Historical Excursion

On Friday the African Studies teacher, Ann Clemmer, volunteered to take a group of teachers to the bottom of the hill (literally 1 km from TASOK) and visit a large fenced in complex that used to contain Mobutu's home, a zoo, cemetery and museums. This may not seem like a difficult task but nothing in DRC is easy. A letter had to be written to some official asking that we be allowed to visit the grounds and the letter once approved had to have the appropriate stamps and signatures. When the bus pulled up to the gate we were inspected by armed guards and questioned about our trip.

The grounds were once home to a well kept zoo for Mobutu until the late 1990s when anti-Mobutu rebels slaughtered and ate the zoo animals during the war as well as pillaged the grounds. Empty cages dot the grounds as a reminder that this was once home to the famed okapi and other indigenous DRC animals. A cemetery sits on the side of a steep hill with many crosses missing from a looting of the graves as recently as in the last several years. The guide motioned that just up this hill is where the infamous statue of Henry Morton Stanley stood looking out over Kinshasa, the mighty Congo River and Brazzaville. Alas, our letter did not ask permission to walk up that hill so we were denied the view Stanley once held. However, amidst some ramshackle buildings that look like large sheds (the museums) laid Stanley in two pieces removed from his hold during the pillaging and removal of anything colonial in Kinshasa. After a major photo shoot with the "resting" Stanley, we were allowed to enter the everyday objects and music museums. The large rooms were dark (the power was off), dusty, and crowded with objects that weren't labeled nor cared for in any fashion. Our guide breezed through the aisles plucking random objects from the shelves and describing their use.

The whole trip helped illuminate a glimpse into a fascinating history of a war torn country still struggling to simply survive. The more I learn about DRC the more complicated hope for a revival and renewal seem. I read a book recently entitled "Blood River" by Tim Butcher. The story is Tim's journey through the DRC following Stanley's route in 2004. This book has also helped me understand a bit more of Congo's complex history and why the country is spinning backwards in time. I would recommend you check it out if you have any interest in DRC.