The blog is translated to English by Veronika Molnár, Boston, USA. Many thanks for her collaboration!

Many thanks for Napelemek Ltd. for the solar panels. We were albe to charge our laptops and write our blogs

Many thanks for NOKIA for the NOKIA E71 cell phones so that we were able to send our blogs from the interior of the Congo!

September 4, 2009

Back to Budapest..

The last member of the expedition, Ildikó Szilasi, arrived in more or less good health to Budapest. The last days in Kinshasa were filled with work and illness. Luckily, everything got arranged and settled off. The only good thing about the heavy traffic towards the Ndjili airport was that there was time for last minute phone calls and thank you messages. I was busy the whole time, even on the plane, making last minute phone calls and thanking everyone who contributed to the expedition’s success. The thank you list will soon be prepared.

After being through a few medical examinations, occasional illnesses, heat waves and changes in intestinal floras, we still won’t have time to rest. We must fulfill all social obligations, which piled up during the 2 and a half months. After all that, we will immediately start processing the data. There are 32 hours of film material, Attila Lóránt’s several thousands photographs, 3 booklets worth of notes and countless anthropologic observations in our heads that we must organize and process.

We believe that the data and information we arrived home with is very valuable and praiseworthy. Thus, it’s worth sharing and presenting to the public. To the best of our ability, we promise to do this in a way that everyone finds appealing and interesting!

We would like to give our thanks again to our friends, and to our financial and professional supporters. Thanks to all those who contributed in some way before, during or after the completion of the trip. The expedition wouldn’t have been possible without it all!

The full thank you list will be prepared shortly. We will give it much care and attention, to make sure no one is forgotten or left out. Until then, we prepared a list / word bank, that will give insight and more perspective to the many peculiar situations we’ve been through.

TORDAY-CONGO EXPEDITION’S WORD BANK

Execeter: Imported from Argentina… a spam (canned beef). Suited for human consumption. Execeter-creme á la Dávid: If you are utterly tired of the tasteless Execeter, slice an eggplant into tiny pieces, mix with garlic and add a touch of mayonnaise. Excellent meal!

Rio: Imported canned beef spam. Not suitable for human consumption.

Beauty March in Paradise!: We found our way out of the Kuba Kingdom’s jungle and are in a calm lodging in Kananga. José (our driver), Attila, Dávid and I decided to take a nice evening walk in the city. We walked up and down the narrow streets of Kananga. We peeked in houses as we passed them by. Very pleasant. Bright colors and lively smells. The locals are easy going and don’t approach us rudely. It’s impossible to get tired of the scenery; we are in a marvelous “movie”. As Dávid put it: while he’s filming he could never really enjoy and be part of Africa since he had to pay so much attention to the camera’s composition and color effects. Now he was free though, and could observe it all. Beauty march in paradise- José wore a black sleeveless shirt that wrapped tightly around his body, with jeans, and a thick, studded leather armband around his shoulder. Christian music with Allelujah!followed our march with his oversized, big battery powered radio...

Mzungu (white in suaheli language), Mutoke (white in tchiluba language), Mundele (white in lingala language), Beyonce (American pop-singer), “The Belgians”, “The Chinese”, Bruce Lee…. These are just a few examples of how the Congolese referred to us. Our favorite and most memorable moment was when a young boy from the heart of Congo called Ildikó  Beyonce. Hooray for globalization!

Károly: The simplified, easy to memorize, Hungarian version of our Congolese team mate’s name: Charles Ngwabwanyi Kunda (anthropologist, IMNC).

Crisis Word Bank: Unfortunately there were some unavoidable critical moments during the expedition. There were times when we lost something, something broke, couldn’t get fixed, or couldn’t find solutions. Sándor Fábry introduced us to the use of the Crisis Word Bank in our everyday lives. Listed below are a few examples of this:

• “Gasoline Crisis”: We ran out of gas during the trip between Gungu and Lukamba. We got cheated on at the gas station… It was the only time in 2 months that we weren’t present and carefully watching every move of theirs at the station.
• “Tsetse Fly Crisis”: Sailing on the Congo River, a Tsetse fly causes alarm and fright. It is a carrier of the tropical sleeping sickness disease. It transmits the disease by bite causing fever and chills and eventually leads to extreme lethargy and death. Someone fetches a wet towel and with forceful blows, tries to swap the parasite. This was our first encounter with the Tsetse fly, during this calm afternoon when we were peacefully sailing on the river. The 3 cm long fly placidly landed on Sándor Fábry’s light colored shirt.
• “Snake Crisis”: Passing through the trail, Papa Joseph suddenly clubbed a poisonous snake meters in front of us/ We were walking home from Dávid’s malaria test, taking a shortcut on a small path to Misumba Parish. Understandably, although it was much longer, we continued our walk on a main road in the village./ In Gungu, Ildikó was on the lookout and very cautious, using a large flashlight to get to the tropical toilet.
• “Malaron Crisis”: When the malaria medication is nowhere to be found.

Users Manual to tropical toilets and showers:

• It’s best to use the lavatory while it’s light outside
• Before entering: Check for spiders, snakes and other insects. If there are too many dead flies, do your business next to the toilet instead.
• Carefully examine the water you brought / received in the bucket for cleaning. Don’t bother checking the temperature; it’s going to be freezing no matter what. --If it’s dark outside, use a flashlight or candle to assess the water quality. If there are unidentifiable objects swimming around in it, use the water for cleaning only under your thighs and between the neck and waist. For the rest, use a separate cloth.
• Make sure the lighting is discreet. A white ass is always striking, even from 3 km away.
• Don’t be shocked if a group accompanies you to the toilet or if mama prepares you a nice little stool to put your belongings on. Before you start to use it, you find out that the stool is not for you - she brought it for herself, for her own comfort, so she can view you and carefully observe you while showering, paying close attention to your every little biological detail. This is a true story...

Acknowledgements:
Coming soon!

August 27, 2009

Kinshasa

We are in Kinshasa for a week now. There is internet and electricity, and I have plenty of time. Yet, I didn't update the blog; I had no idea what to write. I was simply inarticulate. Our minds and hearts are overflowing with emotions. There are no words to describe how we feel, what we saw, and what we've been through.

It's soon over. The Torday expedition is almost completed. The idea spurred up years ago, and since then, many people worked extremely hard for it to become reality. All of a sudden, the voyage became possible and before we realized we were on our way. But by now, we feel empty and illusional. Everything occurred too fast, almost as if nothing had happened. Yet, we still continue to work hard. To the best of our abilities we would like to share, explain and display our findings and experiences through photographs, films and books.

Until then, we have a long journey ahead of us. Tteh team, Attila Lóránt and Dávid Reisinger safely arrived back to Hungary yesterday at noon. I still have a week left here. I will fly home next Wednesday.

It's time to get home.

