"On the take..."

Saturday, August 24

How to describe the past week, or has it been a little more than a week? We were feeling really blessed and protected because we have been here for three weeks and have yet to be stopped by the "police". Well, we made up for it in a two-day period. The first stop we were able to plead ignorance and they really had no justifiable reason for stopping us, so they sent us on our way. The day after, Mark was driving our office manager, Didier Mutombo, to a Western Union office to get a money order from a PEF student making a payment. I stayed at the office, so Mark had to go through the hellish experience with the police on his own with Frère Didier. Frère Didier was a great help and had some money to "pay" the fine. I will let Mark give the details, but I characterize it as the bullies with their spiked boards, their gang mentality and their clubs, and the defenseless "white" driver. It didn't seem to help that he had a local with him. I guess the outcome was better than most because it cost Mark $20 for not stopping at a "stop" sign. Other missionaries have had to pay more, one $120. Hope we can document the "sign" to illustrate the "keystone cop" qualities of their harassment. Note that the stop sign points the wrong way. You can read it only when you pass it.

 An article in the current National Geographic Magazine describes the situation: 

Only a few of Kinshasa’s roads are paved. Its schools are unaffordable for most Kinois. Despite its status as the capital city of the second largest country in all of Africa, Kinshasa is a marvel of dysfunction. Each of the government ministries has to be, as one U.S. official tactfully puts it, “basically self-financing”—meaning much of the money it has is generated by bribery and extortion. This is especially true of the police, who, says the aid adviser, “are one hundred percent on the take. Every one of them is an officer for one reason: to collect for himself.”

Mark has had three episodes of severe pain in his right side a few inches above his waist. Without real medical care options, we rely on the Priesthood for blessings. Any diagnosis is based completely on conjecture. We do have a nurse, Sister Moon, but nothing can be confirmed - only a guessing game. 

We went "shopping" as a group of three couples and Sister Smith 1. It felt like a school outing. We went to a store called American Eagle. They have three floors in their building, the first level is sort of like a Lowe's store with drapery fabric, carpet, hardware, towels and much more, the second floor was all office furniture. One desk on display was marked $1,000 plus, quite plush for Kinshasa. The third floor was home furnishings like leather furniture of all kinds, very expensive. 

 The store is owned by a Lebanese family by way of New Jersey and Detroit running a very profitable business here. We met two or three of the sons. One is a medical doctor, but decided because of Obamacare he would not be able to make enough money to pay for his education let alone make a good living for his family, so he works in the family business, spending time in DR Congo and at home in Detroit or New Jersey.

Our second stop was at the fabric ally. They have between 30 and 50 stalls selling the same thing, fabric. The fabric comes in 6-yard pieces and 12-yard pieces. I bought a 12-yard piece for $13. (On closer inspection the piece was not twelve yards but six - they left the labels on but cut out six yards from the center of the bolt - a little bit of a problem here concerning honesty). When you "discuss" the price with some vendors, with the flick of the wrist they send you on your way. The woman we talked to agreed to a lower amount but then acted as if we were the enemy, spitting on the ground as we left. She was upset when I was dumb enough to pay for what I thought was twelve yards and get six. The fabric is manufactured using a process called "Finex wax - guaranteed wax blocked print". One sister told the story that the Dutch developed the method of printing on fabric but failed to attract any interest in Western European countries like Belgium and France. So the Dutch shipped the fabric to the colonies in Africa where it became a huge success and is today. The Africans have added their own style with bold colors and prints, some leaning to the garish.

The third stop was the "thieves market", land of the gaudy, shoddy trinket trade. They sell "paintings", (I was going to call it art but there isn't much there to call art). Our outing ended abruptly when Mark had another attack of pain in his side. We have spent the rest of the day at home working on this and that. 

I forgot there was another stop, Bononos, a gallery that has legitimately beautiful African crafts and some ancient artifacts for sale but way too expensive for this Smith couple.

 

Sunday, August 25

We attend church in a building next to the office where we work (just in front of our buildings the Kinshasa Temple will be built). We were asked to go to that ward because it is within the boundaries of that ward. At one time they assigned couples to be member support to branches far afield but it was too hard and dangerous for the couples to drive that far. The members in those branches would let them do all the work as well as request "help" constantly. We see that some here with people hanging around the church coming up to us and in a pleading voice, asking us for help (which means money) to take a transport.

Elder Carl B. Cook, a member of the Presidency of the Africa Southeast Area will be here this week. The members are always so excited to have a "General Authority" visit. The members were advised that they had to be in their seats thirty minutes before the meeting times. The custodial/groundskeepers have been working hard to plant new flowers around the two buildings and get things clean, clean, clean. (I wonder what it will be like when Elder Bednar, an Apostle, comes in November.)