﻿Kinshasa-Democratic Republic of Congo. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly
known as Zaire, is Africa's second-largest country, covering a total area of 2,344,858
square kilometers, making it slightly larger than Mexico and almost one-quarter the size of
the United States. Kinshasa is the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the
country's largest city and Africa's third-largest metropolitan area after Cairo and Lagos.
It is located on the south bank of the Congo River, approximately 320 miles
(515 kilometers) from the Atlantic Ocean. It is a distinct political entity, similar
to a Congolese region, with its own governor. Kinois are the people who live in the city.
Kinshasa is not only the capital, but also the epicenter of the country's
character in modern Africa, with its dynamic and contradictory influences.
The one and only city not clearly identified with any particular region of the country,
it was the seat of a long-lasting Zairean military government based, on the one hand, on the strength
of the armed forces and, on the other, on a technique of political and social compromise
that gained the rather grudging collaboration of most citizens until its later years.
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History Until 1966, Kinshasa was known as Léopoldville.
The area on which Kinshasa evolved, as well as all of Malebo Pool's shoreline, were inhabited
in ancient times. The current city grew out of two villages, Nshasa and Ntamo (later Kintamo),
which were dominated by the Bahumbu and frequented by Bateke fishermen and traders. Sir Henry Morton
Stanley forged an alliance with the monarch of Kintamo, a wealthy ivory trader, during his visit
in 1877, and was able to purchase a trading post site on his return in 1881, despite French efforts
to prevent him. Léopoldville was called after his patron, King Léopold II of the Belgians. By
portaging prefabricated steamers through the lower river's cataracts, Stanley was able to
open river traffic as far north as Stanleyville (Kisangani since 1966), but Léopoldville remained
insignificant until the railway line from downstream Matadi was completed in 1898.
In 1914, a pipeline from Matadi was built to transport crude oil to the upriver steamers at
Léopoldville, and air service between Léopoldville and Stanleyville was established in 1920.
As a result, in 1923, the Belgian Congo's administrative headquarters were moved there
from Boma. Residential zones developed up around industries as they became established. Kinshasa,
Barumbu, and Lingwala zones grew up near the port in the 1930s. After 1950, the workers of Limete's
new industrial district were housed in Lemba, Matete, and parts of Ndjili to the southeast,
while the more centrally located communes (now zones) of Dendale (now Kasa-Vubu),
Bandalungwa, and Ngiri-Ngiri became the city's social and political core.
Léopoldville was named the new republic's capital in 1960. In 1966, the city's name was changed to
Kinshasa. During the independence period, the city prospered, with its population rapidly increasing.
Kinshasa became the focal point of the rebel revolt against Mobutu Sese
Seko's Zairean administration in the mid-1990s, which was deposed in 1997.
The city, overburdened with newcomers, entered a period of great economic suffering
that lasted well into the twenty-first century under the successor administration,
which was also besieged by insurgents. In 2006,
the country adopted a new constitution and held presidential and parliamentary elections, the
first free elections in more than four decades, giving the Kinois hope for a better future.
City layout
Kinshasa's built-up area is separated into industrial, residential, and commercial zones.
An industrial zone (formerly known as Léo-Ouest) grows around the western
fringe of the center city, at the site of the first depot built by the British-American
explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley. To the east is Gombe, a riverside residential and
administrative zone that contains the majority of the European population
and the Congolese aristocracy, as well as the central government buildings and embassy district.
The eastern quarter (known as Léo-Est until 1966) is a prominent commercial region,
with the vast Boulevard du 30-Juin serving as the primary artery. Along
Kinshasa's northern outskirts, the waterfront is surrounded with quays and big warehouses.
Ndolo is a combination of port facilities and industrial units located east of Gombe. On
the east and west sides of Kinshasa, the poorest regions expand southward. Ndjili, to the southeast
of Kinshasa, has become a residential suburb, whereas Kimpoko, upstream, has been developed
as an outlying harbor. During the 1970s, wealthy merchants and politicians erected houses in Binza,
a region in the western hills overlooking the city, frequently of remarkable magnificence.
