I do not know Africa well…or better “at all” since my knowledge is limited to 2 weeks in Lomé, Togo and a few days in Morocco which does not count. Spending the last week here in Kinshasa, listening to Congolese music, talking to people waiting in line to open their bank account, getting used to the continuous smell of mosquito spray surrounding me (ok, people who live here longer, will probably not use that stuff at some point…), learning a few words in the local language Lingala, and hearing people yell “mundele” (“white” in Lingala) when I step on the street, is interesting, fun, and something very new to me.
There are a few things which especially caught my eye:
— I was first surprised why the loan officer I was working was always talking with his dad on the phone. Until I found out that these were credit clients he was reminding of their payments, or asking them to come to the branch to sign their contracts.
— They wear suits, funky jeans, huge stylish sun glasses, big necklaces, and love dancing in front of mirrors watching themselves. This afternoon I even had a client adviser at a local bank looking into the mirror behind me while explaining me their account opening conditions.
— Congolese culinary offer Fufu, “pondu” (cooked spinach), fish (either grilled or in salt lake), fried plantains, grilled chicken, manioc paste in banana leaves, and a few other specialities. Many of it is eaten by hand. You can also stop one of the ladies carrying around 100 baguettes on their head to get a mid-morning snack. For CF100 (560 Congolese Francs = 1US) you will get a feet-long baguette either with butter, peanut butter or both.
— Music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
— There is a lot of pollution either from cars or trash. The continuous smell of exhaust fumes is sometimes breathtaking. Cars used here are old and without filters and on every light surface your finger will leave a mark when wiping off the smut. We also visited some neighbourhoods in which the whole street seems to be not paved, nor out of gravel, but just pure trash.
— Taking pictures is absolutely forbidden.
— From March to September, Kinshasa is in “season seche” compared to its rainy season the rest of the year. I found the climate extremely comfortable with around 28°C (82F) during the day, 21°C (70F) at night, and not much humidity. But the Congolese are cold, wear turtlenecks, and jackets.