The Torday-Congo Expedition required an incredible amount of work and might, and drained a good deal of energy out of everyone. I would like to speak for myself in the following lines. I had a wonderful time, despite occasional difficulties. I strongly believe that we will arrive home with very valuable information and materials. It would be a shame not to continue our work on this expedition once we're home.

Yet, we can't deny that we did get ill and worn out. Last Friday we had a regular doctors check up. The results can't be kept secret. Aren't blogs supposed to be honest? I mean, we did wait a few days to share the results, just so friends and relatives don't get too alarmed. But all three of us have / had malaria, a urinary tract infection, and tape worms. We conscientiously took our prescribed medications and antibiotics. Although Dávid's last sentence at the airport before take off was, "I forgot to take my de-worming medicine!" We weren't ourselves, our minds were cloudy and our work was only half-effective. Personally, I am symptomless but noticeably weaker. I hope the boys are doing well back home. Thinking of them a lot.

I read in the African-Hungarian Association's newsletter that Attila will be the weekly guest of AfriCafe radio show! Let's all listen to him (I'll try my best from Congo as well) on RadioCafe 98.6 between 11-12 on Sunday.

2009 August 17, Misumba

In Misumba, at the Bangongo

We were reakky busy during the last  days. We’ve travelled to such remote areas where there were no modes of communication besides satelliteThuraya telephones.

Misumba held way more significance (both to Emil Torday and to the crew of the expedition) that a brief summary of it sent through our phones would not suffice.

Misumba’s importance can be explained by the fact that its a part of the Kuba Kingdom but is settled by the Bangongo sub-tribe, who differ from the kingdom’s clan. We are honored to be walking along the same streets Torday did 100 years ago, especially because it is an important eastern province of the Kuba Kingdom. Among Torday’s many writings, he described Misumba as the following: "the village is split in two parts by a straight and wide road. The people work hard all day; the children collect and sort out raffia stacks and the grown ups weave, or work on whatever their specialty is..."  When we arrived to Misumba, exactly where Torday spent some time, we instantly related to his writings. We saw the hard working people, the dried up palm tree leaves on the top of the huts and people weaving and decorating the raffia. However, we saw much more than this. There was the Catholic mission house, police department, governing office building and the right and left part of town’s chiefs. Further on, the constant presence of the king’s officers reminded us of the kingdom’s unity. We met and honored the main chief of the village by greeting him with 6 claps. This man is very knowledgeable about the area’s history (through the aid of the storyteller, Bilumbu) and he is skilled in making sure his people remain true to their old customs and beliefs. We observed how hard it is for the king and village chiefs to coexist and share their power. Attila added many photos to his collection and although David had some difficulties, he did his job by creating some interesting reports. One of them was about the recent revival in the religious movement of the belief in fetishism and animism. It also includes what the Catholic Pope’s opinion is on this topic. Our token and ornament collection is also growing, but interestingly enough, not with the types of objects Torday collected during his stay in Misumba. It is unfortunate that we can only send such a short blog entry from our Nokia mobile phones. We left Misumba and are on our way towards Kananga. Hopefully we will find a way to send a longer blog entry from there.

Cusious children surround us in Misumba

Child wearing a mask

Attila and the chief of the right village


Boy singing happily

Attila and David making portraits


As adults do it...drum made by children

Collecting object. Next to Ildiko Charles, anthropolist of the National Museum of Congo

Posing for a photogaph with the police chief of Misumba


Before leaving Misumba


Attila wearing a Kuba cap and in hand with a "tatu"

Road difficulties between Mushenge-Misumba

August 19, 2009. Kananga

Mutoke, Moyo!- White,hello! (in tchiluba language)

Yesterday morning we arrived in Kananga, the central city of the Kasai Occidental province. "We are now in Kananga" - announced Jules, the van's driver. We then peeked out the window. No change from before; it was the usual scenery: sienna colored clay road, palm leaf roof huts, and the typical country side feeling. I already noticed the disappointment on David's face. I tried calming myself and the others that Kananga city must have airports and brick buildings as well, since it is an administrative and business center. Suddenly, we felt something unusual. The bumpy road on which we kept having to push the wobbling car forward in the deep sand slowly got more smooth. We were led onto a flat, paved one in the city. The first brick buildings appeared but turned out to be only ruins. As usual, we felt that these too, were part of a once functioning and pleasant city. We passed by broken glass windows and completely plundered buildings raided by warfare. In contrast, the educational institution made a fine display with nicely painted walls. We soon reached the center of the city. Back in the days it must have been very attractive and spacious, but presently it is just a typical urban city, looted by war. The vendors in the marketplace sell their goods on homemade tables made out of wooden planks. There were all sorts of goods and services: currency exchanges, telephone cards, cassava, corn flour, palm tree oil and fruits. We spotted the first car; besides a couple of trucks there were none to be seen until now (excluding our truck that we traveled in convoy for a short period). We finally had access to bottled water, which was important since our supplies were dwindling. We couldn't find any on the road between Misumba and Kananga, nor in towns where locals were certain there would be. In fact, we had nights when beer was the only drink we had left. We entered a gas station in downtown Kananga. It had glass windows and shelves. There was wine, champaign, canned corn, cheese and salami. Most surprisingly, they had cold beverages! We never expected to find such rarities in the heart of Congo! We enjoyed the time spent in the store, looking around. After spending many weeks in small settlements it was quite refreshing to be in a place that reminded us of home a little. By now, we are through with the hardest parts of the expedition. Our only job is to get back to Kinshasa safe and sound, and finish some last minute reports there, to make our voyage complete. Also, by now I'll admit that Dávid was our first (and hopefully last) crew member that came down with malaria, explaining his weaknesses in Misumba. Thankfully, after two days of illness and fever he more-or-less recovered. It seems the local medications worked. Dávid handled the situation very well. Let's not forget about Attila either since he went through a few very tough weeks due to diarrhea. He endured though and continued his work. What a diligent team! Lets hope both of them will feel better and regain some strength since from now on our circumstances will improve.

2009 August 12
Telephone charging, ebola

I met two men as I entered the common room in the  parish of Mweka town to charge our phones and electronics. They asked us who we are and what are we doing in the area. I also asked them a couple of questions. One of them was filling out an excel chart on his laptop. He was from Kinshasa and was an ebola researcher who travels around, keeping track and documenting recently diagnosed patients. In and around Mweka people have died from the ebola virus both this and last year. The doctor tells us that the current hypothesis is that bats are the main carriers. The sickness spreads through direct contact with a deceased animal. He described to me the procedures taken when a case of ebola virus is discovered. The first step is to isolate the patient and make sure he receives proper treatment. Meanwhile the community is notified and makes sure the body will be properly buried.
By now my phone is fully charged. I say goodbye, and leave the room. I can’t get his words out of my mind. As I wander further I realize that ebola is still a part of everyday life here...

