THE DRC's Troubled Path: Navigating War and Corruption
since its Independence to the Traditions and Linguistics
INTRODUCTION
In the heart of Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo captivates us with rich traditions,
ethnic groups, and a historical journey that mirrors the country’s identity. Its cultural landscape
is a harmony of diversity, woven together by over 200 ethnic groups, each with its own unique
dialects, customs, and belief systems. As we embark on this journey, we'll unravel the stories
of these dynamic cultures, where vibrant traditions breathe life, where music and dance are
an integral part of existence. In this land, the very essence of identity is language, and it serves
as a reflection of history and heritage. In line with this, we’ll look into its linguistic richness,
uncovering the stories embedded in its dialects.
As we delve into the depths of the Congo, we find that its history has been marred by a
narrative of war and corruption. Decades of conflict, both internal and external, have reshaped
its political landscape and impacted the lives of its citizens. The exploitation of its abundant
natural resources has fueled power struggles and international interests, leading to a
challenging path towards political stability. These challenges have not only shaped the nation's
trajectory but have also tested the resolve of its people, who continue to strive for stability,
peace, and progress against the odds. As we examine the complex intersection of war and
politics, we also explore other challenges faced by a nation striving for lasting peace and
meaningful change.
In the following pages, we would embark on a journey through the heart of the Democratic
Republic of Congo. We will explore the vivid tapestry of its cultures, unearth the secrets of its
anthropological treasures, and shed light on the challenges posed by war and corruption. We
will unveil stories of courage, innovation, and unyielding hope, revealing how the Congolese
people navigate the troubled path that leads from a tumultuous past to a future guided by their
rich cultural heritage and linguistic diversity.
BODY
I.
History
The country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo or in short “DRC” can be found in the
center of Africa. The former name of DRC was zaire, it encircles all of the Congo River Basin.
The Basin comprises 33.33% of the rainforests of Africa which has a variety of species of living
things. The Basin also consists of many valuable resources such as the deposits of diamonds
and coltan. With this Congo has gone through the hardships of colonialism, dictatorships, and
violence caused by the rebellious groups and neighboring countries. (Greenwood, 2002)
The second largest country in Africa, DRC, has been in ongoing conflicts for many years.
Millions of children and adults face so many societal issues to name a few; they are dealing
with poverty, violence, trauma, and displaced communities. Below is the timeline of the DRC’s
history, which shows the country’s difficulties.
HISTORY OF DRC
1960-1965 (Independence)
- The country has finally achieved independence from Belgium and becomes the
Republic of Congo. However, the first prime minister Lumumba was murdered.
1965-1990 (Corruption)
- Mobutu Joseph rises to power and renames the country to Zaire. He was known for
corruption which increased the struggle of the economic crisis of the country.
1994 (Genocide)
- In 1994 it was known for the monstrous Rwandan Genocide of the ethnic cleansing of
Hutus in Rwanda. Which forced 1 million Hutus to flee and migrate to the east of DRC.
1996-1997 (War for Peace)
- The first war happened in this period, Rwanda gas captured eastern Zaire, which was
teamed up with anti-Mobutu rebels that came from Uganda. They finally stopped the
reign of President Mobutu, and Zaire was finally and
officially renamed as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
( Peace Treaties)
2002-2003
- Congo and Rwanda signed a peace treaty. Furthermore, Uganda and Congo signed a
peace accord regarding the eradication of Ugandan soldiers.
2008-2018
- Another term for presidency was granted to Kabila. The conflicts of the country forces
millions of people to evacuate their homes. So to end the conflict 11 countries signed
a peace treaty.
2019
-
11 countries in Africa signed another agreement to eradicate conflict across Africa.
The armed forces were crushed, but during this time it still has the highest number of
displaced people with an increase in violence.
(History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, n.d.)
The history of the Democratic Republic of Congo is full of tragedies as it faces many societal
issues. People being oppressed, displaced, and killed. It faced war, dictatorship, genocides,
and also an economic crisis. Therefore, the DRC cannot really develop and evolve into a
stable self-sufficient country.
The history of what the country of DRC has gone through shows us written records of the past
of the country. Furthermore, it discusses the human actions that happened during the time.
We discussed the political science behind the country, through a brief overview of how the
government was like in the history of the DRC. It showed us how corrupt some presidents
were and how they are incapable of solving societal issues. Yes, there were peace treaties
signed but violence is still a huge factor until today. Lastly we can see that cultural
anthropology is somewhat involved since people's lives are always changing. Families were
displaced, people migrated to different places due to the violence caused by the wars and
rebellious groups.
II.
