The Congo's 'River of Life'

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.