Some highlights of the cities or villages you will pass on the way:
KINSHASA
Kinshasa, the capital of the D.R.Congo, used to be referred to as "Kin La Belle" - meaning "Beautiful Kinshasa".
The many years of turmoil have broken down on this image. But slowly and surely, Kinshasa is regaining its splendour. Some
of the major sites include the "Grand Marché", the tomb of former President Laurent Kabila, the "Academie des Beaux Arts"
for those who like african art, the rapids of Kinsuka just downstream from the city and the Bonobo Reserve, a sanctuary for
orphaned bonobo-monkeys, one of the five Great Apes, and the closest to mankind.
KINKOLE: The port of
departure.
Kinkolé is a small fishing port, some 40 kilometres from downtown Kinshasa. With its lively fish-market, it attracts
a lot of "Kinois" during the weekend for a bit of fresh air. But there is more to this little fishermen's village than meets
the eye. It has also been the scene of major political demonstrations. It was here that the birth of the national currency
unit, the Zaire, was announced, in 1967, and that the MPR (Popular Revolutionary Movement) was launched (The political party
of the former President Mobutu Sese Seko).
MBANDAKA
Mbandaka, the capital of the Equator province, lies on the equator. A marker on the Av. Bolenge symbolizes the
line of the equator that passes through the city. The former President Mobutu Sese Seko attended school here. Mbandaka is
one of the main river ports. The region of Mbandaka is the home of the Batswa Pygmies.
LISALA
Lisala is the home town of the former President Mobutu Sese Seko. He was born here in a small municipal maternity
clinic. A broad trunked tree - a "Libanga" - commemorates this event with a plaque: "This tree commemorates the birth of the
Father of the Zairian Revolution, Mobutu Sese Seko, born on 14 October 1930."
BUMBA
In Bumba, the Congo river broadens out to its widest part, some 20 kilometres across. The river is covered with
water hyacinths and practically paved with innumerable islands, through and around which the fishermen's pirogues ply. The
water hyacinth is thought to have been introduced into Congo in 1960 by a South-American Missionary who brought seedlings
of this flower in his luggage. It proliferated so wildly that the missionary tossed a few excess plants into the river.
This
innocent gesture has produced incalculable results, since the river hyacinths have become a real hazard to navigation. The
region of Bumba is also the home of the Bafoto Pygmies.
KISANGANI
The end of our journey. Kisangani was founded by Sr Henry Morton Stanley in January 1877. Memorable sites include
the Tshopo River Falls and the Wagenia fisheries, set up in the midst of river rapids. Fishing is carried on by means of a
complex structure set among the rocks. Lianas attached to cross poles act as stretchers for the nets submerged in the foaming
water. The fishermen go about their business in pirogues, plying among rapids and rocks. Their agility and daredevil boldness
are an unfailing source of amazement.
