tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193308642011-07-28T17:09:53.754ZCarine's newschicanoreply@blogger.comBlogger1801100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-4728362736510514692009-02-11T23:38:00.000Z2009-02-11T23:39:08.868Z

It makes perfect sense to me that before they can walk, babies should be taken everywhere, preferably carried in a sling, and allowed to observe their mother’s everyday activities, without becoming the focus of these activities. I think back to the babies I saw in Africa, strapped to their mother’s back, while she fetched water, tended her crops, went to the market, prepared food, washed clothes

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-31305106280672109982009-02-10T23:09:00.001Z2009-10-23T22:42:03.178Z

I started this blog as a means of keeping in touch with friends and family whilst in Kinshasa, so it came to a natural end when I moved back to London. Now it’s been almost a year since my last post, and in the meantime I’ve embarked on a whole new adventure: motherhood. I haven’t quite decided whether to resurrect Nayembi or leave her to rest. It’s a surprisingly time-consuming thing to keep

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-35337628964524836492008-03-13T13:46:00.002Z2008-03-13T13:49:06.814Z

It has become traditional, now, for all my end-of-posting return trips to have some nightmarish element to them.When I left Honduras in 2003, my flight to London was cancelled, and I had to hitch a ride back into town, sharing the back of a pick-up truck with the mariachi band F had hired to bid me an unforgettable goodbye. I missed my connecting flight to Nice and had to purchase a new ticket.

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-33872188652236006192008-02-15T10:48:00.002Z2008-02-15T11:02:09.306Z

On recommendation from a good friend of ours, F tried to book a table at this romantic and aptly named Valentine’s Day dinner venue. Photo by Vikky BullockUnfortunately, they were fully booked, so we sat at home and watched Supernanny Jo Frost bully a fiendish five year old into submission instead.P.S: For reasons too complicated to go into right now, we actually celebrate Valentine’s Day on 15

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-83626960397538719802008-02-13T21:46:00.001Z2008-02-15T11:13:35.594Z

What should this fact tell you: The Congo River drains more than 1.3 million square miles, and, over a mere 220 miles, it descends nearly a thousand feet..?Two things, I would suggest:1. There is no water shortage in the Congo, at least not in the vicinity of the river.2. There is no electricity shortage in the Congo, given the river’s incredible, unrivalled hydroelectric power.Wrong, and wrong

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-40976610924280234842008-02-11T19:04:00.000Z2008-02-11T19:07:58.540Z

Too much detail for most of you, but some may be interested in the latest instalment in the ongoing tripartite tug-of-war between the judiciary, the executive and the legislature.On Friday President Kabila announced out of the blue, seemingly without consulting anyone (except presumably the Minister of Justice), the immediate retirement of 92 magistrates (who were either over 65 or had been

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-49115775634234300572008-02-06T15:41:00.000Z2008-02-06T15:52:10.130Z

.If there is one thing I seem to report on over and over again, it is Kinshasa’s endless rumours and speculation.After the preposterous story of the impending British invasion, since Friday we have been assailed by rumours of a coup attempt, which then turned into rumours of the President’s death (no less). The failure of both Joseph and his wife Olive to attend last Sunday’s massive celebrations

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-77781201334380543092008-02-03T18:49:00.000Z2008-02-03T18:55:59.432Z

Just in case anyone thought that the Kivus hadn’t had more than their fair share of calamity, two earthquakes (of respectively 6.0 and 5.0 magnitude) hit Bukavu (and Rwanda) this morning..

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-67678935168702907312008-02-03T18:44:00.000Z2008-02-06T15:57:17.887Z

The peace agreement did get signed, on 24 January. Four days later came the first report of a ceasefire violation: CNDP (Nkunda’s people) accused PARECO and some Mai Mai groups of attacking and robbing villagers. Still, I don’t want to sound too cynical – the agreement surely represents a great opportunity, and I’m certain all those who were present at the Goma conference (starting with MONUC’s

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-65906623485992351172008-01-23T09:55:00.000Z2008-01-23T10:14:15.992Z

For more than two weeks, over 1300 participants representing the government, parliament, civil society, ethnic groups and rival armed factions have been talking in Goma. The outcome of these complex, seemingly interminable negotiations is an agreement, announced on Monday but yet to be fully agreed and signed, that is said to provide for an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of rebel troops from

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-7523004580639918482008-01-10T17:03:00.000Z2008-01-10T17:41:36.976Z

We’re back in Kinshasa, after a rather lazy holiday, for our final stint here. Yes, it’s official, this is D-day minus 51. On 1 March we will be leaving and heading back to London for a bit; you know, take stock, breathe deeply, recharge the batteries…So, as is wont to happen in these cases, I find myself noticing all the little things around me that make up this intense world we are

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-31211154249019865872007-12-20T20:49:00.000Z2007-12-20T20:56:18.812Z

.