Issues/Politics
The country’s abundance of manpower and natural resources are plentiful but due to the war’s
continuously happening, they have been used to fuel the war effort in the Congo such as mass
conscription to armies and the production of weapons of warfare against opposing forces of
the government’s army. Similarly, it is one of the world’s largest reserves of metals and rare
earth materials that are used in the production of advanced electronics, since the world is
reliant on these resources to produce their products, multinational companies and private
military companies have increasingly gotten themselves involved in the conflict in DRC. In
relation, U.S companies used to own many cobalt mines in the Congo, but now they are sold
to the Chinese since the Barack Obama and Donald Trump administrations. Now Chinese
companies are deploying DRC’s army to protect their assets from rebels and armed groups.
On the other hand, Congolese mines have used child labour and other illegal practices,
allegedly including those owned by Chinese companies.
The weak governance of its government results in a widespread of armed groups roaming
around the country which has lead to massive human rights violations, such as rape, extreme
poverty, and genocides. Furthermore, the country has undergone political repression and
instability from its government since the 1990’s, after gaining independence in 1960. Therefore
the conflict continues to destroy agricultural activities which further limits the access of the
people to food and many children experienced malnutrition. In addition, many schools have
been damaged and destroyed because of the conflict which makes it unsafe for children who
need to go to school while living in the middle of a conflict zone. Ultimately, millions of children
are displaced from their homes and families which increases their vulnerability in experiencing
child labor, sexual abuse, and trafficking.
The war caused shelling of historical infrastructures, looting of ornaments, and the
inaccessibility of the people to their religious beliefs. An example would be the Stella of Matara,
a 2,500 year-old sculpture which has toppled due to the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Mosques, Mausoleums, and Sufi tombs which were buildings in Africa that are dated back
since the 15th century have been destroyed by rebel Islamist groups that took over Timbuktu.
Adding more, the Sacred forests were ruined by civilians who used it to seek refuge from the
war and active combatants who have also used it to hide from government troops. The ancient
manuscripts and invaluable artifacts have been targeted by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops, and
due to the lack of knowledge of certain artifacts the people of Africa have led to them being
mistakenly used as firewood. Museums in Sierra Leone and the Oron Museum have been
affected by the war, which has destroyed artifacts by gunfire, while the rest have been
destroyed from natural disasters because of the damage caused by the war to the
infrastructure of the museum which has led to the exposure of fragile artifacts.
With the corrupt government and its effects on the people of the DRC, we can say that the
politics involved in the country still needs a lot of improvement. The people need to have a
leader that can help them from their problems. As the main effect of having a corrupt
government can make people not trust their own system. The result of having a corrupt
government is people getting their human rights taken away from them. Moreover, social
imagination can be seen because not only an individual’s life is being destroyed here, but also
the heritage of the country, the society’s historical infrastructure, artifacts, and forests are
devastated because of the violence caused by humans. An individual’s culture may be
destroyed due to the atrocious events that happened to the society.
III.
Lifestyle/Religion/Traditions/Beliefs/Values
Lifestyle
The majority of people reside in rural areas, often in small villages and farming communities.
Their traditional housing units are made of mud, straw, and bamboo, and they heavily rely on
walking, bicycles, motorcycles, and traditional transportation such as canoes or small boats.
In order to support their families and communities, they observe subsistence farming, which
serves as their main source of revenue. During the time of communism, educated individuals
had jobs and higher incomes than rural individuals, but few accumulated personal wealth due
to local social customs. Due to this, children in these communities lacked access to highquality education which restricts them from contributing for the betterment of their society.
Religion
The most widely practiced religion in the country is Christianity which significantly influenced
traditional African religious beliefs, including a supreme deity, ancestral strength, natural
spirits, and sorcery's efficacy. Roman Catholicism accounts for one-third of the country's
Christians, while the Protestant community includes members of the Evangelical Church of
the Congo. There are also independent African churches; the Kimbanguist Church, the largest
independent church in Africa, is a member of the World Council of Churches. Furthermore,
majority of Africans adhere to indigenous religions or are Muslims, with Hindus and Muslims
making up the majority of the immigrant population. (Cordell, 2023)
Culture (/Beliefs/Values/Practices)
Congolese traditional rites and beliefs are based on one supreme god with lesser and
subordinate gods, or spirits and ancestors. The lesser spiritual beings serve as a link between
the living and the dead. One of their beliefs is that the amount of respect a person receives
depends on the quality of their clothes since materialism was introduced through colonialism.
For this reason, most Congolese citizens wear clothes that are clean, colorful, and crisp. In
addition, regardless of age, greetings are a crucial part and inquiring about each other’s health
before moving on to other topics is important.
