EXPLORE THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO by an RPCV
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EXPLORE THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO by an RPCV
- Jewlery Thursday, May 04, 2006 - 4:00 pm [1]
Explore the Democratic Republic of the Congo by an RPCV
Explore the Democratic Republic of the Congo by an RPCV
Katanga Living
This section is devoted to certain aspects of every-day life common to the province of Katanga.
You can see how bricks are made in the "NYUMBA" (house in Swahili) section. Many of the homes in Katanga are built using these clay bricks
The MUNKOYO section describes the preparation of a popular drink made mostly in rural areas in Katanga.
The third section, KIKANDA, demonstrates how this popular food is prepared.
Soil heavy in clay content is excavated for use in brick building. Clay is the element which makes the bricks hard after baking. Often the soil found in termite mounds is preferred as the termites build their mounds by bringing up clay rich soils from beneath the surface.
The moist soil is mixed with dried straw and then put in a brick press. Old motor oil is used to grease the press and facilitate removing the brick from the press.
Once out of the press the raw bricks are set out in the sun to dry. One can see how the bricks are stacked, allowing air to pass in between them in the drying process.
After the bricks are dry a brick oven is built. It is in this form that the bricks will be baked. The heat will change the composition of the clay in the bricks and they will become much harder.
The spaces in between the bricks are then covered by mud to reduce the amount of heat that escapes the brick oven. Once the fire is lit in the oven, metal plates are placed in front of the openings to contain the heat.
Wood and lots of it is required to get the ovens hot enough to properly cook the bricks. One can see that this technique can be quite a burden on local forestry resources.
Once the fire has cooled, the bricks are ready for use in home construction. In areas where cement is expensive or hard to acquire, a mortar mixture can be made with chalk locally available from artisanal quarries.
The most important ingredient in Munkoyo is a root found in savanna areas in Katanga. The dried strips of root are prepared by pounding them into a fibrous pulp.
Corn flour and the root pulp are added to water and then brought to a boil.
The resulting liquid is then sifted through a sieve to separate the root pulp from the remaining liquid. The liquid is then stored in large gourds. The gourds are made from squashes that are grown specifically for this purpose and can reach three feet in diameter.
Once in the gourd one can drink the Munkoyo either soon after it was prepared or after it has had some time to ferment. The strength of the fermented Munkoyo depends on the length of time it has spent in the gourd.
Kikanda, also known as "boudin", is a snack-like food prepared from peanut flour, Kikanda root flour and onions. Once can see the peanut flour in the plastic bag at left and the Kikanda root flour is the brown powder. Kikanda roots resemble small potatoes.
The green and bulb onions are cut and added to boiling water along with the peanuts and wheat flour. The mixture is lightly salted. As can be seen in this photo most households use charcoal for cooking purposes.
Once all the ingredients are in the water the mixture is stirred until all is a thick paste. As it cooks, the paste becomes solid at which point it is taken off the heat.
In order to make sure that the center and top of the Kikanda are well cooked, a metal plate with hot charcoal is placed on the mixture. Once fully baked the ball of Kikanda is ready to be eaten.
Kikanda can often be seen being sold on the street and in markets. As shown on the left, small pieces are cut and sold to passers by.
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MALACHITE
ARTIST STUDIO TOUR
The raw Malachite can be seen here. The rock is mined in an artisanal manner from small mines particularly in the Ruashi district of Lubumbashi. Malachite comes in many forms including thick sheets, large inter-linked nodules and crusty formations with air pockets in them.
The rock is brought to the workshop where it is cut, ground and polished.
Here are a number of animal shapes after the first cut. They will be continuously worked on to take the form of the desired animal.
Cutting and polishing machines such as this one are used to work the stone. The machines are irrigated by water to keep the blades and grinding stones from drying and getting jammed. The Malachite workers' neighborhoods in Ruashi district are easy to find as the houses have small streams of green water trickling out of them.
The following pieces are at the polishing stage. Examples of the different stones used for grinding, can bee seen in the forefront.
Some of the Malachite formations have pockets of air that must be filled. A special paste is made from Malachite pieces, used to fill the holes before the final polishing.
Two pieces, in the final stages of polishing. Many objects are made including chess sets, jewelry boxes, small cars, vases, picture frames and more. Examples of the different pieces can be seen below.
MALACHITE GALLERY - FINISHED WORKS
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COPPER
ARTIST STUDIO TOUR
Large copper sheets are produced by the mining companies in Katanga. Copper is abundant and mining represents a large part of the Katanga economy. The first step in preparation of the sheets is to flatten them out carefully in order to gain a uniform texture to work on.
Here the artist is preparing a portrait and must first sketch his subject from a picture, on the copper sheet.
Once the subject is drawn on the copper, the metal can be worked from both sides in order to create relief. The relatively soft metal is pounded using different tools, depending on the effect desired.