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-56251821176792732007-12-19T19:11:00.000Z2007-12-20T08:59:39.039Z

My more faithful readers will recall a little incident involving a writhing maggot, my left bum cheek, Vaseline experiments and a badly infected abscess, all ending rather unhappily with a scalpel incision and a Christmas holiday spent changing dressings. Well, almost a year to the day, the Christmas worm came back (or, more likely, a cousin of his).Here is a picture of the fiend, after F.

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-89717049399351398592007-12-14T11:32:00.000Z2007-12-14T12:34:54.139Z

According to the radio this morning (RFI), the UN climate change conference in Bali isn’t really going anywhere. The hope was that by now (11.30 GMT), delegates would have mapped out a two-year process to agree a set of emissions cuts to replace the current Kyoto Protocol targets. The Times reports that “the proposal, supported by the EU and Brazil, would have set out in writing an ambition to

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-11169384251591112982007-12-13T14:39:00.000Z2007-12-13T15:02:38.963Z

The DRC is now firmly in the mainstream international press. This article in NY Times provides a good update of the ever-evolving situation in North Kivu.Following the early army successes, many people in North Kivu dared to hope that a swift victory was at hand and some were already preparing a victory march. Humanitarian workers feared for Tutsi civilians, in whose name General Nkunda claims to

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-55089033826723639072007-12-05T17:29:00.000Z2007-12-05T17:45:29.503Z

Unless you have privileged access to UN situation reports, it’s very difficult from Kinshasa to know how the situation is evolving in North Kivu. In my hunger for information, I started to read some of the blogs, such as this one from the rangers at Virunga National Park.I discovered that this really hasn’t been a good year for gorillas in Virunga:· In January, two gorillas were killed and eaten.

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-51687818639307391702007-12-05T17:26:00.000Z2007-12-05T17:28:38.946Z

The first day of fighting seemed to go Nkunda’s way, but since yesterday the tables have started to turn back in the government’s favour.While F. waited patiently in Masisi for a UN helicopter to take him to relative safety, I was privy to an hour-by-hour account of the slow but steady advance of the Congolese Army from Sake (30 km northwest of Goma) to Mushake (40 km from Goma, on the road to

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-3510475217557827822007-12-03T19:37:00.000Z2007-12-20T08:38:24.623Z

Last week I was temporarily distracted by London, where I went on a whirlwind visit to speak at a conference about the DRC. It’s the second consecutive year that I attend this conference and make a presentation on the DRC, and it’s the second year that I return home to turmoil. For now I will continue to focus my attention on ‘the troubled eastern province of North Kivu’, as it is regularly

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-44392334899440265812007-11-25T06:06:00.000Z2007-12-20T08:18:17.538Z

The talk over the last few weeks has been about the fighting in North Kivu (what marks the boundary between fighting and war?). The deadline set by President Kabila for General Nkunda to reintegrate his forces into the national army passed more than a month ago, and everyone expected a major army offensive. Then a series of unexpected events provided a small measure of skeptical hope:- the

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-7337503000439791722007-11-17T18:17:00.000Z2007-11-17T18:35:56.137Z

Soon it will be two years since I first arrived in Kinshasa.The first year and a half was a roller-coaster emotions and experiences. Since July, however, I seem to have reached some kind of neutral zone, a sort of gentleman's compromise, with Kinshasa: I will never love it, and it will never love me, but I have learned to appreciate the good bits and to live with certain reliably frustrating

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-72158103489755474542007-11-14T20:41:00.001Z2007-11-17T18:15:36.221Z

The main victim of our move to ‘the suburbs’ has been our tennis. So on Monday evening, full of good resolutions, we made our way to the nearby Cercle Portugais, a sports club that has seen better days, for our first game in almost 3 months. The lights were pretty rubbish, making for a bit of a blind game, but hey, we were having fun, it was all good.So we’re halfway through our first set, and

chicanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-57413628384833393222007-11-11T17:06:00.000Z2007-11-25T12:24:07.943Z

Cape Town was absolutely fabulous – I highly recommend it to anyone missing bookshops, live jazz, affordable meals, fantastic wine, walking through the streets unhassled, shopping, cinemas, decent newspapers, ice-cream, metered taxis, roads without potholes, art galleries, and pampering in general. Not to mention, of course, the ocean, whose scintillating blues kept us in awe for hours on end,

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-71196680482074837552007-11-02T11:23:00.001Z2007-11-02T11:24:13.337Z

Call me childish, but this recruitment ad made me laugh out loud.

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-25320058512373680052007-10-26T08:55:00.001Z2007-11-02T11:22:16.243Z

Last 36 hours of our holiday. I can't say we're particularly looking forward to going back to Kinshasa, but nor will we have to be dragged back. Two weeks is just about right.Hanging out in Observatory, aka Obz, the Brooklyn (or dare I say, Camberwell) of Cape Town. After the luxury and playing grown-up, we're back to our old backpacking ways, which means we get to crash in the bohemian, racially

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-81760266925673660622007-10-19T18:05:00.001Z2007-10-19T18:05:55.093Z

Over the past few days, my uncle and I have been exchanging e-mails trying to figure out which celebrity would be most likely – and successful – in taking the DRC under its wing and bringing it forward on the global radar. You know, mention that the war in DRC has killed most people since World War II, and hope that statistic sticks. Maybe even boost tourism, who knows?Our thoughts naturally

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-20394368947582152852007-10-19T16:24:00.000Z2007-10-19T18:05:11.081Z

Today we spent the day spotting whales.Yesterday, t'was the penguins.Small useless fact: The testicles of the right whale are the largest of any animal, each weighing around 500 kg (1,100 lbs).