We continued to go after the footsteps of the Hungarian descendent, African researcher, Emil Torday into the inner- Congo. We are following the trails towards Mweka, after leaving the Kuba Kingdom, Mushenge. After spending the night here, we will be prepared to head on towards east of the Kuba Kingdom to visit the ngongo sub-tribe.

Misumba was significant for Torday. This is where he healed the old storyteller, Bilumbu, who later turned out to be his most important source of information. Torday collected much about the history and origins of the Bakuba through Bilumbu. This includes the names of Kuba kings in chronological order and some treasured folklore anecdotes. We eagerly await to see whether or not we will find any Bilumbus tomorrow in Misumba.

We would like to give our thanks to all those are thinking of us from afar and support us with encouragement. It means a lot to us.

2009 August 11, Mushenge

Mushenge, Capital of the Kuba Kingdom

We’re sending the blog through our Nokia E71 cellphones that we have recieved from one of our sponsora, Nokia. (Thanks for that to Nokia,  it is a very useful equipment for us that helps to keep contact with the outside world.) There is no internet in Mushenge, capital of the Kuba Kingdom. We’re spending four days here, just where Torday completed his most notable work. In Torday’s October 1908 letter, postmarked to T.A.Joyce from Mushenge, he wrote it was the first time in three months he drank tea and ate bread with jam. ..Our own story turns out not to be any different from his. After all our difficulties, we found ourselves in an enchanted, heavenly, little paradise, under the protection of the kingdom. Our impressions are that the guest house is lovely, the food is finally pleasant and that the people are good intentioned. Mushenge is undoubtedly the most delightful and desirable place we’ve been to during the Torday-Congo Expedition.
Mushenge, the capital city of the Kuba Kingdom, is significant for the expedition, in respect for Torday, and I’ll even go further and say it’s important to Congo, Africa and the whole world. Why would I say this? Torday’s most considerable works, the monographs of the Bushongos and some ethnic descriptions were completed here during his research. Congo is the last remaining realm of Kuba Kingdom. The Bakuba art is widely considered to be among the most highly respected and important in all of Africa. What can be found here is a true rarity. It’s spectacular, even when putting it in comparison with the world. It is extraordinarily esthetic with careful embroidery and the most delicate weaving. Their wooden sculptures further prove their eminency. Basically, we are in a modern kingdom. Although outside forces and globalization have corroded society, their inner strength and virtue to stay true to traditions keeps them from changing much.
In conclusion, I hope that we will later provide much more information about the Kuba Kingdom and its art history because this is something worth spreading the word about.
We gave our sad farewells to Nsheeng, KotApe, who was Torday’s friend and the rulwe king at that time. We said goodbye to our helpers: Prince Nyimilongo, the main Queen, the King’s other dozen wives and slaves.. Farewell Mushenge. At dawn we will continue our journey to Misumba, east of the Kuba Kingdom, to the ngongo sub tribe’s territory.  We will report on our next events shortly.

Infrastructure is getting more and more difficult as we get closer to Mushenge


Mukuba woman weaving rafia cloth


Sunday church

On the way to the cemetery for the funeral


Goodbye from the Maman



Clearing corns while waiting for the reaparation of the wheel of the car


Ppsing at the Lubudji river


Ferryboat on the Lubudji river

2009 August 4, Ilebo

Gate to the Kuba Kingdom

We have reached the most exciting and interesting phase of the Torday-Congo Expedition: the gate to the Kuba Kingdom. Our destination is Mushenge and Misumba, where Emil Torday had completed some of his most significant scientific work. Unfortunately, a few problems confronted us. Prices were very high, i.e., gasoline was about USD 4/ litre. There were barely any car rentals to be found even at premium prices. From here on, the quality of the roads only got worse, eventually to the point where towns (like Misumba) could only be reached by motorbike, bicycle or by foot. Motorbikes were out of the question, since David and Attila were responsible for the valuable and fragile electronics. Finally, we found the only road accessible by car but didn't have one with which we could continue our journey. We could only hope to find a solution the next day.

2009 August 3,  Kashimba - Ilebo

Mapangu hospital

After yesterday's successful day in Kashimba, we moved on to Ilebo. On our way, we stopped in Mapangu in the modern, local hospital to interview a doctor and some patients on the difference between tribal vs. modern healing remedies. We tried to find answers to why some choose one above the other, whether the reasons are hidden behind different belief systems, economic backgrounds or social pressure. We met a family. The mom and dad were accompanying their pretty little daughter. The girl's cheeks were sunken in and her skin was lifeless and dry. Her limbs were tucked in well under a blanket...but not for long. They untucked her legs. A terrifying odor hit our noses as we took a glimpse at one of her rotting limbs. It was a very shocking experience. Worst of all, her limbs are in an irreversible and incurable stage because of the lack of money. According to the doctor, they referred the girl to the hospital years ago so she could have gotten proper treatment. Could have. Now this lovely girl is laying there deformed, sick and in pain with her parents by her side who must helplessly watch their young girl pointlessly lose her life.

After the hospital visit in Mapangu, we travelled 80 more kilometers to Ilebo in 3 hours. We were unstoppable with our rented car, as we went through the narrow, dirt path worn out by pedestrians, bicycles and motors. We couldn't drive too fast in the scrubs, since plants were scratching both sides of the car. The path was tilting so much; we frequently expected the car to tip over. If we pulled the windows up, the heat became unbearable. If we pulled them down, the car was instantly filled with twigs and bugs. The trip became a little more tolerable after we hit Mapangu because the road from there on is a Belgian road of interest. Currently, a palm-oil plantation and factory is being rebuilt as a new investment. During Belgian colonization, the same factory was prospering beautifully. The investment will improve the community's infrastructure too.

After we found our way out of the shrubs, we sighted the Kasai River and made our way to a clearing. In sharp contrast to the city of Ilebo, there really weren't any means of transportation here, besides a couple of wooden canoes on the opposite side. Previously, we were told that there was going to be a ferryboat that could take our car over. Well.the ferry was nowhere to be found so we sent a colleague over by canoe to find the man who runs the ferries. By the time we got the message that he'll only come if we provide him with 150 liters of fuel, a hefty fee, plus two accumulators in order for him to be able to even start the junky ferry, we found ourselves stuck...on the wrong side. We had no desire to stay on the riverside, as we were all dying of thirst, hunger and impatience. We were dirty, sweaty, fatigued and itchy. No one could have taken another night in the wilderness, without showering, in a tent and in uncertainty. Thus, in despair we just headed on the canoe with a few of our most important necessities and took our way to Ilebo.