The finished images on the copper are then treated using different materials. Pastes are made from different clays, and powdered soils and applied to the different parts of the images. Each material affects the copper and in turn leaves a unique color or texture.
The copper sheet is then passed over a fire. The heat causes chemical reactions between the pastes and the copper resulting in color changes to the images. The different colors can be seen in the samples below. Colored gravel is also added to some of the copper works.
COPPER GALLERY - FINISHED WORKS
Click on images below to view the larger version
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CONGO-PAGES HOME
| THE KWILU RIVER | CROSSING THE GOBARI | VOYAGE THROUGH BANDUNDU | PALM OIL PROCESSING |
CONGO PAGES HOME
The voyage begins on the banks of the Lukula river.
Here in Kimbili, kids where having fun bathing.
Dug-out canoes ("pirogues") are the most common means to get across the river. This one is a limousine equivalent with chairs in it, to ensure passenger comfort.
The canoe man uses a long paddle to get across. In order to get to a specific point on the other side, the canoe man must start crossing well upstream so as to compensate for the strong current.
The view from halfway across the Lukula.
In some parts, the banks of the Lukula are heavily forested. These areas are favorite hiding spots for fish and other animals.
The old Mokamo palm oil factory can be found on the banks of the Lukula. When the river was navigable to Kinshasa, the palm oil was transported by boat to the capital.
The original palm trees planted on the factory plantation have reached the age of 45 and are beyond their peak oil production years.
| THE KWILU RIVER | CROSSING THE GOBARI | VOYAGE THROUGH BANDUNDU | PALM OIL PROCESSING |
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| MOKAMO ON THE LUKULA | CROSSING THE GOBARI | VOYAGE THROUGH BANDUNDU | PALM OIL PROCESSING |
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A barge in Bilili harbor waiting for the last cargo before
heading down the Kwilu which will, in turn join the Kasai river
before flowing into the Congo river on its way to Kinshasa.
Only 40-60 km north of Kikwit, a group of farmers in the town of Molembe, planted dwarf oil palms. These trees are around ten years old and are in the peak of production and can have up to 6 bunches of palm huts growing on them at any given time.
The dwarf palm produces fruit that has more oil content than regular oil palms. One can see the thick layer of oil rich pulp around the relatively small seed.
Not far from Kikwit on the banks of the Kwilu, oil palm plantation owners work to process their fruit. Fruit is first cooked in big metal oil barrels and then dumped into a locally made press called "malaxeur". The cooked fruit is churned in the press and the resulting oil flows into a collection pit. The oil floats to the top and is skimmed off and put in barrels. The barrels are then put on boats destined for either Kikwit or Kinshasa.
The road from Kinshasa at the entrance to the town of Kikwit has deteriorated to such an extent that it becomes impassable after heavy rains.
Erosion has become a serious problem in Kikwit. More than 1,000 homes have fallen into over 30 erosion provoked ravines throughout Kikwit.
The asphalt road right on the outskirts of Kikwit are showing signs of erosion damage and risk cutting the town off from Kinshasa to the west.
Some of the hills surrounding Kikwit are zoned for housing without taking into consideration the effects the zoning will have on the land in terms of erosion.
| MOKAMO ON THE LUKULA | CROSSING THE GOBARI | VOYAGE THROUGH BANDUNDU | PALM OIL PROCESSING |
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| MOKAMO ON THE LUKULA | THE KWILU RIVER | VOYAGE THROUGH BANDUNDU | PALM OIL PROCESSING |
CONGO PAGES HOME
The roads in the Putubongo area are maintained primarily by
the local palm oil processing plants.
Soils in Bandundu are primarily sandy. It is therefore not rare to see washed out roads when traveling in the province. Erosion is a serous problem for the road network in the province and throughout the country.
The welcoming committee in Putubongo, not far from the Gobari river. This group of kids were in the process of cracking palm kernels to sell to the palm oil factory in the town. The factory then transports the kernels to Bilili on the Kwilu river to be pressed for palm kernel oil. The oil is then transported by barge to Kinshasa.
Coffee is grown in many of Congo's provinces. Farmers are expanding their coffee plantations in the Putubongo area.
Palm oil factories not only maintain roads but repair bridges in order to better reach palm nut cutters from whom they buy the palm fruit for their processing plants.
Here is a palm processing firm's road crew at work on a road leading to a crossing on the Gobari River between Mokamo and Bilili.
An old ferry on the banks of the Gobari which allowed for a direct link between Mokamo and Bilili. The palm oil processing firm in the area is in the process of building a bridge in order to transport their oil more efficiently.
The only way to cross this spot on the Gobari river is by dug out canoe ("pirogue").
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| MOKAMO ON THE LUKULA | THE KWILU RIVER | CROSSING THE GOBARI | VOYAGE THROUGH BANDUNDU |
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Outside a palm oil processing factory, workers sort the
fruit that was collected that morning from local cutters in surrounding villages.
