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 THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO COUNTRY OVERVIEW Project C.U.R.E. Clinics DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO FACTS CAPITAL: Kinshasa CURRENCY: Congolese Franc PRESIDENT: Joseph Kabila OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: French GOVERNMENT: Semi-­‐Presidential System; Republic POPULATION: 67.8 Million (2014) DRC, officially the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a semi-­‐presidential republic in central Africa. It is bordered by Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to the east, Congo to the west, Angola and Zambia to the south, and Central African Republic and South Sudan to the north. LAND AND CLIMATE SIZE: 905,367 square miles, slightly less than ¼ the size of the United States. GEOGRAPHY: The DRC is a large country located in west-­‐central Africa. One-­‐third of the country lies to the north and two-­‐thirds of the country lies to the south of the equator. The country is divided into four physical regions: a low laying central area that slopes westward, mountain terraces that surround ¾ of the plateau in all directions, high mountains that enclose the country to the north and the coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. The Congo River runs into the Atlantic Ocean providing drainage for most of the country. CLIMATE: The western and central regions of the DRC, especially in the river basin, are hot and humid, while the eastern region has a fairly temperate climate. The mountainous southern region yields cooler, dryer temperatures. South of the equator, the rainy season spans from October to May, while North of the equator rain is abundant April to November. Project C.U.R.E. Clinics 1
HISTORY King Leopold II of the Belgians set in motion the conquest of the huge domain that was to become his personal fiefdom. The king’s attention was drawn to the region during British explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley’s exploration of the Congo River in 1874–77. Armed with a private mandate from the international community of the time and under the guise of his African International Association’s humanitarian mission of ending slavery and bringing religion and the benefits of modern life to the Congolese, Leopold created a coercive instrument of colonial hegemony known as the Congo Free State. Despite the “benevolence” of his public intentions, King Leopold profited personally by extracting the maximum amount of natural resources from the land as well as the maximum output of labor from the people. In 1908 the Belgian Parliament voted to annex the Congo Free State, essentially purchasing the area from King Leopold and thus placing what was once the king’s personal holding under Belgian rule. The DRC was a colony of Belgium until 1960 when it gained its independence. Between 1965 and 1996, the country was under the control of Lieutenant General Mobutu Sese Seko who changed the country’s name to Zaire in 1971 as part of his “Authenticity Campaign”. In April 1990, Mobutu lifted a ban on opposition parties and allowed a limited multi-­‐party government system with elections and a constitution, but he followed that liberalizing act with the brutal repression of student protests at the University of Lubumbashi in May, resulting in the death of 50 to 150 students. The Rwandan crisis of 1993–94, rooted in long-­‐running tensions between that country’s two major ethnic groups (the Hutu and the Tutsi) and the ensuing genocide (during which more than 800,000 civilians, primarily Tutsi, were killed), afforded Mobutu an opportunity to strengthen his rule. However, after 7 years of political turmoil, Mobutu finally fled the country, giving up his dictatorship. Following Mobutu’s departure in 1997, Laurent Kabila assumed the presidency and restored the country’s previous name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kabila was initially able to attract foreign aid and provided some order and relief to the country’s decimated economy. He also initiated the drafting of a new constitution. Unfortunately, Project C.U.R.E. Clinics 2
the outward appearance of moving toward democracy conflicted with the reality of the situation. Kabila held the bulk of power and did not tolerate criticism or opposition. Political parties and public demonstrations were banned almost immediately following Kabila’s takeover of the government, and his administration was accused of human rights abuse. In August 1998, the new leader was plagued by a rebellion in the country’s eastern provinces, which were supported by some of Kabila’s former allies. The rebellion marked the start of what became a devastating five-­‐year civil war that drew in several countries. Laurent Kabila was assassinated in January 2001 and was succeeded by his son, Joseph, who immediately declared his commitment to finding a peaceful end to the war. Soon after he assumed power, the United Nations proposed a pullout plan, however, it was never fully actualized. Finally, in December 2002, an agreement was reached that