Democratic Republic of Congo

          As I was searching for worlds richest country, I came across the worlds poorest. The Democratic Republic of Congo " has become the poorest country in the world as of 2010" and the GDP per Capita: $348" (The Richest).  As I was watching a documentary on Congo, the Congolese believe that the country has gotten worse because of foreigners that has settled in Congo. Congo is located in central Africa and the first Foreigners to invade Congo was Belgium in 1908. Troops from Belgian started killing animals for their ivory but Congo gained its independence in 1960. After this "Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 and changed the countries name to Zaire" (Central Intelligence). Mobutu remained president for 32 years through " sham election and brutal force" (Central Intelligence). "Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo." (Central Intelligence).
          All of the civil wars and fighting has led to a country that is poor and scared of its own people. Rebels now terrorize the forests fighting foreigners like the Rwanda Tutsis. Rebels control the mineral mines like Coltan, which is used in every electronic device. In a different documentary, Congo rebel soldiers explain why they rape women. They say " we rape them because of our belief in the magic potion that will save Congo." Congo has many problems in the country but the people still try to stay happy, by living by the Congolese culture.

          While searching through different sites on Congo, I mostly found negative ones about the war. The Congolese culture was rarely written about but on friendsofthecongo.org, I found some interesting facts. Congo is the "largest  country in the world that has French as an official language" (The Richest). "In addition to French, Congo has also four national languages – Kikongo, Lingala, Swahili, and Tshiluba, which can be considered as the regional lingua francas." Also, "the majority of the Congolese population are Christians, comprising 46-48% Roman Catholics, and 26-28% Protestants"( Congolese).
         Lastly, the "Congolese fashion revolves around the colorful print fabrics called “pagne”. The cloth, made in bolts two yards wide" (Congolese). The clothing is light because of the hot temperature in Congo. The wide variety of colored cloth makes the dresses look beautiful on the Congolese women.

           After all my research on Congo, I became fascinated by it. From the heinous wars and rebels to the beautiful land, it is safe to say Congo is a very misunderstood place. I still have many questions myself on the Democratic Republic of Congo but I can understand why Congo would want to isolate itself from the world.

References

"20 Poorest Countries In The World." Celebrity Net worth Richest People in the World 20 Poorest Countries In The World Comments. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.

"Central Intelligence Agency." CIA. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.

"Congolese Culture." Friends of The Congo. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.
 

Documentary Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYqrflGpTRE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbZIK9Ce0yM