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-55755439540811277512007-10-17T09:03:00.000Z2007-10-17T09:27:15.274Z

Yesterday, from the terrace of a beachside cafe where we were having lunch and cocktails at 3.30pm - so civilised - we saw on the horizon a whale leap clear into the air. Just like that.Oooh, I really like Cape Town - a mix of the Med and California, with a touch of New Orleans, a city nestled between amazing beaches and superb mountains, with funky shops, organic cafes, great jazz, and oozing

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-67004299939776842472007-10-15T11:53:00.000Z2007-10-15T12:00:30.145Z

Today is the deadline President Kabila gave dissident general Laurent Nkunda, the rebel leader based in North Kivu with an army of some 5,000 - 6,000, to reintegrate his forces into the national army. Nkunda says he will ignore the deadline. Kabila says he will attack. MONUC has a mandate to support the Congolese armed forces and will probably have to go in alongside them. Watch this space.

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-36964574990931286572007-10-13T11:15:00.000Z2007-10-13T12:36:20.645Z

...basking in capetonian luxury.F punched and growled his way out of Kinshasa, and I crawled and gnawed my way out. Only fellow Kinois expatriates can really understand.There was a minute yesterday morning when we thought that extra, desperate hour of work may have cost us our flight out, and we both knew that would really have been the straw that broke the camel's back.But here we are, and WOW!

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-81735939771508929392007-10-07T08:06:00.000Z2007-10-07T08:07:44.536Z

I got no less than five phone calls checking whether I had been obliterated by the airplane that crashed in Kinshasa on Thursday. The answer, clearly, is no. Yet another Antonov fell from the skies over DRC. That’s at least six since my arrival in November 2005, and another four had crashed just before I arrived, making a total of ten dead Antonovs in less than two years. Not bad!

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-77359098301876788182007-09-29T09:58:00.000Z2007-09-29T10:01:17.661Z

Dieudonné was one of Bemba’s guards. Unfortunately, Dieudonné was caught by the Republican Guard during the fighting in March and taken to some field to be executed. Fortunately, Dieudonné managed to escape, and after running through the fields, he eventually made it to the road, where he came across a man to whom he was able to tell his woes. Unfortunately, the man turned out to be a

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-65567965258400354622007-09-25T21:51:00.000Z2007-09-25T21:53:00.247Z

Catching up with what’s going on outside my little world. The big news about DRC appears to be the return of Ebola, which in 2005 killed 250 people in Kikwit and is now suspected to have killed some 180 people in Western Kasai, with a further 200 or so possible cases. Our friend from Reuters reports that people from the affected area no longer kiss each other or shake hands. Fair enough.

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-21919305385906804232007-09-23T17:04:00.001Z2007-09-23T18:30:44.558Z

Well, well, well.Needless to say, I have rather neglected Nayembi these last few weeks – well, months really. The sign of a fuller life? To some extent, perhaps. Really it’s the sign of an all-absorbing working day.I often used to indulge in blogging just after lunch, when my brain rebelled against work, and I could just about convince myself that there were still enough hours left in the day

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-49374680130114805132007-09-15T06:55:00.001Z2007-09-15T07:07:36.863Z

We're off to Zongo this week-end. Sneak preview:

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-80714884538882839502007-09-02T10:58:00.000Z2007-09-02T12:10:50.265Z

.

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-26495241878466831022007-08-28T21:29:00.000Z2007-09-23T17:10:00.278Z

Ten days later...

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-86007152739498124982007-08-18T23:30:00.001Z2007-08-18T23:32:55.256Z

Anyone who’s seen the Godfather knows that “a lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns.” We should have known better than to rent a house from a lawyer. Twenty months on, finding a decent, affordable house in Kinshasa has proven just as difficult as the first time. And combining house searching with starting a new project, transforming a dark, dusty corner of a

chicanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-27888947819092902682007-08-04T19:07:00.000Z2007-08-04T19:22:11.917Z

The talk in Kinshasa is about the prospect of war in the east, as soldiers, tanks and helicopter gunships are sent to North Kivu with a view, one supposes, to squashing the Tutsi rebel leader Laurent Nkunda. Peacekeepers glumly shake their heads, expatriates raise their eyebrows, while the Kinois shrug knowingly: “What do you expect, it’s the east.” The talk in the local press is about

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-53946294898964863272007-07-29T18:47:00.000Z2007-07-29T19:17:34.774Z