Kinshasa features a wide range of architectural styles. High-rise residential buildings, lavishly
outfitted banks, stores, and the offices of large corporations and government agencies characterize
the centre of town. Some were built shortly after World War II, while the majority were built during
the early 1970s economic boom. The parliament, the president's palace (built by the Chinese),
the national broadcasting corporation's headquarters (Radio-Télévision Nationale
Congolaise), the International Trade Center, the mineral marketing agency's headquarters,
and an incomplete tower dedicated to nationalist leader Patrice Lumumba are among them.
Spacious homes flanked by decorative shrubs and flower gardens, as well as high fences and iron
bars, adorn the tree-lined, paved boulevards that define the wealthy residential areas.Tin-roofed
concrete-block buildings and multiunit dwellings on dirt roadways,
often inaccessible to automobiles, are common in less affluent regions. These, in turn, give way to
hurriedly constructed shelters and rough walkways in the city's huge squatting zones, where many of
the city's most recent immigrants live. People
Kinshasa's population rose slowly at first (from 5,000 in 1889 to 23,000 in
1923) but rapidly after 1940; after 1950, it quadrupled nearly every five years and by the
beginning of the twenty-first century was reaching 5,000,000, many of whom lived in squatter zones.
Much of the population growth has been caused by Congolese migration and government expansion,
but some of it has also been caused by the city's expansion. Kinshasa's population is youthful. More
than half of the population is under the age of 22, and just a small percentage of
the population is beyond the age of 50. People's migration from rural areas increased significantly
following independence as colonial restrictions were loosened. Political problems, the economic
deterioration of rural communities, a lack of amenities and possibilities, as well as the city's
attractions, have all contributed to this rural migration. In its early years, the city received
immigrants from Western Africa and various neighboring Central African countries; however,
since independence, the majority of new residents have come from within Congo, particularly from
the nearby regions of Bandundu to the west and Bas-Congo (Lower Congo) to the south and east.
Kinshasa's rapid population growth has caused severe challenges in supplying the city with food;
there is a constant possibility of shortages, which poses an implied political concern. Since
the late 1990s, the country's economic troubles have aggravated the situation.
Traditionally, the bustling central market is supplemented by suburban markets packed with
wooden stalls and hawkers and street sellers selling small quantities to
passersby. At least half of the food consumed in the city comes from the Bas-Congo region.
Other foods come from further afield in Congo or are imported. South Africa has been an important
supply of meat and fruits and vegetables flown in for those who can afford it. Kinshasa, on the
other hand, resembles an overgrown community for the poor, whose residents seek for firewood from
afar and tend gardens where they can find decent soil. The needs of this massive metropolitan
population have resulted in widespread erosion in the surrounding countryside, as the soil
has been depleted by overcultivation and trees cut down for charcoal have not been restored.
Caught between extraordinary wealth and huge poverty, the majority of Kinois must spend a
significant amount of time hunting for basics that are in inconsistent supply.
Nonetheless, they have discovered a way to make Kinshasa a wellspring of distinct intellectual and
popular culture felt throughout Africa. Culture
Kinshasa is the vibrant heart of the country's popular culture,
with Lingala serving as the urban lingua franca. It is also the world's largest
Francophone urban region, with French serving as the language of government, education,
media, public services, and high-end business, and Lingala serving as a lingua franca on the
streets. Kinshasa's Gombe neighborhood is home to wealthy natives and expatriates.
Kinshasa, while huge, chaotic, and frequently scary, is also a major cultural and
intellectual center for Central Africa, with a thriving population of singers and artists.
It is a city rich in cultural diversity and is known as the birthplace of Congolese rumba,
a famous dance music genre influenced by a wide range of international influences.
Music is a common social practice in Kinshasa, as well as a crucial enabler of intercultural
interaction and social cohesiveness. Furthermore, the city is home to a number of
recording studios, including the Olympia, Ngoma, and Loningisa, where pioneer performers and bands
like African Jazz and Ok Jazz made their debuts as part of Congolese rumba's second wave movement.
Each year, in collaboration with Brazzaville Creative City of Music, a number of festivals
emphasizing the vibrancy of the music sector are held, including the International Stars Festival,
the Jazz Kif Festival, and the Pan African Music Festival. Congo's popular music is well-known
throughout Africa, and well-known Congolese bands also tour Europe and the Americas. Celebrities in
the music industry attract a lot of attention, and it's not uncommon for their most recent hit
songs to be utilized to designate fashion trends in women's dress materials, a fiercely competitive
medium. Paintings sold on streets, like popular music, depict the social themes of the day. Radio
and television broadcasting is in French—the official language—and local languages. The
city is known for some excellent restaurants and is the site of numerous motion-picture theatres.