established a power-­‐sharing transitional government and an end to the war. This agreement was ratified in April 2003. A transitional constitution was also adopted that month, and an interim government was inaugurated in July, with Kabila as president. UN peacekeeping troops continued to maintain a presence in the country. Although the civil war was technically over, the country was devastated. It was estimated that more than three million people had been killed. Those who survived were left to struggle with homelessness, starvation and disease. The new government was fragile, the economy was in shambles and societal infrastructure had been destroyed. With international assistance, Kabila was able to make considerable progress toward reforming the economy and began the work of rebuilding the country. However, his government was not able to exercise any real control over much of the country. Kabila had to cope with fighting what remained in the east, as well as two failed coup attempts in 2004. Nevertheless, a new, formal constitution was promulgated in 2006 and Kabila was victorious in presidential elections held later that year. In January 2008 a peace agreement, aimed at ending the fighting in the eastern part of the country, was signed by the government and more than 20 rebel groups. The fragile truce was broken later that year when rebels led by Laurent Nkunda renewed their attacks, displacing tens of thousands of residents and international aid workers. In January 2009 Project C.U.R.E. Clinics 3
Congolese and Rwandan troops together launched an offensive against rebel groups in the east. They forced Nkunda to flee across the border into Rwanda, where he was arrested and indicted for war crimes by the Congolese government. In 2011, Kabila was elected for a second term as president and promised to invest in public services as well as infrastructure development. Today the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to be characterized by ongoing conflict, poor or non-­‐existent infrastructure and highly challenging logistics, all of which make life in the country very difficult. GOVERNMENT The DRC is now in its Third Republic, with the adoption of a new Constitution in 2006. The country is currently divided into 11 administrative provinces, and the system of government is highly decentralized. The government is divided into three sections: executive, legislative, and judicial. The voting age in the DRC is 18, and voting is universal and compulsory. At the central level, the executive branch is composed of the President and the Prime Minister. The President is the most senior of politicians, though the majority of law-­‐
making is done by the Prime Minister and the Parliament. The President is directly elected through universal suffrage to a five-­‐year term, renewable once. Presidential elections in the DRC have a two-­‐round system, assuring that the elected President always has the majority of the votes. The Prime Minister is appointed by Parliament. The President appoints government members nominated by the Prime Minister. Each administrative province has a governor elected by the Provincial Legislature. The governor is responsible for the executive running of the province. Some powers are held exclusively by the provincial government, while others are shared with the central government. The governor reports directly to the Provincial Assembly. The Parliament of the DRC is made up of a National Assembly (500 seats) and the Senate (108 seats). Members of the National Assembly are directly elected, and Senators are elected by the provincial legislatures. The National Assembly is considered the lower of the two houses, but it wields the most power. Project C.U.R.E. Clinics 4
ECONOMY The DRC is abundant in natural resources, including cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydro-­‐power and timber. While there is much potential for economic growth, economic prospects are largely dependent on the country’s ability to establish political stability and solid democratic rule. The DRC has made an effort towards renovating their infrastructure by privatizing telecommunications and transportation. Currently, 80% of the population supports their families by working in agriculture. CURRENCY The official currency of the DRC is the Congolese Franc (CDF), which is divided into 100 centimes. Notes range from values of 1 to 500. While US dollars can be exchanged in country, it is best to convert currency prior to departure. CULTURE About 45% of the country’s population is made up of over 200 different ethnic groups. People in the DRC are respected because of their age, experience and wealth. Older people are granted respect within a group and are given preferential treatment. Often the responsibility of making decisions is given to the eldest person in a group. Family is a primary source of identity, responsibility and loyalty in the DRC. While the man is the head of the family, respect between men and women is very important. Child rearing is the job of the community with much influence from extended family. An obligation to family takes precedence over everything else. Most people live in small villages or rural areas where they work together tending crops and livestock as a family. CUISINE: Cuisine in the DRC has influences from France, the Middle East and Asia. The most common meal includes beans, rice, vegetables, fish, beef or pork served with Project C.U.R.E. Clinics 5