Well, next time is now: we’re back in Kinshasa, full of the energy and naïve excitement with which we always return. Coming back to Kinshasa after almost 3 months away feels a bit like crossing into a very similar but parallel universe – everything is remarkably familiar, yet disconcertingly different. For starters, we surrendered our house, in favour of a serviced studio-flat further removed

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-51224178860154075182007-04-25T08:06:00.000Z2007-04-25T09:45:19.761Z

Final stretch. I broke into a sprint a bit too early, so now I’ve got a stitch and a cramp, and I’m struggling against the urge to spend 24 hours in bed to make up for the many late nights and early starts. Less than a week to go, cheer me on! We haven’t even thought about packing up the house yet. Poor Kinshasa – I haven’t really given it much time or energy this year. Next time.Here are some

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-85980683261246918822007-04-20T08:58:00.000Z2007-04-20T09:18:00.308Z

.Here is a version of the meal we have been eating every lunchtime for 15 months. The choice is between overcooked rice and lentils, overcooked rice and beans, and potatoes accompanied by an anonymous, ochre, boiled-beyond-recognition vegetable mush. Maman Espe may be a heroine, but she is certainly no cook.It’s entirely our own fault, of course. When we first got here, we thought we’d indulge in

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-29700665875854684672007-04-13T17:02:00.000Z2007-04-14T07:52:33.422Z

Bloody power cut made me miss the day. But it’s still Friday the Thirteenth in Adak and Adamstown, so this one is for them.So how many of you claimed paraskavedekatriaphobia to skive off work yesterday? I would have, but I only discovered this astonishing word last night, courtesy of Your Dictionary.“It's been estimated that US$800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day because people

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-46037652401397852682007-04-11T10:13:00.000Z2007-04-11T10:42:17.009Z

A translation of the lyrics for Awa Y’okeyi, courtesy of Maman Espe:"And now you are gone.We cultivated a field,If you go away who will take care of what we have sown?You leave with my heart.In the world we are made two by two,If you go away who will take care of our child?Who will raise our child?My heart, you go away,Our flower of love,You abandon my heart,The flower of our love."From Bukavu

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-11652522567245461412007-04-08T19:27:00.000Z2007-04-08T19:28:03.236Z

Wednesday’s short concert merely whet our appetite, so yesterday we went to another Papa Wemba gig. More accurately, we crashed an invitation-only VIP event at which Papa Wemba was playing, to celebrate his new marketing contract with Bralima and the local beer Mützig – incongruously pronounced ‘Meetsing’ by the Congolese.So there we were, sitting centre-stage at a small plastic picnic table,

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-77771247510252372992007-04-05T12:42:00.000Z2007-04-05T14:02:59.593Z

Papa Wemba (real name Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba) is back in Kinshasa. It feels strangely circular since his was the very first concert we went to on arrival here 16 months ago. And now we think we may be leaving at the end of the month, packing our stuff and heading to London for a bit, although we reserve the right to return later in the year.So last night we went to see the King of

chicanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-78887705669366595922007-04-01T18:20:00.000Z2007-04-01T19:10:00.476Z

At some point in the 16th century, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar, as you do. Enter the Gregorian Calendar, introducing New Year's Day on 1 January – instead of 25 March or 1 April, depending on the source. The new calendar was adopted the same year in France. According to one popular explanation, those who didn't follow the new calendar were called fools and sent invitations to fake

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-15110499423864035732007-04-01T10:11:00.000Z2007-04-01T10:15:45.160Z

Yesterday we heard that Bemba was being flown to Portugal where he owns a house and where he will continue to receive medical treatment for his broken leg. He was not given asylum and would be there as a tourist, according to what the Portuguese Ambassador told Reuters. For those who haven’t been following, this is after Bemba’s private militia was routed following a two-day battle with the

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-72964872840063280782007-03-30T07:56:00.000Z2007-03-30T07:59:02.124Z

IF you can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on you,If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,Or being hated, don't give way to hating,And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-23317491489657968152007-03-26T17:19:00.001Z2007-03-26T21:21:46.312Z

As I drove around town today, I kept having to shake the feeling that the shooting had all been a particularly vivid nightmare. Everything looks remarkably the same. With a few notable exceptions, there is so little destruction, it’s almost eerie. People said the same thing after the fighting in August, sparking speculation that soldiers on both sides had shot in the air.The main difference with

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-13361659013948758582007-03-24T08:06:00.000Z2007-03-24T08:22:35.172Z

9am, all okay. No soldiers came to visit us during the night. It turns out last night was pretty quiet on the looting front. Of course we still jumped at every noise outside, convinced that someone was prowling around. After a few final bursts of heavy artillery near N’dolo Airport and the river at dawn, everything now seems to be over. The minivans and taxis are on the roads again, our

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-57294240598024487302007-03-23T19:45:00.000Z2007-03-23T19:56:53.718Z

For someone who claims she’s not really into this blogging business at all, I was remarkably pleased to find that Fred and I, along with a couple other addicted Kinshasa bloggers, made the headline on the Global Voices website.Fred and I are now posting from the most inconspicuous room at the back of the house, behind locked doors and windows, curtains drawn, lights out, AC off (pretty hot, yes),