Congolese culture is renowned for its vibrant music and dance, often accompanied by live
music, including drums, xylophones, and other instruments. Traditional crafts like sculptures,
masks, pottery, and textiles are produced by Congolese artisans, reflecting the cultural
heritage and stories of different ethnic groups. Some of the main handicrafts include pottery,
basketry, raffia, and wood carving and at least fifty different styles of sculpture are related to
the tribes. (Friends of the Congo, 2022)
The cultural and religious practices of the people in the DRC are influenced by a variety of
ethnic groups and belief systems. Some of their prominent cultural and religious practices
include the rite of passage, oral tradition, and indigenous beliefs. First, rites of passage from
birth to death are significant life events which involve specific ceremonies, rituals, and cultural
practices that vary among ethnic groups. Next, elders pass down knowledge, myths, and
legends through oral narratives, preserving the cultural heritage of their communities. Lastly,
most of them integrate elements of indigenous or traditional belief systems into their religious
practices which may include animistic rituals, ancestral worship, and reverence for natural
elements like trees and rivers.
Several anthropological concepts can be applied with the main points mentioned above, some
of which include enculturation, acculturation, and so on. In enculturation, we can observe the
way people transfer cultures through teaching young people about customs, languages, and
traditions of their ethnic groups. While in acculturation, this can be observed with the influence
of Western and Christian cultures on traditional Congolese beliefs and practices. Congolese
culture is a blend of ethnic, linguistic, and regional groups, characterized by diverse traditions,
artistic expressions, and belief systems, including music, dance, oral storytelling, and culinary
traditions that reflects the nation's unity and diversity. Sociology in the DRC delves into the
nation's social structures, norms, and institutions, revealing its cultural and social fabric,
focusing on topics like kinship, gender roles, and social hierarchies.
IV.
Language/Literature
LANGUAGE
The Democratic Republic of Congo is incredibly linguistically diverse, with more than 200
distinct ethnic groups and over 200 languages spoken (Minority Rights Group, 2022). The
official language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is French. The Democratic Republic
of Congo was colonized by Belgium under King Leopold II at the beginning of the twentieth
century. As a result, French became the country’s lingua franca, as it was the language of the
colonial power. However, many indigenous languages were already spoken there and
continue to be spoken today. The Congo gained independence from Belgium in 1960 and has
been engaged in civil war for much of the time since then, at least in part due to foreign powers
trying to exert influence on the country. Foreign influence in the Congo is heavily reflected in
the languages that are spoken there. Though French is today the official language of the
Congo, Lingala, Kituba (also known as Kikongo), Tshiluba, and Swahili are recognized as
national languages. The four national languages were initially identified by the Belgian
government as national languages of the Congo, which enabled them to be taught in schools
across the country. As a result, the Congo was one of the only colonized countries in Africa
that taught literacy in indigenous languages.
NATIONAL LANGUAGES
French
French is the official language of the Democratic Republic of Congo and is used in
government, education, and the media. It was inherited from the colonial period when the
country was under Belgian rule. French is also taught in schools, and many Congolese are
bilingual
or
multilingual,
with
French
as
one
of
their
languages.
Kikongo
Kikongo is spoken in the western part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in the
Bas-Congo region. It is a Bantu language and is part of the Kongo language group.
There are different dialects of Kikongo, though, and the one that is officially known is Kituba.
Kituba is a creole language hybrid of Kikongo and French. Many people in the country’s urban
centers speak Kituba, while Kikongo is more commonly expressed in rural areas.
Lingala
Lingala is one of the four national languages of the DRC and is widely spoken in the capital
city, Kinshasa. It is also used as a lingua franca in some regions of the country. Lingala has a
significant cultural influence and is used in music and popular culture.
Tshiluba
Also known as Luba-Kasai or Western Luba, is also recognized by the constitution as a
national language of the Congo. It is the language of the Luba people, and its dialects include
Luba-Kasai and Luba-Lulua. However, the structure does not specify which dialect it
recognizes. Luba-Katanga is also spoken and is very common to Tshiluba.
Swahili
Another Bantu language and it is generally the primary language of the large Swahili ethnic
group. It is the lingua franca of Africa’s Great Lakes region as well as east and southeast
Africa. It is considered to be indigenous to the Congo, Tanzania, Somalia, Kenya,
Mozambique, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Mayotte, Comoros, Zambia, Madagascar, and
Malawi. There are multiple dialects of Swahili that are spoken in the Congo. The most common
is Kingwana, also known as Copperbelt Swahili.
(Family Search, 20222)
LITERATURE
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) boasts a diverse and culturally rich literary tradition.
Congolese literature encompasses a wide array of literary genres, including novels, poetry,
essays, and oral traditions. It is marked by its exploration of historical, cultural, and societal
themes, often examining the legacy of colonialism, issues of identity, and the challenges of
post-independence Africa. Early Congolese writers, such as Jean-Pierre Finyongo, laid the
foundation for Congolese literature in the early 20th century, addressing colonialism and
cultural identity. The Léopoldville School of Literature, active in the 1950s and 1960s,
produced notable writers who delved into urban life and social change. Prominent Congolese
authors like Sony Labou Tansi and Henri Lopes have examined the enduring effects of Belgian
colonialism and post-colonial disillusionment through satirical and introspective lenses.
