of a new arrivee would get sorted out.

There is a degree of competition for the local population too. The local seller of telephone credits could now be a Chinese. A mongoloid vendor can be heard selling Mai Mai ( water in lingala) pouches in the grand marche. And yes, hats off to the efforts of the Chinese in their adaptability… Hordes walking on foot or riding a moto and inside local taxis!

Long live Sino – Congolese Collaboration!


DRC is the latest to the list of gabons, Camerouns, ROC and other west African countries. Is Africa getting invaded , yet again??