One of my hobbies is travelling. But strange as it may sound I hate travelling. Hate it in the sense that traveling is tiring depending on the mode of transport and time that you travel. And there are the border formalities and so on. But I like travel when you have finally reached your destination. In early October I traveled to Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The purpose of the trip was to see the famous city of Lubumbashi and get a feel of what is found in the city. Before I proceed some quick facts about Congo for some of you that have never done Geography or don’t know much about this vast nation. Congo has a population of 66 million (UN, 2009). It is the nineteenth most populous nation in the world, and the fourth most populous nation in Africa, as well as the most populous country where French is an official language. It is the third largest country (by area) in Africa. The capital is Kinshasa. Congo has an area of 2.34 million sq km. The major languages spoken are French, Lingala, Kiswahili, Kikongo and Tshiluba. The major religions are Christianity and Islam. Life expectancy is at 46 years (men) and 49 years (women) (UN). The monetary unit: 1 Congolese franc = 100 centimes with an exchange rate of 855 CDF to 1 US $. The main exports are diamonds, copper, coffee, cobalt and crude oil. Congo has a GNI per capita: US $150 (World Bank, 2008).
Central Bank of Congo
Lubumbashi (formerly French: Élisabethville is the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), second only to the nation's capital Kinshasa, and the hub of the southeastern part of the country. The copper-mining city serves as the capital of the relatively prosperous Katanga Province, lying near the Zambian border. Population is at an estimate of 1.2 million. Lubumbashi serves as an important commercial and national industrial center. Manufactures include textiles, food products and beverages, printing, bricks, and copper smelting. Attractions in the city include a botanical garden, a zoo, a brewery, and the regional archaeological and ethnological National Museum of Lubumbashi. The city also hosts the major University of Lubumbashi, which maintains a library. I travelled to Lubumbashi via the Kasumbalesa border post from Chililabombwe where I was staying. Lubumbashi is 110 km from Chililabombwe. I traveled by taxi from Kasumbalesa to Lubumbashi. The fare was 6000 Conglose Francs (ZMK 30000). We passed through a toll gate as we left Kasumbalesa just as we passed through one as we entered Lubumbashi. The drive was good on a very well tarred road. Along the way I saw clearly labeled villages and townships. The drive to Lubumbashi took 1 hour. As you enter the city you cannot miss seeing a mine. Lubumbashi is in Katanga province, rich in minerals.
In Lubumbashi, I was taken on a short tour of the city by Bybo from Congo. I visited University of Lubumbashi. The university was founded in 1981 but has origins from 1955. Prior to operating independently, it functioned as the Université Nationale du Zaïre, Campus de Lubumbashi (National University of Zaire, Lubumbashi Campus translated from French). It is a large university with well over 1000 students in the School of Law alone! It does need some rehabilitation just like other buildings like the courts. Lubumbashi is a large city. It has impressive buildings with a French touch. I also saw the City Mayoral Offices and the shopping centre.
Congo River
I was in Lubumbashi for about 2 hours. I was impressed by the ongoing construction of buildings and roads. I was also impressed by the busy nature of the city. The city offers a big market for agricultural products and carpentry products from Zambia and neighbouring nations. There is need for entrepreneurs to exploit this market. Payment for goods is normally made in US dollars. This is a city I’d love to visit again for a longer period and do business with. I would also love to visit Luanda in Angola, to complete my visit of the eight neighbours of Zambia. Preferably during the African Cup of Nations, but that’s another story!
Comments
The influence of french culture is also evident, it is the home of music and entertainment in a way that causes them to shut off all their suffering. The myth about there being more thieves across the border is also dispelled with a visit. Corruption is at much higher levels than we know it because of broken down government systems. If you think Zambia is geographically vast, Congo gives you an impression of what vast truely means, rich in minerals and natural resources, has hug challenges of basic infrastructure ie roads. It has also suffered from civil wars for the last 40 yrs! When I crossed the border for the first time the first thought that hit me was thank God I was born on the other side of the border! If you ask me I would still love to visit Lumbumbashi.
Richard