Week end chez ZAO (à Linzolo) (part3)

Un fleuve qui donne à méditer - la preuve en image avec Emile

A weird tree!

1 truck -> 50 people inside. Don't worry, it's perfectly normal here!

10am: we met a drunk soldier on our way to the church. He was drinking palm wine, which is kind of tasty in the morning, and becomes very strong (and disgusting btw) in the afternoon. The so-called wine is actually sap from palm-tree.

The oldest catholic church in Central Africa (Linzolo, Congo)

Week end chez ZAO (à Linzolo) (part2)

Ya pas d'age pour avoir du style!

Colonial house - maison coloniale

Zao et Belle

La France et l'Amérique s'exportent bien en terre africaine - Coca, Côtes du Rhone et Coulomier, que des choses du coin!

Parce que la vraie nourriture du coin ressemble à ca: le foufou, fait à partir d'une farine de manioc (comme 80% de la bouffe ici - le manioc est roi).

Foufou is made with manioc flour. It still doesn't taste good though...

Week end chez ZAO (à Linzolo)

Laure et Greg

Emile et Alban

Voilà les chambres grand luxe version africaine, avec toi en taule, idéal contre la chaleur et le bruit d'une bonne pluie orageuse..

The singer Zao owns this house + nice garden. It's only hour from Brazzaville but local people are not used to see white people (moundele), which boils down to funny situation!

Remains of the war between 1991-1999. The "Pool" region (south of Brazzaville) was the biggest battle field.

Quartiers sud - south district

Charlotte in working for french ambassy, and apparently used to meet local children.

This lovely women doesn't make a lot of money - yet she insisted to offer me some peanuts for free /// Cette charmante dame ne gagne pas grand chose par jour, mais elle insista pour m'offrir quelques arachides, alors que ces derniers ne m'auraient pas couté bien cher. Moins on a, plus on donne?

That's the public transportation system - toyota vans, bloody crowded with 20 persons inside. Given that proper roads don't exist, I really don't know how they still run.

Le système des transports est assez simple à comprendre: chauffeur privé avec 4x4 pour les riches, taxis pour les gens aisés (entre 500 et 1000 FCFA la course) et ces espèces de mini-van toyota pour les autres, soit la majorité de la population.

Le parc automobile est ainsi composé de 80% de taxi, très peu de voitures particulières!

Villa monama

Un petit aligator... Bien meilleur dans une assiette avec une sauce aux arachides!

Un refuge pour blancs... très sympa cependant! Cet hotel relativement petit accueil mes collègues de travail lorsqu'ils viennent à Brazzaville.

Colleagues are usually staying in this nice hotel when they come to BZV.

Building site - le chantier (part3)

Building site - le chantier (part2)

It should look like that at the end..

Proper working conditions? I doubt that..

Il reste du chemin à parcourir avant de pouvoir utiliser cet ouvrage comme aéroport international!

Building site - le chantier (part1)

Lufthansa Consutling a commencé à travailler pour la DGGT (Direction générale des grands travaux) en 2007. Depuis, selon nos recommandations, ont été entrepris la construction d'une nouvelle aérogare, d'une deuxième piste, d'un pavillon présidentiel et d'un village aéroportuaire (hotels, centres commerciaux, village artisanal, centre de conférence, cinéma). Le plus gros des travaux se concentre sur Brazzaville mais Pointe Noire et Ollombo sont également concernés.
Actuellement 2 architectes italiens travaillent sur le village aéroportuaire. L'aérogare est elle construite par des chinois (environ 500 ouvriers) mais supervisée par une entreprise francaise. Ce projet peut paraitre démesuré par rapport au traffic actuel de BZV (Brazzaville) mais le pays a pour ambition de devenir un hub régional voire international. C'est d'ailleurs tout le mal que je lui souhaite, car il reste du chemin à parcourir avant que le pays ne soit considéré comme développé.

The new airport is built by a chinese company which, unfortunately for the local people, employs 80% chinese workers. It's a massive building designed to show how modern the country is. You can clearly notice the french influence in it's conception, quite the same as the Terminal 2 in Paris Charles de Gaulle. 2 italians architects are currently designing an airport city around the airport (conference center, cinema, malls, hotels..).
Basically my company suggested all what they are doing now since 2007 (it's the principe of consulting you may say). The goverment utlimate goal is to show how modern and strong the country is: for the 50th anniversary of independance (15th august), they will organize huge events and welcome many international presidents. But honnestly, they will not be ready on time. It's just impossible, given that the only connexion between Pointe Noire (on the coast) and BZV is a train which works only twice a week. As a consequence, all the needed materials are stuck in Pointe Noire. Logistics have never been as essential as they are here. Wait and see!

Local people

Poverty remains very high, both inside and outside the capital. Concepts such as globalisation, global warming and sustainable development seem far away from their daily activities - getting proper water and food.

La pauvreté reste omniprésente au sein comme en dehors de la capitale. Les Congolais sur ces photos survivent plus qu'ils ne vivent, au jour le jour. On est là très loin de tout ce que j'ai pu voir en Europe - trés proche au contraire des reportages sur l'Afrique. Mais pas de généralités, je vous montrerai d'autres photos qui viendront contredire cette misère - et montrent peut etre la marche à suivre... mais aussi la richesse opulente de certaines élites.

Peace of Heaven... Feignond island

Between the 2 Congos, traditional places where you can stop for lunch. You need a boat or a pirogue to get there though.

Kinshasa

One of the most dangerous city in Africa.. jsut across the Congo river,the 10m-inhabitants capital of Democratic Republic of Congo

Premières impressions - first feelings

Brazzaville is amazing - Brazzaville est halucinante,

even if it's fucked up in many ways!
The Congolese welcomed us warmly - especially my driver Michel, the 2 guards, Arthur and Charles, and Marthe, the cleaning lady. The general polulation stays very poor, they survive more than they live. I talked with local and international people and most of them are disapointed- disapointed cause they know there is a huge unexploited developping potential here.

Minimal wage is around 50 000 Francs CFA (more or less 75€), but a small minority is extremly rich. Half the population are taxi drivers or guards. I don't know what the second half is doing all day long.
Oddly restaurants, bars and clubs are kind of expensive, around 10 000 a meal FCFA. But Luhfthansa Consulting is a good employer, which allows me to aford it. Only the first week:

Monday evening: beer at the Villa Monama and then diner in new lebanese restaurant

Tuesday: Restaurant Hyppo for lunch and Patou for diner, then strange bar, the "Boom Boom".

Wednesday: Mami Wata for lunch, drinks at the French social and culture center, and La sénégalaise for diner

Thursday: Pizza David's and "la Grande des cours"....All these places are very tipical, authentic, and you can trust the food.

By going home thursday evening i get arrested (official reason: my taxi stopped in front of an military building. 5 men asked me to come to the police office with them - after few minutes talks, we agreed on 6 000 FCFA for my release without a fine..

Taxis are cheap (1000 FCFA) but internet is a mess (300 000 FCFA for 256k connexion).

It's too early to make my mind on this place, but it's definitely fascinating.