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The Congo's 'River of Life'

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Sarah Patterson
Topics: Economic Development, Trade
Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Everyday life on the Congo. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/julien_harneis/1873760858/">Julien Harneis (Flickr)</a>
Everyday life on the Congo. Photo: Julien Harneis (Flickr)

The River has seen everything: poverty, political chaos, violence. It has been mythicized in great stories of expeditions (see Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness) and exploited by outsiders. Its winding white-water rapids symbolize the struggle of the people that live along it, who have always depended on it for their livelihoods. These people transport goods and food up and down the river, creating a "floating market" that brings life to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Learn more about the "lifeblood" of the Congo in NPR's latest in-depth feature on the river that sustains one of the poorest countries in the world.

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Keywords: Congo River, NPR

Comments

Thu, 10/07/2010 - 15:16 — Casey Glick (not verified)

who can forget the haunting

who can forget the haunting words of Conrad, they are forever engraved in my mind... "The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much."

The book is called the heart of darkness; is he referencing central Africa or the act of colonial occupation?

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