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-53096038133910040722007-03-23T16:16:00.000Z2007-03-23T16:52:00.516Z

All is quiet. The last bursts of sporadic shooting are so distant that Fred optimistically questions whether they could be thunder. The first reports of friends escaping the office in which they spent the last 30 hours and making it home down the Boulevard have just come in. I am told the buildings still stand (except the Spanish Embassy); the main victims are the trees. Of course we don’t yet

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-38604654990520823012007-03-23T09:15:00.001Z2007-03-23T09:15:52.239Z

As I said, I slept surprisingly well in our little cocoon. Except when someone gave us a fright by knocking loudly at our window, then refusing to answer when Fred called out, "C'est qui?" I’d virtually forgotten about the event altogether, but just now when I ventured out to feed the kittens, I was informed by our heroic housekeeper that during the night a Republican Guard soldier came through

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-84208268808995785062007-03-23T07:47:00.000Z2007-03-23T09:20:25.874Z

The shooting and shelling continues, but it seems appreciatively remote and infrequent after yesterday’s close call. From time to time our police neighbours fire a round from the roof to keep their opponents at bay, but we hardly notice anymore. We can hear tanks firing from the Boulevard, so it must be pretty tense up there.The Spanish Embassy was hit, the Nigerian Ambassador is hurt, and a

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-25735368129300824222007-03-22T20:08:00.000Z2007-03-22T20:17:09.417Z

Yesterday I received an e-mail from a friend of mine living in Sri Lanka. He’s just been offered a job in Kinshasa and was asking whether it was safe. I wrote back saying that despite the occasional spark of tension, the security situation has been pretty stable on the whole, particularly since the elections. Famous last words.First sign of trouble today mid-morning: we witnessed people

chicanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-85230462153392367322007-02-21T17:14:00.000Z2007-02-21T17:20:01.787Z

I am aghast to find that I entirely missed the death of a much cherished compatriot, the Abbé Pierre. This man was probably one of the most famous and well-liked public figures in France; he was voted « personnalité préférée des Français » seventeen times, from 1989 to 2003. He was our Mother Teresa, in a way. At eighteen years old he relinquished all his worldly possessions and joined the

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-35512147268717841022007-02-19T09:35:00.000Z2007-02-19T10:06:25.872Z

Wow, the last two weeks have been just crazy. It’s always the same when a team of consultants is brought in: they have just a week or two to do everything, they have dozens of people to meet every day, and they are expected to come up with novel ideas that people on the ground doing the job day-in, day-out haven’t thought of. Of course, since the days are filled with meetings, we are expected to

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-27718387565663347262007-02-10T12:28:00.000Z2007-02-03T16:31:21.431Z

… à dormir debout !First Mama Cat was eaten by our neighbours the Police. Then, the exact same day (suspiciously) a large sofa was dropped on her orphaned kittens. Three sprang out of the way, but two screeched heartbreakingly and looked like they were maimed for life. Thankfully, just as I tearfully told the guards they would have to put them out of their misery, they hobbled away and have

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-44363827067573835772007-02-03T15:50:00.000Z2007-02-03T16:31:21.877Z

In May 2004 the Canadian punk band Sum 41 travelled to Bukavu to film a documentary about child soldiers and the impact of war on Congolese children. Now I’ve never heard of this band before, but I’m told they’re pretty famous. The lead singer, Deryck Whibley (aka Bizzy D), was dating and is now married to Avril Lavigne (whom I have heard about).Anyway, so this band of twenty-something year-old

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-89933919187846664472007-01-28T09:11:00.000Z2007-01-28T09:23:22.905Z

So this morning I wake up at 8am, rush out of bed, have a quick shower and start getting dressed for work. I’m already thinking about this new assignment I have to start today, and wondering if over the week-end I’ve been sent all the background documentation I’m supposed to read this week. Secretly, I’m hoping not since I haven’t quite finished the stuff I was supposed to do on my previous

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-38021779597147462352007-01-25T19:43:00.000Z2007-01-25T20:59:00.854Z

In the words of my friend Marc, “the softer the currency, the harder the toilet paper and the slower the Internet...”Back in Kinshasa, here are the promised pictures.

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-23563348987528602242007-01-23T12:52:00.000Z2007-01-23T13:04:37.769Z

Damn, you have to be REALLY motivated to post anything from here - this is taking me FOREVER!! The trials and tribulations of blogging from the middle of Africa, I suppose. I'll add the photos tomorrow, when I'm back in Kinshasa with a better connection. If you're reading this, I'm doing a little jubilatory dance in the hotel cybercafe!While I was busy making unreasonable New Year’s

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-51063416396356763852007-01-15T19:52:00.000Z2007-01-15T22:10:32.171Z

We’ve been back from Malawi since last week-end, but work took over almost instantaneously on return. As F put it so elegantly the other day, “Work, work, work, sleep, sleep, sleep, work, work, blaaaaaaghghghgh!!!” Still, we shouldn’t complain because Malawi was fun and restful and fresh and stimulating, if all too short as holidays invariably are.We were there for two weeks and enjoyed ourselves

