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A deep sigh | |
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-half april-
back in kinshasa i have to spend the night in darkness, my electricity has been cut and mushrooms grow in my fridge.
sometimes i feel like being in a slow-motion movie here; some people here move so slowly- it must have something to do with the temperature.
since i arrived two months ago, the different parties to the conflict in congo have been meeting in south africa to discuss a power sharing agreement to end the war that for years has crippled the country. expectations have been really high here, but again no agreement has been reached. first they did not want to start talking before all possible groups were represented at the table, and now at the end the government and one of the rebel groups has signed a deal after private discussions in hotel rooms- they agreed who will get what position; how they will deal with the many problems of this country seemed far less important.
how much longer will the congolese accept leaders like this? these people have in more than 40 years of independence never been allowed to elect their leaders, and still international aid is flowing in, yes to fight poverty etc, while those so-called politicians stay in power without showing any concern for their people. zimbabwe's president, a good friend of the congolese government, is punished with sanctions for rigging the elections. why can the congolese leaders get away with all this?
Tom Tobback © 2002