In order to ensure long term production, firms are renewing their plantations with new varieties of oil palms as seen in this nursery.
Some factories are still using steam engines to run the machinery. Surplus palm kernels and shells are used as fuel for the furnaces.
Big steam engines turn gears which then turn other machines.
Machines run by the gears and belts include, centrifuges, kernel crushers, and sorters.
After oil is pressed from the fruit it is collected in large tanks like these and then transported by tanker barge to Kinshasa for processing into cooking oil, cosmetic quality oil or soap.
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Fishculture
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BANDUNDU
Harvest day for a fishfarmer. The fish of preference for fishculture in Bandundu is Tilapia.
Click on images for larger version
Fish farmers strive to build a pond system which allows for regular harvests. With a 6 month harvest cycle and a six pond system, the farmer can harvest once a month.
Click on the image to the left to see a sketch of a valley with a 6 pond system . A system such as this one can be accompanied with animal husbandry (pig pen, chicken coop, rabbit hutches...) and the manure from these activities can be added to the compost in the water to enhance fish production. Vegetable gardens can also accompany fish culture and can benefit from the rich mud that is cleaned out of the pond after each harvest.
Where there are no tractors, farmers must use appropriate methods to carry out large tasks. Here the farmer has set up a lever system to get a big tree trunk out of his pond site.
Once the pond is built, water is directed to the pond using a system of diversion canals and bamboo piping. The three farmers in this photo are standing in their compost fence while their pond fills with water. Compost, in the form of leaves and manure, is used to promote plankton growth. Plankton is the primary food for Tilapia, a filter feeder.
After composting, the pond is ready for stocking the young fish or fingerlings. Farmers sell their fingerlings at harvest to those who need them for stocking purposes. The young fish are transported by foot in plastic jugs from one pond to another.
Managing the pond is a family affair. Parents and kids alike bring composting materials as well as food to the pond on a daily basis. Here the leaves from the acacia which are rich in Nitrogen are being put in the compost fence. Food for the fish includes manioc, papaya, sweet potato leaves; termites; leftovers from pounding manioc tubers or maize for flour.
The Tilapia Niloticus male will build a nest on the side of the pond bank like the ones at left. He will then invite the female to lay her eggs in the nest. Once laid, the eggs are fertilized by the male. When the fry hatch, the mother fish broods her babies in her mouth to protect them from predators. Once old enough the fry will venture out on their own and will no longer seek refuge in their mother's mouth.
THE HARVEST!!! Finally after 6 months of feeding, the fish are ready to eat. Here a farmer and his wife look over their fish before sharing some with their family and putting the rest aside for sale.
Another family after harvesting their pond. The fish are either sold fresh at the pond bank or they are processed for later sale. The fish can be deep fried in palm oil for sale 1 or 2 days after harvest or they can be salted and stored for sale at a later date.
On the banana leaf in this photo, one can see a good number of frog's legs. Frogs come to live in the ponds and the day of the harvest, farmers collect them as they try to leave the pond. The legs are prepared and fried in palm oil. Very tasty treat!!
Three musketeers Congo style. These guys are celebrating a great harvest a the pond bank. As you can see, forest leaves can make for good hats.
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Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.
Story Source: Personal Web Page
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Congo Kinshasa; Photography - Congo Kinshasa; Art; Malachite; Fish Culture
PCOL4237
86
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Dear sir /madam. I would like to help me,am looking for the for Alifunsi Peguere who used to live in CONGO,KIVU DISTRICT in BUKAVU then he shifted to MUTWABA KATANGA district around 1960'S to 1970'S,it's when i lost his contacts.he was do ing mining in CONGO former Zaire with M.K COMPANY.He might be in the followig areas,WALIKALLE CONGO,BRASSELS BELGIAM and his wife was called Mrs CHRISTINE ALIFUNSI and he had the following children JOHN PAUL and LILIAN ALIFUNSI . Any information rendered to me will be highly apreciated. yours, shaban sserunjogi kampala ugan
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By chan0040 (204.147.94.152) on Friday, March 03, 2006 - 1:13 pm: Edit Post |
what is the food and crops that is used by the democrated republic of congo
Kikwit, in the state of Bandundu -- my daughter (jr at Boston College) is planning to go help in
AIDS clinic this summer in Kikwit, Congo. She has been in Cameroon for 6 months. Any suggestions? Ebola outbreaks? Security hints on how to get there. Thanks so much. please email. Thanks so very very much. her mom. nan.bedford@accessmai.com
I am making a documentary about street children and child soldiers in DRC. I am looking for photographs (of street children) to use in the film. If you know of any please contact me at skyfilm1@yahoo.com
your FUCKING STUPID RAPING WOMEN..
LEAVING THEM WHO ARE YOU....
GOD WILL PUNISH YOU ....
GOD HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOULS!
ARMY....MILITARY....YOU WILL ROT IN HELL!
I PROMISE YOU THAT...GO TO HELL