2009 August 2, Kashimba

Contemporary and traditional healing methods at the Lele

In Kashimba we examined both contemporary, and traditional healing methods. Religion, witchcraft, belief in demons, and a few interesting rituals and ceremonies are used in healing processes. Sicknesses caused by evil spirits (witches, demons, marabous and Satan) are cured by the prayers of men and women who receive special powers from God. In case of physical injuries or disabilities such as broken bones or eye infections, many choose traditional or tribal healing methods. In the village only medicinal people who specialize in curing can heal others. We interviewed some local healers, including an eye doctor and an osteopathic by trade. Since contemporary remedies are also interesting, we made an interview in a modern hospital to see what kinds of people and what reasons people have to choose traditional healers over medical hospitals. We collected fascinating information for the exhibition, book and movie. That's all under preparation.

At night we opened up an instant bag of soup farina - and as Attila put it, we sat around it like boys sit around the Messiah. Attila and David would like to give their thanks for this to Sándor Zimits since he left it with us. I'm a little less demanding when it comes to food and drinks, since I'll eat whatever I can get and I'm happy for weeks with my favorite local foods: matuluku (fried cassava), mbala (sweet potato) or makemba (fried bananas). When I come to Congo I forget my European customs and needs. I have to live without them for two months, but once I am at home I know I can go and have some cake in my favorite confectionery. I appreciate that I have such an option available to me.

One thing I'll admit is that we are overfilled with joy when we can finally drink something besides water. We have our friend from South Africa the pineapple and orange flavored "Jolly Jus syrup" powder. It doesn't taste too good and the water we drink it with is always hot but at least it brings some variety to our taste buds.

Kashimba- donating on a sunday catholic church


Kashimba- Saying goodye to our friend in Kashimba


Kashimba, night in the camp

2009 August 1, Idiofa-Kashimba

We are finishing up these lines from Idiofa. We will head on towards the Lele people after packing up in the morning. We will update our readers as soon as we have a chance. Greetings to everyone at home, in Hungary.

It was around 11 AM when we left Idiofa and took care of all our businesses, like exchanging currencies, getting gasoline, water, food and gift shopping. The destination today was the village of Kashimba at the Lele people along the Loange River. The Loange River separates the Bandundu and Kasai Occidental province. Thus, since the Torday-Congo Expedition began, we have been to 5 Congolese provinces. A staff member of the Congo National Museum, Mr. Charles, is also voyaging with us. He is very useful because he has Bashilele origins, speaks the kishilele, kikongo language, and is very familiar with local customs and traditions. He is an anthropologist and understands the neighboring kikuba language, so he is always very helpful in answering my questions and communicating with locals. We just call him Károly, in Hungarian.

The road was mostly composed of clayey soil and sand. There were both savannah and forest parts. We saw country men lumping along with severely heavy bags, large plastic buckets or locally made baskets to transport their goods. Some seemed to have been questioning the laws of physics; they tirelessly towed their bicycles along the sandy road in the burning heat, sweating all over, for several kilometers. When they reach the nearest large town (which could be up to even 50-80 km), they sell what they have. They reach above human capabilities, transporting bananas, cassavas or firewood. Then, they either buy or trade their goods in for something else with which they can return home with. We soon crossed the Loange River by ferry. To use the rusty piece of junk, not only did we have to pay for its regular use, but we had to provide the owner with gasoline too. On top of all that, we had to start its motor up by using our own car’s accumulator, which took about an hour of trying and fixing. In the end, we found our way over the river, and arrived in Kashimba. Our colleague, Károly, was greeted by his relatives and they were very welcoming towards us too. We arrived at 6 PM, so we quickly set up our tents, washed our selves, had dinner and then went to sleep. We have many plans for tomorrow.

2009 July 31, Molasa

A busy day in Molasa

We had a busy day in Molasa. We observed everything, and took pictures and videos. There were people coming from the nearby Kabuata village, too. We prepared a report with Pende mask makers and wood carvers. Due to our visit, guests came in from neighboring villages to play music and dance for us. Naturally, the Pende mbuya-masks were present. It was very interesting watching them this time, since there were some notable differences in the atmosphere and dance moves when compared to the Gungu Festival. They tirelessly played their music, energizing the mask-dancers. The liveliness of the music and dance was fascinating. We also joined their dance. I joined the women’s half-circle dance group. We danced to the repetitive beat. Plastic bottles and pots clanking made a distinctive noise. It is customary to present each other with money after a good dance. My group and I sometimes give to the best dancers and musicians in recognition. Today, even I got some money. I collected 200 francs, a part of it from the village chief. He slowly approached me during the dance. He was wearing a raw-colored, raffia skirt. He was fully decorated with items symbolizing his power: ball protector, a textile cloth around his shoulders and a fly squasher. As he got closer to me, he cleared out the path with the fly squasher and carefully placed the money in front of my feet, on the ground. I was very excited. It was a grand recognition.

After 15 hours, we were done with our job in the village. We hurriedly rushed back to the car, in hope of returning back to Idiofa before dark. We received presents from the locals such as pineapples and bananas on our way on the Bushongo-Mbongo road. It was around 7 PM when we arrived back to Idiofa. Luckily, the sisters had a generator. We gave them gasoline so we were able to charge our electronics and didn’t have to work by candle light.

2009 July 30, Molasa

A unique communication tool in Congo: the gong

“As soon as all our luggage arrived from Kikwit, we began our journey with the Babundas carrying our items along the Lubue River side, towards Dumba… The morning after, we crossed the Lubue River and spend the night there…” wrote by Hilton-Simpson, Torday’s fellow traveller in the book Lands and people of the Kasai, chapter VIII. 

“We arrived back to Alela… From there we crossed the Lubue River to another pende village, to Dumba, or in other words Molasa. This is the most eastern settlement of the Kasai province… We left Molasa on the 9th of May. The settlement is 650 meters above the river…” by Emil-Torday, Bolyongások Afrikában, Harmadik Utazás, Ismeretlen népek között

Although the distance wasn’t much, the trip took quite a long time. As we left Idiofa, we got caught in a deep, sandy road that we had to dig ourselves out from. After that, bicyclists and motor bikers kept slowing us down. Then, we were balancing the car on a very narrow path, but Jose was doing a good job driving. It seemed as if the road could vanish and turn into a deep jungle anytime. We were persistent though to get through it. We reached the Lubue River, by the Bushongo-Mbongo village. From there, we quickly repacked our most important items in a backpack and headed on towards Molasa by foot. We hired two porters to take some of our luggage. Dávid and Attila, however, never gave their important working instruments to them, they rather carried the heavy bags themselves. We roamed behind each other forming a line on the path. We crossed the Lubue River on a small, manually powered raft. It was an adventurous ride in; Molasa is 700 meters above sea-level. We were greeted with a warm welcome.