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1166644400435007632006-12-20T19:47:00.000Z2006-12-20T19:53:20.450Z

Well, embarrassed as I am to admit it, it turns out I don't have a maggot living in my bum. And it turns out that this is definitely BAD NEWS. What I have is a very, very badly infected abscess, and in hindsight I can’t help but wonder what possessed me to write a post about my ailment in the first place. Having an unusual tropical disease is one thing to write home about, but when it turns

chicanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1166516110339136462006-12-19T07:58:00.000Z2006-12-19T08:28:26.643Z

Warning: This post is not for anyone with a weak stomach.Some of you may have read Fred’s recent post about a nightmare encounter with a slow, writhing maggot which had elected residence in his upper arm. He tried to elicit my sympathy and concern at the time, but I must admit that apart from suggesting a plethora of creams and lotions from my vast (but invariably expired) first aid kit, I wasn’t

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1166281358263857352006-12-16T14:11:00.000Z2006-12-16T15:02:41.666Z

Un peu d’humour pour alléger le ton.On dit que la langue française est compliquée, que dire de l'anglais...?"Trois sorcières regardent trois montres Swatch. Quelle sorcière regarde quelle montre Swatch?"Et maintenant en anglais:"Three witches watch three Swatch watches. Which witch watches which Swatch watch?"Maintenant pour les spécialistes :"Trois sorcières suédoises et transsexuelles regardent

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1166166497330163492006-12-15T06:34:00.001Z2006-12-15T07:08:17.350Z

.Rwandan children looking in, taken in February during a short visit from Goma

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1166134564081406002006-12-14T22:14:00.000Z2006-12-14T22:16:04.106Z

Yesterday evening I had an hour to spare before dinner with some friends, and I thought I’d do a quick post about a funny story that happened to us recently. A nice change from the focus of my recent posts about the news in DRC, something a bit more personal and cheerful, I thought. Ha!I then got distracted reading the news online, particularly an article discussing French involvement in the

chicanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1165490665015450362006-12-07T10:54:00.000Z2006-12-07T11:24:25.146Z

This morning, the Congolese woke up with a new, democratically-elected president, the country’s fourth ever president, but the first to be elected by universal suffrage. Yesterday was Joseph Kabila’s big day. Unfortunately, our personal invitation to his swearing in ceremony having most certainly been lost in the post, we missed the whole thing. We also failed dismally to watch any of it on

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1165335359324528082006-12-05T16:10:00.000Z2006-12-05T16:31:34.753Z

It appears that yesterday last year was my first ever post. Common practice amongst bloggers seems to be that on the one-year anniversary of their blog they celebrate by sharing their stats: average hits per day, number of posts written per week, number of comments received, favourite picture, favourite post, etc. This is on the basis of the, um, eight blogs I check regularly. Ahem.It says

chicanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1164905487860715122006-11-30T16:48:00.000Z2006-11-30T16:51:27.913Z

This morning I had to go to the Grand Hotel to pick something up, and low and behold, what was I greeted by if not the tacky, plastic, booty-shaking Santas of yesteryear full of their usual vigorous Christmas cheer and cacophonous song. I stopped in my tracks and grinned broadly at them. For a second there I felt bizarrely touched, as if the Santas had come out of their own accord to salute me

chicanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1164790639518484462006-11-29T08:54:00.000Z2006-11-29T08:57:19.530Z

« Au nom de l’intérêt supérieur de la Nation et dans le souci de préserver la paix et d’épargner au pays de sombrer dans le chaos et de la violence, je prends aujourd’hui devant Dieu, la nation et l’histoire, l’engagement et la responsabilité de conduire désormais, en communion permanente avec vous tous, ce combat pour le changement dans le cadre d’une opposition forte et républicaine »-- Jean

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1164656695670427082006-11-27T19:18:00.000Z2006-11-28T10:15:34.466Z

The Supreme Court just made it official: Joseph Kabila is declared the new president. All eight complaints filed by his challenger Jean-Pierre Bemba were declared unfounded. Unfortunately, Bemba's lawyers boycotted the court hearing. Who knows what that means. I'm feeling pretty optimistic, but maybe it's the distant buzz of the pro-Kabila party-goers that's getting to me.So yes, I made it back

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1164370678673430032006-11-24T12:09:00.000Z2006-11-24T12:24:35.020Z

I was flown in to London this week to participate in a conference about the pros and cons of scaling up aid: will a big influx of cash finally solve poverty in Africa? My session was about conflict and development, and one of the presentations was a bitter indictment of the ‘post-conflict reconstruction cycle’: conflict – heavy-handed international pressure – tenuous peace accord – big UN

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1163619681439259102006-11-15T19:29:00.000Z2006-11-15T20:01:46.870Z

