Month: November 2005

National hymn

Yesterday there was a meeting with all the political parties.

The first point on the programme was the national hymn. I was expecting a tape but all people started singing together, nicely, gracefully, it was enjoyable.

Also the meeting was not bad, people were asking for tolerance when disruptions were about to start and the tone of the interventions was quite considered.

It brought to my mind another national chant, at the University of Cape Town in 1994, before the election of Mandela, Nkosi Sikelele Afrika, a moving song, an intense moment.

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The poors are back

Younger, there was a prayer which upset me.

It was the cry of someone saying that he tried to be good, and to help people in need, but the poors were more and more, pretending more and more. Space, attention, money, time.

Is it possible to be altruistic until a certain limit? Or it is just a good or bad stance ?

In Kinshasa the poors come next to where the wealthy people live.

Their main weapon is their insistence. Psychological pressure, using their life, their problems as propaganda devices; they might have been trained by some advertising guru.

What to do?

Waiting for the moon


Since some days we were looking to the sky wondering if the following day we had to go to the office.

It is the conclusion of Ramadan, which is marked by the appearance of the new moon.

The opinions were divided, many hoping to have the celebration on Wednesday and others rather keen on Thursday.

Eventually, it was Thursday, today, and along the street you can see bunches of children smartly dressed visiting new places.

Depending on the moon to schedule meetings and activities was a nice feeling, an ancient one.