As we got onto the main road, the people curiously watched us but kept their distance. We approached the village chief’s house. His was the old, traditionally styled, cone shaped Pende hut, typical of what we saw on Torday’s photographs. The chief greeted us. We heard the gong’s noise. Even Torday mentioned the gong in his writings. It is an oversized wooden disk, which they strike only if there’s an event occurring in the village. It attracts and calls together all the villagers and on top of that, since the noise travels many kilometers it serves as an important communication tool. The gong had a very deep and distinct sound. Düdüm-düdüm-düdürü-düdüm: Guests are arriving in Molasa. There are many of them, and there is even a Congolese boy!
Their system works so well that an hour and a half after our arrival messengers from the village of Kabuata (7km away from Molasa) already arrived to greet us. The gong 100 years ago and the gong today… 100 years of similarities. The people in Molasa were very welcoming and greeted us warmly. They clapped and hurrahed at us. When guests arrive they always follow their rituals by eating walnuts and palm wine. They spill a little on the ground for the ancestors, but the rest is consumed. Very pleasant drink. They brought the palm wine out in a gourd jug and we drank it from a carved drinking cup. The locals brought us presents. We received roasted peanuts from the women, and a chicken from the chief. We prepared our tents and took a walk around the village. We talked to a few elderly people and collected some information for tomorrow.




2009 July 29, Kikwit

We arranged for everything we needed for the further trip, and filmed a last recording while leaving Kikwit. We asked the sister of one of our friends from Kinshasa to come with us for a while and help find food and water in the villages. This was a big help for me. Maman Majolina took charge feeding us twice a day. She cooks, serves, and does the dishes. She finds bathing water, buckets and smaller items that we need. Before we had her, these logistical details were my responsibility and it bothered me that I couldn’t focus enough attention to the anthropological details. Now I can pay more attention to my work and help Attila and Dávid. The group of 3, or actually 4 including Mr. Charles, often cooperate with each other. We need as much help as we can get preparing the reports on film. Attila helps out with the lighting while taking pictures. Dávid does the recording of picture and sound, so he can’t pay much attention to outside matters. I’m doing the interviews and a translator is always present. Often, we need an extra person to help us when people sit around us (we’re a pretty big deal around here) to stop people from climbing in the picture. Dávid’s task isn’t easy, but he always does a good job.
Attila and I often work together, helping each other with photography and anthropologist details. We bring each other’s attention to certain aspects and interesting facts. -Look, the village chief is wearing amulets!
-Attila, did you see that power symbol? One of the fumus is wearing a towel around his shoulders. What a status symbol!
-I took photographs of palm wine for you, Ildikó!
-Attila, could you take a picture of this object? I will send this in too.
-Did you see the cone shaped Pende hut? This is the first one we saw that really looks like the one in Torday’s photos! (We know Torday’s 2400 photos by heart.. )
This is how we work together. We are getting more pictures, more information for the book, and more of everything we will need to make this project successful.

After leaving Kikwit, we made a few stops to take some photographs. The scenery was absolutely amazing, we saw the Kwilu River, laying between high mountains. There were palm and banana trees by the shore of the river.

We returned back on the Kikwit-Gungu trail, and then turned onto Idiofa’s pathway. The sand isn’t too deep on the road so we are progressing with good pace. Idiofa is still about 80 km away. We pass by some Babunda settlements. We reached Athen or Alela- that is how they called it back in the days- when Torday was there. We took photos by a road sign with “Athen” on it, and took some by the Kancha River. Torday wrote about both these places.

“We arrived at Alela, which lies about seventy miles to the south-south-east of Kikwit, upon the fifth day after crossing Kwilu...In this part of the world there is practically no game whatsoever… The Kasai Company’s factory, Athenes, is situated only two or three hundred yards from the Babunda village of Alela, and, the European agent having allowed us the use of an empty building in which we could develop photographs, &c., we pitched our camp in the factory, going over daily to the native village to carry on our work among the people” Hilton-Simpson: Lands and People of the Kasai. Chapter VII.

We headed on towards Idiofa, right after leaving Athen. There, we spent the night at the Catholic sisters’ guestroom that was very clean and comfortable. At night we figured out our plans for tomorrow: Back in Gungu we met a journalist who offered that on his way from Gungu to Idiofa he will stop by Molasa, examine the road conditions and give news of our arrival. Molasa is about 30 km away from Idiofa.


2009 July 27-28, Kikwit

Kikwit. We found internet. We are filming, working and gaining strength for the big day tomorrow. Some last minute shopping, get the jeep, change crew members and we’re off to Idiofa, Lele, Kuba and Tetela regions! Towards Torday’s footsteps we go! It’s not easy. We have struggles everyday and we work almost continuously, excluding those few hours we sleep. The path tomorrow will be unfamiliar, even to me. Due to communication difficulties, we have no idea when we can update our readers. As soon as we can, we will give news of ourselves!

Attila Lóránt
Charles Ngwabwanyi Kunda
Dávid Reisinger
Ildikó Szilasi


2009 July 26

Re-burial in Mulele’s village

On invitation, we went over to the village of Ozom, which is where Mulele is originally from. He was responsible for the 1960’s uprising in the area. Mulele was born in Ozom. He became a politician and member of Parliament. For a while, he took a post in Kisangani. He learned the art of guerilla warfare in China to destroy the Kasavubu regime. He was a Lumumbist, and nationalist feelings led him to become a politician. He led an uprising. He encouraged the local civilians to be part of the guerilla warfare with bow and arrows, due to a lack of modern weapons. According to what the locals tell us, during the Mulele uprising, 1/3rd of the country was taken over by the general population. It is widely believed that if Mulele’s followers would have had modern weaponry, they could have easily overthrown Kasavubu’s regime. This however, never happened. Mobutu took over and Mulele fled to Brazaville, but was eventually assassinated under Mobutu’s command in Kinshasa. The Mulele uprising involved irreversible damage to the area, such as destroyed, burnt down and looted ruins everywhere. According to the locals, this area used to be ‘paradise’. Many suffered casualties, lost everything, were robbed, or forced to flee away. Those who survived were never the same again. When they returned, they realized they had nothing.

Papa Emery’s family originates from Ozom. He left his hometown before the uprising. He received his education from Kinshasa. After many years, this was the first time he returned to his hometown. He returned back to say his final goodbyes to family and friends, and give them a proper burial. After arrival, he held a ceremony. In cemeteries (every clan has its own) the people remember and pay their respect to ancestors. They list everyone’s name. Papa’s parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins had all died. “A whole generation has passed away” -he said. “Either due to the uprising or because of disease. The reason I returned was so I could give them a proper burial and say my goodbyes, in the same village where they lived and I was born. This was very important for my soul, so I could finally be in peace with what happened. By now, I have accepted my loss. But I was bothered for a very long time because it is a common belief among our people, that if you have unfinished business with one of your dead relatives, they will bring you unfortunateness in your life. This is why a ‘re-burial’ is symbolic and important. I said my goodbyes and I am in harmony with my relatives. ”
The re-burial ceremony was followed by music, singing, drinks and a dance.


