Commuting

In the good old days people who were something in the city lived in Tunbridge Wells and would hop onto the train at 9.30 and be back by 7.00 at the latest. Meanwhile their clerks and similar minions would start earlier, but their day was probably not longer as they only had to catch the tube from Bethnal Green or Southwark.

In Kinshasa it is quite the opposite. The rich live only a few minutes drive from their workplace, whereas the poor have a commute of mind-blowing struggle. Many – in fact most – cannot afford the bus fares so must walk. And while finding a place to stay near town is possible the rents are too high. So they have no choice but to stay in a little shack 15 or 20 kilometres from the city centre.

And getting to work: how else but walking? They cannot afford shared taxis or buses. And so it is, that when you drive out to the airport for an evening flight to Europe, what you see is a mass of walking humanity. There are so many people they cannot fit onto the pavements, and, much to the anger of the drivers, spill out onto the road. You can hoot all you like, but not many will get out of the way. You can understand that attitude – they have at least as much moral right to the road space as a well-paid international civil servant in a car.

So their daily life goes like this:

Get up at 4.00. Have a basic breakfast and leave at 4.45. Arrive at workplace 8.00. Leave work at 5.00. Get home at 8.00 or 8.30. Go to bed at 9.00.

Even if you’re not walking, for many this routine is about the same. Our driver has to set aside at least three hours to get to work, and even though he can afford buses or shared taxis, because the traffic is so bad it’s not much faster than walking.

Is this life really worth it? Surely life in the village is much better than this? One would certainly think so. But from talking to people you learn that they have a different perspective. For them, Kinshasa is a step upwards, the opportunity to maybe get a good job and start to save money. What’s more the schools, poor though they are, are better than most in the rural areas, and the medical care is far better.

So daily life may be tough, but better than rural isolation.