Democratic Republic of the Congo

[B]ongo, I don't want to leave the Congo, oh no no no no no! Bingo, bangle, bungle, I'm so happy in the jungle, I refuse to go! ~ The Andrews Sisters and Danny Kaye

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as DR Congo, DROC, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo, is a country located in Central Africa. From 1971 to 1997 it was named Zaire. The DRC borders the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan to the north; Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to the east; Zambia and Angola to the south; and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It is the second largest country in Africa by area, the largest in Subsaharan Africa, and the eleventh largest in the world. Its capital is Kinshasa.

Quotes

• So bongo, bongo, bongo. I don't want to leave the Congo, oh no no no no no! Bingo, bangle, bungle! I'm so happy in the jungle, I refuse to go!
  • The Andrews Sisters and Danny Kaye, "Civilization (Bongo, Bongo, Bongo)" (1947), Decca

• It is difficult to stop aid for human rights violations without the population suffering. That is why we continued to offer help through reliable NGOs. Preference was given to Belgian NGOs, because the domestic NGOs were often under the influence of the Congolese government. The importance of human rights has only increased, partly due to the introduction of the International Criminal Court, which tackles violations of human rights.
  • Development cooperation not only helps others, but also ourselves

• China is operating in Congo in a brutal way that smacks of slavery. Congolese work in mines for very low wages. China is not concerned with sustainability and often commits a predatory economy. The country also does not respect human rights. Still, the developing country's government is letting itself be wrapped up, because the Chinese don't make moral demands like the West does. China works with a closed stock exchange in Congo. For example, they build 20 schools in exchange for being able to operate 10 copper mines for 1 year. But that is often peasant deception: the value of the school buildings is sometimes only 10% of the value of the extracted raw materials.
  • Development cooperation not only helps others, but also ourselves

External links

• Encyclopedic article on Democratic Republic of the Congo at Wikipedia
• Democratic Republic of the Congo travel guide from Wikivoyage

• Works related to Portal:Democratic Republic of the Congo at Wikisource
• Media related to Democratic Republic of the Congo at Wikimedia Commons
• The dictionary definition of Democratic Republic of the Congo at Wiktionary