Radio Congo: Signals of Hope from Africa's Deadliest WarBrash hustlers, sinister colonels, resilient refugees, and intrepid radio hosts: meet the future of Congo In this extraordinary debut – called ‘gripping’ by The Times of London – Ben Rawlence sets out to gather the news from a forgotten town deep in Congo’s ‘silent quarter’ where peace is finally being built after two decades of civil war and devastation. Ignoring the advice of locals, reporters, and mercenaries, he travels by foot, bike, and boat, introducing us to Colonel Ibrahim, a guerrilla turned army officer; Benjamin, the kindly father of the most terrifying Mai Mai warlord; the cousins Mohammed and Mohammed, young tin traders hoping to make their fortune; and talk show host Mama Christine, who dispenses counsel and courage in equal measure. From the ‘blood cheese’ of Goma to the decaying city of Manono, Rawlence uncovers the real stories of life during the war and finds hope for the future. |
Contents
Under the volcano | |
Meeting the colonel | |
Guerrillas in the mist | |
Blood cheese | |
The waves on the lake are not negligible my dear | |
The guns of Moba | |
My name is Zongwe | |
The return part II | |
The lake of snails | |
Eating the neighbours | |
Of pigs rabbits and popes | |
La route principale | |
Beer and normality | |
Outsiders | |
A fishless lake | |
The return part I | |
Trouble in the Mulenge hills | |
The end is nigh | |
In search of goats and gold | |
A cruise on Tanganyika | |
The intelligence directors bath | |
The forest people | |
Inhuman | |
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Common terms and phrases
army arrive Banyamulenge Baraka Batwa become beer Belgian boat boys building bush called camp carry chief comes Congo Congolese dollars door eyes face feet fighting fish follow forces forest four French give goats gold Goma hands head hills holding huge hundred Kalemie lake land laugh leave living looks Manono means meet mining mission Mitwaba morning mountains night once pass pulls radio rain reach refugees remains returning river road roof runs Rwanda says seems side smile soldiers stand stay stop story streets Swahili talk tell things thousand town trees turn village walk wall watch wide woman wooden