Local writers have produced a significant blooming of writing in the form of novels,
plays, and poetry in modern Kinshasa. Paintings and sculptures created by Académie des Beaux-Arts
artists are shown and sold at the academy. The Institut des Musées Nationaux's collection is
rich in archaeological, anthropological, musicological, and aesthetic value,
and it is essential for scholars of traditional African art. Although valuable traditional art
is no longer available in the city, studios in the outskirts produce replicas of masks
and sculptures from all across Africa, as well as carved ivory and malachite work.
Government and services
Kinshasa continues to be the center of the nation's political life,
as it is where all important administrative decisions are made. The president's office,
as well as the executive and legislative councils, are all located in the city. Since 1982,
the president has nominated a governor and two vice-governors to lead the city administration.
They are the leader of the city council, which is made up of the 24 zone commissioners,
who are also appointed by the president from among the councillors elected in each zone.
The administration is unable to provide adequate basic services throughout the city, such as
running water, power, and sanitation; townare to provide adequate services have had difficulty
coping with the rapid growth of the city, much of which consequently lacks basic urban facilities.
Some locations have deteriorated housing lots and highways, choked open drains,
and rubbish accumulation. The rate of violent crime, which was comparatively low during
Zairean rule, has risen after the disintegration of central control under the successor regime.
Industry and commerce
Kinshasa is the most important consumer centre of the republic as well as the center of its
industrial and economic activity The city is home to the headquarters of significant
public firms as well as privately held industrial and commercial enterprises.
It dominates the republic's financial and commercial activity and houses the
headquarters of the major banks. Food processing and the production of consumer goods (e.g., beer,
textiles, and footwear) are among Kinshasa's key businesses. Construction and a variety of service
businesses also help to drive the city's economy. However, the country's political turbulence since
the fall of the Zairean administration in 1997 has been crippling for the city's economic activity.
Transportation
Kinshasa's transportation system is woefully insufficient in many ways.
Economic troubles and a lack of foreign currency have resulted in serious deterioration,
and there has been an ongoing need for spare parts and replacement vehicles.
Kinshasa is adequately served by roadways, but its dense and fast growing population produces
significant traffic congestion. A paved road connects the city to Matadi, Congo's main port
at the head of navigation on the Congo river, and another to Kikwit, to the east. Most of the
country's imports are brought in via the railway line from Matadi, which bypasses the rapids on the
river below Kinshasa. Some are then transported upriver.The Congo is navigable to Kisangani,
almost 1,000 miles (1,600 km) upstream, and a huge network of navigable lengths on its tributaries,
linked by railways, carries practically all inland traffic bringing exports bound for Matadi down the
Congo and through Kinshasa. South-Eastern Ndjili International Airport is one of the
largest airports in Africa. Across Malebo Pool, a popular ferry connects Kinshasa to Brazzaville,
the capital of the Republic of the Congo. Public transportation in Kinshasa comprises of packed
buses, minibuses, taxis, and fula-fulas (trucks adapted to carry passengers).
Health and education Population increase has put a strain
on medical facilities, as well as other local services. The public health system's hospitals,
clinics, and dispensaries are insufficient in number and poorly spread, which, combined with
transportation issues, limits the health care they can give to the population. Similarly,
the basic and secondary school systems are overburdened,
with insufficient facilities and teachers to keep up with population expansion.
Higher education institutions include the Kinshasa University (previously Lovanium
University), the largest university in the country; a teacher-training college;
a national school of administration and law; a telecommunications school; and a fine arts academy
There are also social research institutes, political party indoctrination institutes,
medical training institutes, and commercial institutes. The School of Catholic Theology
in Kinshasa is well-known around the world. Kinshasa is also home to the National Institution
of Arts (INA), which is the only city in Central Africa to have an internationally
renowned institution of higher arts education that trains performers and musicians. The INA has had a
number of successful exchange programs with other African and European towns since its inception.
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