. The provisional results are out: Kabila has won with 58.05% of the votes.« Ayant recueilli la majorité absolue au deuxième tour des élections présidentielles le 29 octobre 2006, est déclaré Président élu Kabila Kabange Joseph » announced the President of the Independent Electoral Commission.Meanwhile, Bemba’s television channel CCTV was showing the football.Photo from www.deboutcongolaisNow the

chicanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1163593486343699142006-11-15T11:41:00.000Z2006-11-15T12:27:43.110Z

Anxious calls from London drew my attention to this Guardian article: Congo faces danger of new civil war as opposition rejects election result.Apart from a rather sensationalist headline, it seems to confirm most of yesterday’s rumours, painting them in a bleak light. Yes, all the ingredients are there for sparks to fly, but somehow the naturally glum Congolese are displaying the most cheering

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1163542569345745642006-11-14T22:13:00.000Z2006-11-15T08:49:17.780Z

In pure ‘Radio Trottoir’ tradition, Kinshasa is buzzing with rumour tonight. Nothing is swifter than rumour, they say (Horace, apparently), but I think Kinshasa may hold a world record. I’d love it if someone could invent a ‘rumometer’ to measure and chart the amount of noise generated by rumours at any one time: word of mouth, phone conversations, text messages, e-mail traffic, blog posts... I

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1163265900301539162006-11-11T17:16:00.000Z2006-11-11T17:25:00.390Z

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Today at 11am, people in Europe and the USA commemorated the official end of the First World War, taking two minutes of silence to remember the eight million who died in this tragic war. Today at 11am, two loud blasts echoed up the hill towards our peaceful haven, confirming the reports we’d been receiving since the morning of gunfire

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1163073312958260782006-11-09T10:19:00.000Z2006-11-09T11:55:14.300Z

« I embrace emerging experience. I participate in discovery. I am a butterfly. I am not a butterfly collector. I want the experience of the butterfly. »-- William StaffordI'm trying to remember what it's like to be a child.

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1162917064307224332006-11-07T16:09:00.000Z2006-11-07T16:31:04.696Z

Privileged expatriates are often mocked for thinking that the views expressed by their drivers and household staff are representative of the views of the local working class. I don’t claim that the following represents anything other than the views of Mr T, therefore:Jean Pierre (Bemba) will win the election.If Jean Pierre doesn’t win, it will be because “les Blancs” want Joseph (Kabila) to

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1162749241078091772006-11-05T17:20:00.000Z2006-11-05T17:54:01.273Z

Few things make me feel more serene than sitting curled up in a comfy chair, reading a novel on a breezy terrace, preferably with a view, a gin & tonic nearby, some music and lively chatter in the distant background, and the quiet companionship of my husband.This week-end of indolent inactivity, ensconced with a highly entertaining and unexpectedly moving novel, the title of which I am too

chicanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1162573623805516392006-11-03T16:32:00.000Z2006-11-03T17:07:03.926Z

« Si vis pacem, para bellum. »If you want peace, prepare war.Who said that? Julius Caesar?It seems to be the motto here these days, or perhaps it’s simply that prevention is better than cure. All be it, it’s very strange living in this limbo, planning for conflict, wishing fervently for peace, and no one really knowing what the outcome will be.Incendiary material and fake documents are being

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1162379483551260722006-11-01T10:43:00.000Z2006-11-01T11:30:50.793Z

.I awoke this morning to the news that after ten years of unexpected popularity, Halloween is now disappearing in France. According to Le Monde, some supermarkets exhibited a handful of carved pumpkins to the general indifference of their customers, but none indulged in the lavish orange and black displays of Halloween paraphernalia of yesteryear. A friend of mine informs me that the association

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1162317690717243702006-10-31T16:47:00.000Z2006-10-31T18:01:30.950Z

Hurrah for a successful second round on Sunday. The world’s most expensive elections, somewhere between US$500-700 million, I am told. A logistical nightmare, but this time everyone knew the drill.In the remote district near Kisangani where I observed the elections, voters had learned their lesson from the last round. Instead of rushing to the polling centres at dawn, they went to church first,

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1161932645644817252006-10-27T07:01:00.000Z2006-10-27T07:04:05.656Z

Phew, I’m exhausted. And I don’t know where the last two weeks went. Time for Sunday to just happen already – the elections, for those of you who are blissfully unaware. Although I guess none of us will dare to feel the same euphoria we did the day after the last round, now that we’ve all been reminded the hard way that it’s the results that count, and the losing camp’s willingness to accept

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1160758015072962162006-10-13T16:38:00.000Z2006-10-13T16:46:55.110Z

This morning I woke up at dawn, put on my best lilac shirt and drove 50kms out of Kinshasa to go visit a police training centre where some 200 drivers were taking their off-road driving exam. To pass the test, each driver had to successfully drive 2.5 kms along the rough, battered, narrow, crevasse-filled, muddy 20 km circuit that runs around the centre. The instructors explained to me mournfully

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1160587357778282422006-10-11T16:57:00.000Z2006-10-11T17:22:37.953Z