various sauces. French bread is also very common in Congolese cuisine and is served with most meals. RELIGION: Christianity, particularly Roman Catholicism, is the most practiced religion in the DRC. Other religions practiced in the DRC are Protestantism, Islam, Kimbanguism, and indigenous belief systems. The presence of the Roman Catholic Church is a result of the Belgian colonization. Kimbanguism began in 1921 with the mass teachings by Simon Kimbangu, a local Baptist minister. Kimbangu is regarded as a prophet, and the Kimbanguist Church also believes him to have been the Holy Spirit. Islam was introduced in the DRC by travelling traders and merchants in the 18th century. ETIQUETTE: A proper greeting is to shake hands with the right hand. To show respect of social status people hold their right forearm with their left hand while shaking hands. When a man is greeting a woman it is best to wait for the woman to extend her hand. Young people wait for older people to offer their hand. If you are unsure how to pronounce your visitor’s name, you may ask them what they prefer or call the adult women “Madame” or “Mama” and the adult men “Monsieur” or “Papa”. Eye contact might be more indirect during a conversation; women and children may look down or away to show respect. Congolese people have a set of gestures for pointing to and calling people. If you want to point to someone, hold out the arm with the palm open and upward. It is considered very rude to point at a person with your index finger. In order to call someone over, extend the arm with the palm turned down and bring in the fingers towards you, like a scratching motion. People also have proper ways to give or receive things. Children learn to offer both hands when receiving an object, especially form an adult, to show respect. In many situations people are flexible with appointed times and do not tend to be overly punctual. COMMON WORDS AND PHRASES French is the official language of the DRC, however, only about 30% of the population uses it for daily conversation. Most individuals speak an indigenous language. Four Project C.U.R.E. Clinics 6
indigenous languages have the status of national language: Kikongo, Lingala, Swahili, and Tshiluba. ENGLISH PHRASE FRENCH TRANSLATION LINGALA TRANSLATION How are you? Comment allez-­‐vous? Ozali malamu? I’m fine Ca va bien. Nazali malamu. Thank you Merci. Botondi/Melesi Please S’il vous plait Palado/Soki olingi. Can you help me? Pouvez-­‐vous m’aider? Do you speak English? Parlez-­‐vous anglais? Olobaka Lingelesa? I don’t speak French Je ne parle pas français. Hello/Good bye Bonjour/Au revoir Mbote!/Tikala malamu PRINCIPAL CITIES KINSHASA Founded in 1881, the capital and largest city of the DRC, Kinshasa is located on the Congo River and faces the capital of the neighboring Republic of Congo, Brazzaville. The city is also an administrative province of the DRC. It is the second largest fra ncophone urban area after Paris and the third largest urban area in Africa. AREA: 3,848 sq miles WEATHER: Kinshasa has a tropical wet and dry climate, with a relatively short dry season. As it lies south of the equator, the dry season begins in June, with the rainy season spanning October – May. Average temperatures range from 70° – 86° F. POINTS OF INTEREST: Musée National de Kinshasa, Palais de Marbre (Marble Palace), Cité de l’OUA (OUA village), Zongo Falls, Boulevard du 30 juin HEATH STATISTICS Healthcare in the DRC is limited. Medical facilities are found in a few of the major cities and medical materials are in short supply. Very few prescriptions or over the counter medicines are available. The DRC has a population of 73.6 million people with 51% of the population female and 49% male. The growth rate of the population is 2.614% with 44.9 births/1000 and 11.06 Project C.U.R.E. Clinics 7
deaths/1000. The largest segment of the population is under 25 years. Life expectancy for males is 54 and 57 for females. Malaria, cholera, tetanus, pulmonary tuberculosis, measles, chicken pox, yellow fever, infectious hepatitis pneumonia and diseases related around malnutrition and infection are common to the people of the DRC. HIV/AIDS is present in the DRC with an estimated 1.1 million people infected with the virus. (In 2012 the prevalence was 4.9%.) The DRC government has shown growing interest in expanding HIV/AIDS services and improving the quality of services but lacks the necessary infrastructure and resources. Therefore, HIV/AIDS activities have recently resumed, but only to a limited extent. The DRC government favors prevention, care and advocacy activities that highlight community participation, human rights and ethics and the needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS. Project C.U.R.E. Clinics 8