Contemporary writers, including Alain Mabanckou, In Koli Jean Bofane, and Fiston Mwanza
Mujila, have continued to contribute to Congolese literature, addressing themes such as
migration and the Congolese diaspora. French is the primary language of expression in
Congolese literature, reflecting the nation's colonial history. However, some authors
incorporate indigenous languages into their works to convey cultural authenticity. The country
also hosts literary festivals like the "Festival Amani" in Goma, providing platforms for both local
and international authors to showcase their literary creations and engage in discussions on
literature and culture. (Embassy of the Republic of Congo in Washington DC, n.d.)
Ethnocentrism In the DRC, this rich tapestry of cultures has often been subject to the divisive
force of ethnocentrism, where certain groups regard their own cultural norms and values as
superior to others.
CONCLUSION
To summarize the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we can say that their past has highly
influenced their way of living. With the main effect are people being repressed because of the
government’s corruption and incompetence in the problems they have. Not only people of the
society are affected, but also their culture such that many artifacts, historical buildings,
infrastructures, and their environment are being destroyed due to the wars that happened.
They had simple means of living with farming as their primary source of subsistence. Majority
of the population were poor so not everyone had access to education nor some of them had
decent-paying jobs. Their main religion, Christianity, had an impact in their beliefs. Roman
Catholics numbered as one-third of Christian community. With the establishment of
Christianity it also encouraged independent African churches such as the Kimbaguist church.
That church is part of the world council of churches. The country also has a majority of the
immigrant population who are Muslims and Hindus.
Ever since materialism was introduced, Congolese citizens wear clean and colorful clothes as
it serves as an indicator on the degree of respect to be given to an individual. In fact, greetings
are considered as a crucial part and updating about each other’s health before moving on to
other topics is important in the household. Artistry was shown in their traditional crafts and
vibrant music and dance which reflects the cultural heritage and stories of different ethnic
groups.
The Literature of the DRC has a variety of genres. It was marked by exploration examining
the legacy of colonialism, issues of identity, and the challenges of post-independence Africa.
They use French as their main language, reflecting the colonialism period the country went
through but some of the authors used their native languages so that they may retain their
identity as a country. Their national language is French because the country was colonized by
Belgium under King Leopold II at the start of the 20th century. Other than French, some of the
national languages that they use are Kikongo, Lingala, Tshiluba, and Swahili.
EDITORIAL
The people in the country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have gone through a lot
of difficulties, since their brutal past is still to this day affecting the people’s lives. Their country
has not yet developed to the point that they can be an independent country, since their leaders
are either corrupt or cannot manage their economic crisis. The country cannot stand on its
own feet, but despite these problems their rich culture still stands. The culture that has been
influenced by their history. Such as their official language, which is French, they inherited this
during the Belgian rule. Their culture can seem a bit undeveloped and lacking, but the main
reason for that is because what is always seen when we hear about The DRC is war,
corruption, economic crisis, displaced people, children suffering, and many more. We do not
see their culture, their way of living, religion, traditions and practices. Furthermore, their
culture, much like other cultures, is known for the vibrant music and dance, but with the twist
of using xylophones which not many countries use in their culture. Their creation of masks,
which is a unique way that represents and tells the story of their cultural heritage, shows that
the people of this country want to be proud of who they are. The only way to learn about their
culture is when you do research for the country. Still in the end what will be known in the
country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be their wars and violence, and not their
culture.
How do the people of that place/country take care of their nature, and
environment?
The way Congolese people take care of their nature and their environment is through
environmental peacebuilding, due to the fact that the country’s resources are targeted for war.
They are united in a diversified development model. The country also has teamed up with
UNEP, United Nations Environment Program, to build a plan on minimizing the impact of
mining in the environment. Furthermore, they have explored both local and international
institutions that can help provide a solution in the conflict of mineral extraction through the
process of revenue sharing and dispute resolutions. (United Nations Environment
Programme, n.d.)
Congo's cultural heritage sites and traditions are a valuable part in maintaining the identity of
their country. There are many ways the people of Congo can do to preserve such invaluable
sites, such examples would be hosting a fundraiser event through musical events that involve
the musical culture of the country, for people who pay and attend this event, they may use the
money to invest on museums that may contain these priceless artifacts and people who will
preserve it.
Another method they may do would be influencing younger generations by exposing them at
an early age about the culture and traditions their country has, which further increases their
nationalism towards their own country and inspiring them to protect their ancestors'
generations of work.
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