Kinshasa

Introducing Kinshasa

Once touted as Kin la belle (beautiful Kinshasa), the 21st-century incarnation of the chaotic capital of the DRC is regrettably anything but. Huge, sprawling, grimy and confusing, the city – which, with over six million inhabitants, is Africa’s third largest (after Lagos and Cairo) – is a long way from being a traveller’s haven, though with multiparty elections ushering in a new era of hope and reintegration this situation could soon change.

Built up on the banks of the Congo River and infested with shabby shantytowns and myriad opportunist con merchants masquerading as street salesmen, this polluted megalopolis couldn’t be called pretty by anyone. That said, there are a number of surprisingly deserted areas where exhausted visitors can escape from the traditional mayhem, such as the once-grand (and now run-down) colonial neighbourhood, or the city centre on a Sunday.

Kinshasa’s general decrepitude and abundance of buildings in eternal stages of half-completion are as much to do with incapable government as they are to do with the ravages of war – the DRC’s various administrations have generally been too preoccupied in trying to keep control of the country to actually develop it. But Kinshasa could be worth a brief if tentative visit by the brave and well-travelled explorer armed with a close eye on security and a true sense of African adventure. Think less of historic monuments and broad tree-lined avenues and more of traditional handicrafts, bustling markets and a vibrant nightlife that pulsates to the unique rhythms of soukous.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009