2009 July 25, Lukamba

We are working under pleasant circumstances here in Lukamba. We take photos, videos, and our every need is attended to thanks to our hosts: Papa Willy Henyang and Maman Clementine. Attila takes pictures, Dávid records, and Ildikó and Charles observe, converse, take notes and collect significant items. Overall, everything is going splendid. We like Lukamba.


2009 July 24, Gungu-Lukamba

We will have to say many goodbyes in the morning, from our hosts, Catholic nuns, dancer friends, and Mr. Kibala, who helped us tremendously during the Gungu film shootings. We have to pack up, exchange money, and shop for bread, gasoline and telephone cards. These are always the typical preparations we make before traveling to very rural areas. Our destination today was Lukamba, a Bunda settlement. Torday also lived and worked with Bunda settlement.

Thankfully, 100 years after Torday, we were not faced with the same problem. The people are friendly and willing to talk and share information about their culture. Possibly this is only because I have been here in Lukamba in 2006 and left the people with pleasant memories. Plus, our host is Papa Willy Henyang himself, the President of the Lukamba Administration’s sector. He is responsible for 6 village communities and 68 villages. Thus, our welcome was very warm and pleasant. I got to stay in the same room I did 3 years ago. The boys woke at 6 in the morning to go with the villagers to film them fishing for eels, drafting palm wine, and hunting for rats. Our biological clock has completely changed. Since there is no electricity, we got used to waking up with the locals at dawn and going to sleep at 8.


2009 July 23, Gungu

The day and night face of the Gungu Festival

Last night turned out to be very long. While the Gungu Festival can only be celebrated in a certain part of town during the day, people dance and play music all around the city at night. The  evening unofficial location of celebration and get together is in front of the Museum of Ethnography of Gungu. Mr. Kibala organizes teams to gather around and dance there from 6 PM. That one is even less formal; anyone can join in the dance, and the groups perform a more free sort of choreography. All in all, this is where the culture can be best observed. There are no strict time limits, rules, or regulations during the unofficial one. Art Secret Pende revealed its most ‘secretive’ movements during presentation. To understand exactly the meaning and symbols behind their complex and interesting dance moves, we will have to continue studying these people back at home. So, why is the Pende art so secretive? In what context do they practice it in modern times vs. long ago? What are its principles? We will find answers to questions like these after the expedition. The Bapende’s initiation ceremony has three steps. After young boys receive traditional schooling and are circumcised, they return back to the village as men, following a singing&dancing ritual called Mukanda. The Mungonge and Kela is the initiation process for grown men. It involves the Bapende’s secret art forms, which is filled with mystical and magical elements such as Gitshaba (people with sticks through their chins), men holding their insides in their hands while dancing and other sorts of invisible wizardry, superhuman characters hiding behind their masks. Black magic, witchcraft and defying human laws of physics. The sacred vs the profane, the mortal vs immortal, existence vs afterlife, and visible vs invisible are all symbolically present during these performances. Personally, I find the wizard dance to be the most interesting. It was an open air show that lasted 30-40 minutes and was full of actors wearing masks. This performance represented to me everything that I have seen and heard about witchcraft in Congo including the man believing himself to be living in a world of sorcery as a soldier, flying witches, and where cannibalism is still common.

Today is the closing day of the 9th annual Gungu National Festival. Dignitaries made closing speeches, for example Ann Gizenga Mbuba, main sponsor of the event; the Minister of Culture; and the main organizer Cordo Safu. After the speeches, winners were announced in several categories: the most original, most creative, most traditional and the best prize, the Gitenga! Special awards were given to the pigmy tribe coming from Maniema Province and Mbandaka. They performed well and really came a long way to attend and enhance this national festival. Eight out of eleven provinces in DR Congo were represented. Approximately 3000 dancers and singers performed from the twenty different tribes. Although the 9th annual Gungu Festival has come to an end, we still have a lot of work. We already interviewed the winning teams, organizers, participating locals and politicians. We particularly enjoyed interviewing Madame Anne Gizenga. Our film will follow.


2009 July 22, Gungu

Second day of the Gungu Festival. WOW! The few lines in this blog is not nearly enough to fully share what we see and feel. Hopefully, we will be able to share it all through films, and Attila’s fantastic photographs and captions.
Some colleagues will leave towards Kikwit today to get to Kinshasa and arrive to Budapest on the 27th.

We are sending the blog back home with them, because we don’t have internet access here.

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THEM AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO CONTRIBUTED IN ANY WAY TOWARDS THE SUCCESS OF THE TORDAY-CONGO EXPEDITION. I AM ALMOST POSITIVE THAT I WILL FORGET SOMEONE, IT WON’T BE INTENTIONAL, PLEASE WAIT FOR THE FULL LIST I WILL WRITE AT HOME IN BETTER CIRCUMSTANCES.

THANK YOU --- GRAND MERCI --- MATONDO MINGI:

TO THE CREW MEMBERS: Sándor Balogh, Charles Ngwabwanyi Kunda, Sándor Fábry, Attila Lóránt, Dávid Reisinger, Judit Szerbin, Sándor Zimits.

The Congolese helpers: Balázs Lukács, Gábor Kiss, Gábor Müller, József Kovács, Prof. Lofoli, Mr. Thetika, Mr. Kibala, Joseph Ibongo, Mr. Sabin, Alex, Madame Micheline, Charles, Franklin, Louison, Stephanie and I could go on with the list…

To all our sponsors and professional advisors at home, and internationally. Primarily the African-Hungarian Union.

TO ALL OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

Anyone, who helped us in any way... even by a reassuring smile or kind words!

MERCI MINGI!

The rest of the crew leaves today for Kinshasa. The group of 4 stays until early September. We progress deeper and deeper into the heart of Congo and continue our journey, following Torday’s footsteps towards the East, to the Bunda, Pende, Kubas people!

We will give news of ourselves as soon as possible!

Best wishes from Congo:

Ildikó Szilasi, anthropologist

organizer, anthropologist

2009 July 21, Gungu

The Gungu National Art Festival

This is possibly the best day of the expedition until now...The air is buzzing with art, visual stimulation, dance, music, joy...the festival begins. The red and white paint is used up fast as the dancers are decorating their feathers, raffias, ribbons and ankle bells, all made of native fibers and woven textile. The Gungu festival begins with an official opening speech at 12:39 PM. This is about 2,5 hour delay, but that doesn't bother us since we are having a good time. The weather is quite pleasant and the people in Congo are really good in making harmony between the decoration and costumes and the protocol for the guests. It is a pleasure to see all the custom made materials, uniform T-shirts and badges that were made for the 9th Gungu Festival. Most of the decoration, including the chairs are blue, since that is the official color of the communication giant Vodacom, the main sponsor of the event. During the opening ceremony we get to listen to the Governor of Bandundu County, the Cultural Minister, a representative from Vodacom, and last but not least the festival's guest of honor, Madame Anne Gizenga.

