It was not long after i first arrived in Kinshasa that i took my first drive along Boulevard du 30 Juin, the main road in the Congolese capital. And I quickly noticed that the Chinese are busy at widening the heavily congested road.

By Saskia Roskam

Looking at the different government buildings, banks, cemetery and everything else happening in front of me, my eyes got hold of the one tree left by the side of the road. I say this as though it still had its roots firmly in the ground, but none of this was true. All the big trees were cut down to make space for the boulevard's extra lanes.

What’s the story?
This tree had been rid of its branches and was leaning onto the adjacent golf course. I asked my colleague what the story was and he couldn't tell me anything aside from the fact that it had been there for the past 6 months. 

Last week, over dinner, we got talking about the Chinese presence in the DRC. I myself had already noticed the influx of Chinese here. There are Mandarin restaurants on every street corner in Kinshasa. And the usual English or French greetings from little kids changes to Chinese as well. No more high-pitched children shouting 'hello's' or 'bonjours' as you enter a village. Now it’s: Ni Hao.

Straight-lined people
Last night one of our dinner companions, who has worked for UNDP in Kinshasa for the last five years, had his own opinion of them. “They are fast. They get things done. You blink and the road has been paved. But they are very, very, straight-lined people.”

He went on to give an example. “Have you seen the one remaining cut-down tree trunk by the side of the Boulevard? It has been there for about 6 months. It happened when the trees were cut down to make space for the extra lanes on the Boulevard.”

The wrong side
“The contract stipulated that the Chinese were responsible for cutting down the trees. And they did. Yet this one tree happened to topple over to the wrong side. Smack against the fence of the Golf Course. The Chinese, are refusing to clear the tree. They read the contract which states nothing about clearing trees on someone else's property.”

He starts laughing. When I ask him how long he thinks before the tree will be cleared, he shrugs his shoulders. “It is everyone's guess. For now it is a stand-off about principles between the Golf course owners and the Chinese...”

Mystery solved
My curiosity about the Chinese in DRC will remain. When I get a bit more understanding of what their presence in this country (aside from the infrastructural frenzy with which they are paving the country) actually means, I'll get back to you.

Photo: Thomas Apodaca