I've been reading In the Time of Madness: Indonesia on the Edge of Chaos by Richard Lloyd Parry. I haven't found it to be great writing- though I am admittedly very much near the beginning still. It has received good reviews in terms of being an accurate portrayal of a country's decent into war and strife.
So far I am feeling like it is just a string of horrible events only slightly related and without much story line. I can't put anything in context. Maybe it's coming.
What I am struck by, however, is how fast or perhaps how deeply two ethnic groups become opposed to one another. How entire groups of people can be overcome by fear and loathing to such a degree they are blinded to the humanity of the other. One reviewer on the GoodReads site mentions that current state of Indonesia being such that it is "ripe for future strife and mob mentality..." I am not exactly sure what conditions she perceives as creating a culture more likely to cave into mob mentality. It seems to me any group of people are prone to this when faced with uncertainties that have been allowed to grow to mythic proportions, i.e. the deliberate or unintentional perpetuation of ignorance about a situation of group of people deemed "the other." It could happen anywhere.
And it's happening now in Kinshasa. While I can't seem to find much in the news or anywhere online (a few videos of demonstrations and the predictably disturbing graphic photos that reveal no source or caption to confirm contextual information that so often pop up on FB) word on the street is prolific. There's a fight going on between Brazza and Kin and it's not real clear who the bully is- depends on which side you're talking to.
Previously, whenever I'd heard mention of the sister cities, I'd always heard it in the context of 'we're all one country, just separated by a river. They are our brothers." Family ties have severed in what seems like a matter of weeks (actually appeared like an overnight phenomenon to me but it's probably just due to the lag time in my ability to get information from informal sources. I don't really have numerous connections. Just an American girl in Kinshasa.)
I was able to unearth a bit of history while fact searching and, as it turns out, this isn't the first time tensions have erupted between the countries. In April 2011 there was an attack on the Presidential Palace on Kinshasa- with said attackers reportedly coming from Brazzaville. While I'd heard the story at the time, what I neglected to understand was that the alleged attackers hailed from Kinshasa but had been taking refuge in the Republic of Congo. The incident brought up renewed interest in trying to have General Munene returned to Kinshasa where he is wanted to serve a life imprisonment for his part in a rebellion. Tensions go even further back to the time of DRC's first President, Joseph Kasavubu.
What has been particularly disturbing to me this round has been the surprising sentiments from people I thought I knew (realizing of course, that you can never really know someone. If there is one thing I am learning in Africa, it's this. Beyond the masks used for dance and ritual lie a myriad of socially constructed masks behind which one can never be sure what is hiding.)
Statements of outright hatred and prejudiced made against an entire country of people. After reflection, it is really not so new. When I was traveling in Guinea just after the assassination attempt of their president, it was often remarked, " Oh, you're American? Ok. Good thing you're not French." And on one occasion, "No, she's American, not French," was called across a backyard we happened to be passing through as an introduction and request for continued passage. Good thing I guess, because citizens are not separated from government policy and when in a foreign land you are no longer just your own person.
While it may be nothing new (kidnappings of foreigners across the continent serve as a daily reminder of this phenomenon- how quickly one can be turned into a pawn in the game of political chess and warfare)- it is fairly cliche to admit that because it is now something I can hear with my own ears and witness with my own eyes, it is ever more surprising.
I've heard several versions of the story- from the idea that the Kinois in Brazaville are there without proper documents and are accused of thug-like behavior and as such have been asked to leave. Only they haven't necessarily wanted to leave and haven't exactly been arrested and deported but have been beaten and even killed on the streets. A populace that has risen up and taken their frustrations into the immediacy of the moment.
This has incited Kinois both in Kinshasa and living abroad. They are rallying against the violence, calling for Congolese from Brazzaville living in Kinshasa to go back home as well. There have been threats from both sides of the river. The biggest problem seems to be no one is exactly sure how it all got started. This article suggests an affront towards President Nguesso in March, with the expulsion of the Kinois from the country as a retaliation in saving face.
In the end, it seems unlikely a true story will emerge, impossible in fact. Politics has no truth. And it is always the ordinary citizens, caught up in the uncertainties, the deceptions, and the insecurities of the 'big boys' who will suffer.
I keep hearing that voice in my head, as I sat with two best friends, one from Kinshasa, the other from Brazzaville. "We are brothers. There is no difference between us." So they said then. One can't really be sure what will happen now that the brothers are fighting.