This festival started out as a small, local event, but soon became a regional and national one. Today, we can start to call it an international festival, since the even more distinguished guest list includes delegations from foreign countries as well. There are 6 visitors from Belgium, 6 visitors from Hungary and 2 of Korean origin. The locals treat us with the usual curiosity. Actually there are about 30 inquisitive kids peeking through the fence to see the white people as I am writing these lines. Following the opening speeches, all the dancing groups line up. It takes them a while to walk around the arena, dancing, singing, making music like a thick, colorful whirlwind. The bodies of men and women are painted red, blue and are polka-dotted. On top of that, some are on stilts, and some wear all sorts of colorful dresses and hats made of raffia and feather in a million styles. They came from all over the Democratic Republic of Congo; from the North Kisangani and a pigmeus group from Mbandaka. The regional Bapende dancers lined up as village groups. Groups from Kinshasa, Idiofa, and Bandundu were also represented. The dance rituals and choreographies such as the Bapende, Babunda, Bayanzi, Wangongo, Bambala and Őigmy are all very typical to their individual cultures.
The point of the festival is entertainment and keeping traditions alive. All the performed dances, songs, musics and the costumes are supposed to reflect back on the past. The tribes build upon their old traditions and transform them into modern day attractions. The Gungu Festival is a perfect example of this transformation. The change can be observed in the difference of how they prepare for the rituals, context, clothing and accessory wise.
There is no doubt that this is all very precious and wonderful. We closely observe the groups’ 20-25 minute introductions. Meanwhile, we try to understand the numerous symbols, cultural analogies and elements that one would not particularly notice without paying close attention to the details. The truth is that there is much more behind the seemingly interesting and enjoyable shows presented at the Gungu Festival. More information about these hidden details will be available after our expedition in books, films and exhibitions.

The group performances lasted until 3 p.m. on the first day. After that, we took a visit to the Ethnography Museum of Gungu to visit our friend, Mr. Kibala, president of the Art Secret Pende movement. The writer of these lines discovered the Ethnography Museum og Gungu in 2006 and has been keeping contact with Mr Kibala ever since. Even back then I was amazed by what a large and rich collection this small museum had. That is when I became an honorary member of the Art Secret Pende. Since then, there hasn’t been a month when I haven’t kept in touch with Mr Kibala. There hasn’t been one year that I wasn’t planning to return back in time for the Gungu Festival. Unfortunately, until now I haven’t been able to make it. Thus, it filled me with incredible joy to be able to return this year, meet Mr Kibala and re-read my 2006 entry in their guestbook. It seems that the rest of the crew greatly enjoyed their first day as well at the first day of the Gungu Festival and at the Museum.


2009 July 19, Kikwit-Gungu

We woke up at 6, packed up, got our bags together, and tied them on top of the Nissan jeep. Our breakfast consisted of the usual: bread and butter, salami and tea or coffee. We were on our way to Kikwit. The roads were very good quality and we progressed well. The scenery was stunning, although the villages were quite monotone. Our arrival at Kikwit was around 11 o'clock. We were expecting a phone call from Sorel Kembe and Dora Behumi from the AfriCafe program from RadioCafe 98.6, which is sponsored by AHU. We made a test call; the line was perfect. Three minutes later, the real call came but unfortunately that time we got disconnected. The next time we got a perfect line again, but communicating wasn't easy. It was not just the background noise but I was tired and I had to realize I wasn't used to speaking in Hungarian. We also had to buy gasoline, top up our phone cards and buy drinking water and food. It seemed to be difficult to buy 5 plates, 4 cups, and a few utensils in a town of 150,000. The best we could do was find some plastic cutlery, nothing else. True, it was Sunday.
According to our plans, we will have to send back our rented Nissan Patrol to Kinshasa on the 24th so 2 members of our party will catch their flight on the 26th. Although we already started looking for another jeep, they decided to take a plane from Kikwit to Kinshasa.
We were ready to leave Kikwit at 3 PM for Gungu. Kikwit is actually 520 km away from Kinshasa. The first 102 km of the road was in decent shape we went 80-100 km per hour, which felt like flying. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. We crossed over Kwilu, along a hillside banana plantation, steep roads, green scenery and followed the Kwilu River. Soon we spotted billboards for the Gungu Festival, and followed the signs for about 40km on a sandy road to Gungu. We had two flat tires. The second time, a crowd gathered around us. Suddenly, Judit, Sandor and David started playing football with a young boy and spectators started cheering. They enjoyed watching 3 'mundeles' vs the boy.
Our trip was put on hold a few km before Gungu because the ferry was not working. They told us we would have to spend the night where we were. Among those waiting for the ferry there was a high ranking military officer of the Congolese army. He was very angry because despite sending a message ahead there was no one to meet him and his family for hours. Suddenly, a truck load of military band soldiers arrived. We were waiting for them to do something. During our wait, Attila analyzed the situation and determined that this was the kind of festival it's impossible to get to. Ildiko summarizes the situation with the sentence she heard many times before, "Anything is possible in Congo".
The ferry arrived. We crossed the Kwilu River with a truck load of soldiers who were very nice to us. We arrived at Gungu at 10 PM. By the time we settled in our hotel it was  almost midnight. Time to go to sleep. Tomorrow starts the Gungu Festival.

2009 July 17, Mosenge

Mamiso! Mamiso! Mamiso!

Instead of the planned 2:30 hours, it took us 6 hours to get to Mosenge from Masi Manimba.  The road was terrible, it was unpaved, bumpy, and narrow. In front of us, 6 strong men rode on top of the Nissan pickup. They were there just for emergencies, in case we needed them to dig out the cars with their shovels. So a few times, they did come in handy.

Back in Kinshasa, we met Madame Micheline Kulumba, a Parliament Representative from Masi Manimba. I was referred to her while I was searching for a jeep. I told her our plans of getting to Kikwit, while making a stop at Mosenge. She looked at us with curiosity and asked, “So what do you do in my village?”

Madame Micheline Kulumba is originally from Mosenge. She worked on development projects, and lived in Paris for 3 years with her husband. She is the mother of 3 boys. Madame Micheline is very charismatic, smart and wise. She was also elected democratically by the people to be a Parliament Representative. When she heard of our arrival, she instantly offered to rent us her car and travel along with us to Mosenge. And so it happened, we all journeyed together through the Masi-Manimba to Mosenge.

We saw how highly respected and popular Madame Micheline is in the area. The villages were previously notified of her arrival. It’s always amazing to us how fast news travels in an area where there aren’t any electronic communication tools. From village to village they awaited her and greeted her with big commotion, such as clapping, singing, running after the car praising her, and waving large green palm leafs yelling: Mamiso! Mamiso! Mamiso! The villages were full of life and music, and people were singing: Madame Micheline, our representative, who is good to us, has arrived! Look everyone, give her your warmest greeting!