Still struggling to find the time to post new entries, so here’s another few from the ‘best of Africa’ series, in the meantime. Work is pretty intense, in typical post-holiday, pre-election fashion, but the disappearance of all free time is also due to a new, strict and highly enjoyable sports regime. My aerobics instructor is back, with a delightful mix of girls-only classes with little in

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1160066245734084782006-10-05T16:37:00.000Z2006-10-31T16:22:46.243Z

Here is an exact transcript (spelling mistakes and all) of a notice posted inside the ladies’ toilet in a building where I had a meeting today. It was a print-out of an e-mail that appears to have been sent to everyone in the firm, from senior partner to messenger. I laughed so hard I couldn’t pee.« Chers camarades,Nous avons remarqué, avec désolation, le non respect des normes de propreté dans

chicanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1159963180049827722006-10-04T11:36:00.000Z2006-10-04T11:59:40.216Z

Predictably, this week is crazily busy. So until I find the time to post some news, here is a little selection of my favourite pictures from Africa – not, unfortunately, by me. This one is meant to be from Uganda, but could so easily be DRC.

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1159810473543887132006-10-02T17:20:00.000Z2006-10-02T17:34:34.083Z

"Working hours are never long enough. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vocation."-- Winston ChurchillThis is why I will never be Prime Minister. I LOVED my holiday, and have come back feeling so much happier with life and the Congo that I spent most of today skipping around in childish merriment.

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1158397851808784052006-09-16T09:04:00.000Z2006-09-16T09:10:51.816Z

The Supreme Court has given the Independent Electoral Commission an extension of 50 days starting today, i.e. up to 4 November, to organise the second round of the presidential elections. This on the grounds that it was not logistically or materially possible to organise the second round in 15 days as per the Constitution. Phew.

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1158254853919249412006-09-14T17:24:00.000Z2006-09-14T17:27:33.943Z

The good news is that Bemba and Kabila finally met face to face yesterday. We had our share of VIPs visiting Kinshasa over the past week – Thabo Mbeki, Javier Solana and, um, Hilary Benn – and I guess international diplomacy won the day. Top of the agenda for the presidential candidates’ meeting: the diplomats’ proposal that all soldiers, except those helping the UN peacekeepers in the east

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1158254390744001782006-09-14T11:05:00.000Z2006-09-14T17:19:50.910Z

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1158142097745907152006-09-13T09:34:00.000Z2006-09-13T10:08:17.796Z

I’m back from my road trip across Bas Congo. Five days, 1 400 kms, 4 districts, 10 territories, lots of red dust, countless towns, street-side market stalls, faces peering suspiciously through the window, children yelling and waving, old mamas walking along the side of the road doubled over under the weight of mammoth piles of wood hanging down their backs from bags slung across their foreheads,

chicanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1157708429405105932006-09-08T09:05:00.000Z2006-09-08T09:40:29.453Z

As I wait for my colleagues to show up so we can head off to Bas Congo for 4 days – departure time was meant to be almost two hours ago, but I am calm, putting in practice my new Zen resolutions of yesterday – I find myself reading more news from India.An odd quirk of this quirky country is that the national newspapers publish pictures of dead people whom the police cannot identify. So here you

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1157654964407912822006-09-07T18:19:00.000Z2006-09-07T18:55:09.296Z

.The latest restaurant in Mumbai is called Hitler's Cross. It was promoted with posters of Hitler and red swastikas. The owners said they wanted their restaurant to stand out. They ended up in the newspaper, and now they're on my blog so I guess their strategy worked.Apparently they backed down in the end, though, and changed the name..

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1157637573346548772006-09-07T13:38:00.000Z2006-09-07T13:59:34.266Z

So I hear that Bemba’s soldiers captured an armed Republican Guard soldier outside their camp yesterday evening. Foolish man. Audacious, dangerous. The Republican Guard soldier was promptly taken inside the camp and beaten up. Unhelpful.For ten days now the two presidential candidates have been under UN mediation; each side has set up commissions of inquiry into the 20-22 August fighting. The

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1157309986618675672006-09-03T18:40:00.000Z2006-09-03T18:59:46.636Z

Introducing our adorable compound squatters. When we first moved in, the mother had five kittens; four were given away, one remained. Six months later, in July, Mama had another two kittens. Then, almost immediately afterwards, her underage daughter (from the first litter) had two of her own. We came back from holidays to find these two tiny gremlins lurking in the bushes. Most of the time

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1157015209854135102006-08-31T09:04:00.000Z2006-08-31T09:06:49.883Z

Our housekeeper’s five-year-old daughter was almost raped last week. She and her siblings used to go to some neighbour’s house to watch television, since they don’t own one. One evening the little girl went alone while the rest of her family went to church. I guess the neighbour didn’t go to church either, and his intentions were clearly not saintly. Thankfully, his four-year-old son walked

chicanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19330864.post-1156873009338650462006-08-29T17:24:00.000Z2006-08-29T17:38:56.896Z

So what would you include in the box if you were told to pack four days' worth of food that doesn't need cooking?

chicanoreply@blogger.com0