Savannah Grace

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Photo Essay

DRC was an intense experience, one I was grateful to be in a convoy of three trucks and twelve people rather than our usual method of backpacking on local transit. A place covered in barbed wire fences, police and strict “no photo” rules through out the country. The border crossing from Congo into DRC was a true nightmare out of a horror film with officials physically beating and whipping innocent locals as they ran with surrendering hands flung above their heads to show submission. A real tragedy to see such beautiful people controlled in such a ruthless way. We were only on a few day transit visa, so once we reached Matadi, we quickly obtained our Angola visa (a miracle!) and continued on our quest to circumnavigate Africa!

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Crossing the Congo River into DRC from Congo

Crossing the Congo River into DRC from Congo

The world loves football (soccer). Kinshasa

Everyone in the world loves to play football.

Kinshasa is the capital city of DRC.

Kinshasa is the capital city of DRC. with a population of over 11 million people.

A small church in Kinshasa.

A small church in Kinshasa.

Urban life in DRC.

Urban life in DRC.

turned over car, Kinshasa

I think this one has been here a long time. Kinshasa

Village life is much cleaner than the big cities.

Village life is much cleaner than the big cities.

Small town life in DRC

Small town life in DRC

Beautiful scenery on the open paved roads.

Beautiful scenery on the open paved roads.

The villages are always so friendly and clean.

The villages are always so friendly and clean.

Bree shopping for bananas in the city of Matadi

Bree shopping for bananas in the city of Matadi.

 typical baby carrier

This is a typical baby carrier. Love the matching dress.

Market day in Matadi

Market day in Matadi

 

Window shopping as we drive through DRC.

Window shopping as we drive through DRC.

There was a nice selection of fruits and vegetables in DRC.

There was a nice selection of fruits and vegetables in DRC.

A large portion of the roads weren't paved throughout DRC

A large portion of the roads weren’t paved throughout DRC.

Beautiful countryside

Beautiful countryside to see as we drove through the country.

DRC is french speaking.

DRC is french speaking.

broken down vehicles and flat tire

This is a common scene of broken down vehicles and flat tires. We also had our share of troubles

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Ride on top for air conditioning ;)

Ride on top for air conditioning 😉

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 private school in Matadi

We stayed the night at this little private school in Matadi

Beautiful children of Matadi

Beautiful children of Matadi

Market in Matadi

Market in Matadi

At every stop we draw a crowd.

At every stop we draw a crowd.

The man with the monkey story!

The man with the monkey story! (we tried to save the monkey)

Stay tuned for more #FridayFotos. Next week is CUBA.

View more photos of DRC  here.

For more of my travel photography, find me on Instagram. See you there!

Savannah Grace

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