Journaling the Exotic

A biased approach.

My first post in this series is a response to a post from Kartikeya Sharma, an Indian journalist reflecting on his time in Goma, DR Congo. His post can be found here. My response points the spotlight on one quote from the article.

Writer:

“[In DR Congo, …] Loyalties are divided on tribal identities and roads are considered dangerous as they can unite people and make a nation out of multiple tribes and may even prevent economic plunder.”

My response:

First of all, Congo issues aren’t a quick puzzle that a two-days tourist can figure out in a blink of an eye. DR Congo has a history worth considering in order to better contextualize observed phenomena! Specifically, on the social aspect, Congolese have been characterized by a strong sense of unity, pride, and cohabitation.

Tribalism is in no way one of the pressing issues in the Congo. Unlike India, Congolese have never witnessed cast systems or any discrimination of sort. As a matter of fact, it would be absurd to argue that infrastructures such as roads are central players in solving a problem similar to the caste system. Basically, the point here is that Kartikeya’s suggestion, that a nation out of multiple tribes is yet to be made in the Congo because of roads, is simply false.

I do agree though, that the the poor quality of roads in parts of DR Congo is a great catalyzer of mineral plundering. Bad roads make mines isolated, turning them into potential heavens to armed groups faceted as rebels but actively serving as bridges to flow out minerals to western destinations.

Talking about minerals, I wish Kartikeya did some research to understand the conflict minerals in the Congo. Talking about Rwanda exporting minerals they never produced, Kartikeya wrote: “The joke is that it all comes from Congo which produces it but cannot export it properly as it gets pilfered away.” More than anything, this would be an exciting lead to explore, rather than a simple “joke,” especially considering the fact that Congo conflict minerals has happened at the expense children being literally enslaved in mines, women raped, and men killed in the cruelest of ways. The death toll is 6 millions in two decades, easily the deadliest conflict since World War II, a tragedy in front of the world passive eyes.

Making the wrong assumptions causes pain and suffering for everyone. — Jenni Young

I can go on and on, pushing back on numerous reckless and biased considerations throughout the article, but I will sum up my thoughts in just one suggestion to all eager writers, excited to narrate the exotic: as intellectuals, let us write to educate and not to deceive. Biases are somehow inevitable, but reckless or lazy attempts to narrate under the basis of assumptions or single-sided opinions are dangerous for humanity.

All in all, I appreciate Kartikeya taking time to write about Goma. In his next write-up, I hope that he will consider writing about the fact that people in Goma speak 100+ different languages, with a rich dynamic of intermingled cultures. It would be nice if he remembers to mention Nyiragongo, the volcano with the largest lava lake in the world, giving tourists an exquisite four hours hike, with breathtaking views of the African rift valley and the Kivu lake. It would not be bad to reference Virunga, the oldest national park in Africa, featuring mountain gorillas in their natural environment, and numerous other unique animals. I would not even be mad if Kartikeya forgets to mention how delicious Congolese food is, and how joyous Congolese are, dancing their way through good and tough times. And ultimately, I hope that Kartikeya will tell his readers that, for decades of threats, perpetual attempts of exploitation and suppression, Congolese people have stood, are standing still, and are at work. Congo might have two or three persons at the helm without any will to fight alongside the people, but the people will ultimately have the last word!