This a picture of Richard Suissa, his wife Godé and I.
We were roommates over 40 years ago.
It is impossible to understand the complexities of preparing for a trip to Kandale from Kinshasa. The list of things that are needed is very long and often turns into a search for the Holy Grail. Colette was very fortunate to have found a belt for the flour grinder very close to where we purchased printer ink. The issue then becomes will this belt work. If it does, then she will know where to get another, unless it is out of stock. The belt is needed as a back up. It is always important to have a contingency plan. There is no guaranty that a product will be available next week...or tomorrow. Things are in constant motion. Locating bidons for the construction, however, was a different story. We waited at least an hour for them to restock the supply from another location only to find out it was the wrong thickness. They will need strong bidons to carry the wet cement. The thinner white ones will not work. Colette is extremely adept at navigating the back roads of Kinshasa to locate beans and dried fish and even beautiful bolts of cloth. She has developed connections throughout and the local people value her loyalty.
We intended to depart at 4AM to get out in front of the suffocating traffic. It is a way of life in Kinshasa and you plan your trips accordingly. An organized chaos if you will. The truck was delayed and we didn’t get started until 8 AM. All the materials for the trip were packed at Colette’s mother’s house and it was a work of art the way everything was organized. After avoiding several traffic jams we hit the road and an hour later we realized that we had a flat tire with two punctures. We were incredibly fortunate to deal with a flat early on when repair shops and replacement parts are in abundance. I was unprepared for a 14 hour journey just to reach Kandale. We were five people speaking five languages, English, French, Lingala, Kikongo, and Kipende. The road was in very good shape overall and according to Colette, it was significantly better than in years past. We arrived around 10 PM in the evening in Kikwit.
The next morning we left Kikwit at 6:30 and we took a road that was in very good shape and followed the Kwilu River south toward Tshikapa. After about 2 hours we left the paved road and started on a punishing dirt road. The dirt road shook me from top to bottom for another four hours. I kept expected to see my suitcase and other large bundles being jettisoned from the roof. The strapping withstood all the bucking and rattling. The driver did an amazing job. It gave me an entirely different perspective about the challenges of working in Kandale and the Herculean effort being made to create the infrastructure. Colette had initiated communication with a team of technicians from Vodafone and we met up with them in Kikwit and traveled with them south to Kandale.
Upon arrival we were greeted with big banners and the local school band skillfully played a rousing melody with their drums and flutes. Entering into the compound it was amazing to see all the new structures first hand. It was a stark comparison to the many villages we passed along the way. We had a big lunch and sampled the mangos from the trees for dessert. We were then entertained with a traditional women’s dance. It was very compelling. Surprisingly, I am none the worse for wear after the trip, simply exhausted. The truck was unpacked and organized and Colette began her meetings with the REVE Kandale team. Tomorrow she is up at 5 AM to meet with the community and introduce the Vodafone team and explain the goals for their arrival. After a 40 year absence I kept trying to overlay my memories on to what I was seeing from the truck, but the only thing that stuck out was how much remained the same, except more mobile phones, more motorcycles, but in general the streets were busy with people moving bundles from one place to another.
Colette and I will be here for a total of 4 weeks. No grass grows under Colette and progress has been on going and pervasive. In the next Communiqué I will be documenting the ongoing work on the new block of classes, the football (soccer) field and the work on the church.