5 minutes by the lake

We are nearing the Mosenge Lake, which is just referred to as “the lake” by the locals. A narrow and steep dirt road leads to the lake, surrounding is a thick jungle. A young girl about 8 years old is walking towards us, holding a rusty, old pot. In it, there are around 8-10 different size little fish. There are a few black ones but those just look like leeches, and a few unidentified ones, which resemble tadpoles. I see some bugs and water spiders in the bucket as well. The little girl is carrying home part of the family’s dinner.

We get closer to the lake. An Administrative Officer of the village tells us the history of this lake. ‘Previously, a Bangongo clan lived up that hill. One day, they decided to pack up and migrate down to the valley. At that time, the valley was plagued by drought. But when they got there, suddenly water spurted out from everywhere, and washed them all away. We used to hear the washed up village’s sounds by the side of the lake. The noise of the chickens, crying babies, people talking, singing, and drumming. After dark, we always used to avoid the lake. However, when the missionaries arrived they blessed the lake and then we didn’t hear any more sounds. This is the story of the mystical origins of the lake.”

We continue towards the lake. Two canoeists appeared from the distance. One of them is strangely hanging both his feet in the water from one side of the canoe, rowing with a bamboo stick. It seems impossible. On top of that, he is singing extremely loud. He reaches shore, and continues to sing. Nothing seems to bother him. He caught a few little fish.

Our guide tells us another story about the lake: “There is a white mermaid living in there. The fishers can’t see her. She looks just like a human, and is very beautiful. Sometimes the people meet her. Our mermaid is respectful, and does no harm, not even to children.”

5 minutes by the lake.

2009 July 8, Kisangani

Filming at dawn by the Vagenyas

Dawn has reached us while we were in Kisangani. At 6 o'clock we were already on our way towards the rapids of Stanley, where we wished to film the Vagenyas. We were counting on a beautiful sunrise on the Congo and that we will be able to go out and observe the morning fishing. Unfortunately it was cloudy and foggy. The Vagenyas felt that they had to make it up to us, especially since we were an important financial source to them. Only a few national and international filming crews come to the area. The latter ones are usually tied to Henry Morton Stanley movies, which is why they travel here.

The Vagenyas presented us with two 'traditional' customs of theirs: wrestling and a canoe competing. Each used to have its own function and part back in the days among Vagenyas. Boys start wrestling at the mere age of 12. The ritual ending with their circumcision occurs after a 1-2 year preparation. This procedure happens in what is equivalent to the summer vacations for us. For the Vagenyas wrestling has multiple purposes, including entertainment, sport, conflict resolution and depending on the context it can get the Vagenyas in touch with their ancestors. Every family or community must have at least one strong man who they can present to wrestle against another family or tribe. Wrestling requires not only physical, but mental and spiritual preparations as well.  The wrestlers prepare for battle with magical materials and rituals and pray to their ancestors, expecting worship will give them strength. The canoe competitions play a role of entertainment within the tribe.
We were very lucky to be part of their important cultural transformation. We observed how they changed their rituals into fundraising touristic attractions, while remaining true to their traditions.
The filming crew was absolutely enchanted by the amazing scenery. The strong waves of the Congo, the sound of the swishing water, the Vagenyas singing during fishing and the hard work and the dynamics of the men astounded us. Attila, sitting in the least comfortable position was making the photographs, while David energetically searched for the best scenes. He also payed close attention to the camera, different positions, sounds and the microphone. Meanwhile, I collected information, asked questions and took notes.
Unfortunately we had to move on so we could reach Mbandaka by motor boat. Although we planned to leave at 9, the bureaucracy and other logistic factors held our departure back, so we could only leave at 15 o'clock.  This brought the crew's spirit down a little but as soon as we started sailing we forgot all about these problems. We gave ourselves over to the Congo river's excitements. We were overly pleased with all the colors, the scenery, closeness of the water and to the first tropical rain.


Sailing on the Congo

Today we travelled 55 km in 3,5 hours on a 10 meter long, 1,4 meters wide and double 25 horsepower boat. We are progressing a little slow when taking the miles into consideration but it appears faster while sitting on the boat. We talk and read a lot (mostly about Torday) and we observe. In the first few hours we feel we are in a movie when looking at the shore. The boat has a roof with two awnings on each side to protect us from the rain. Besides the six of us, a crew of 3 and a questionable stowaway is traveling with us. We spend the first night next to Yagombe, in a clearing. Out tents are already standing and we are preparing for dinner. The sound of the jungle is more and more distinguishable.


2009 July 7

Kinshasa - Kisangani

Tents, sleeping bags, inflatable sleeping bag pads, bug repellents, mosquito nets, medicines, few clothes and waterproof shoes. These are just some of the items in our waterproof hiking bags. We woke up in dawn, arrived to the airport at 05:45, checked in at the UN in Kinshasa - on the Kisangani route, with expected arrival 11 o'clock. Kisangani is a typical Congolese city: Similar to Kinshasa in many ways, for example the worn out colonial mansions and colorful advertisements. There are barely any cars in the city because the people get around with motors, bikes or taxis. After our arrival we tried to get our ways through the local formalities and get in touch with Mr. Kamunit, major of Makiso quarter. Our plan is to go with him to the "vagenyas", an ethnical group, consisting of approx 30.000 people who fish for a living. Mr. Kamoni recommended us to him, who is a member of the Parliament and has vagenya origins. He wrote in the reference letter that our mission is to explore Torday and that they should welcome and help us in our work. This all happened, but in contrast to the vagenyas' glorious and joyous past, they told us much about their problematic present and future. The people complained how a number of things changed in their lives, for example they can't catch as much fish in the stream as they used to be able to. Nowadays, they can't catch enough to feed even their families, not talking about having enough to sell and make some profit out of. The water level in Congo has decreased. The people disregard the law imposed that limits the amount of fish they can fish for, thus even the small fish are being eaten. Since the job opportunities decreased, more people try their chances with fishing. There are several aspects in which we saw insight to in the daily lives of the vagenyas, but we will report on these later. One thing is for certain, however. The status has changed for the once strong, noble and brave vagenya community that dedicated their lives to the river. As the vagenyas saw our Torday pictures they admitted to not being so strong as they once were.
________________________________________
2009 July 4, Kinshasa

The rest of the expedition's crew arrived on July 4th, late at night
Sándor Balogh, president of AHU
Sándor Fábry, public relations
Attila Lóránt, photographer
Dávid Reisinger, camera man
Sándor Zimits

We spend the first two days with further preparation and getting used to the environment. Although we are waiting to receive a few more authorizations, 7 of us are planning to leave tomorrow on a UN plane northeast and later boarding a ship to start our journey along the Congo River. Unfortunately, the authorizations and relevant information needed for us is not easily obtained. We received a lot of contradictory information and we need to figure out the ones closest to the truth. It is now clear that much difficulty awaits us, but we easily put that beside us due to our excitement and Congo's beauty.

The blog is translated to English by Veronika Molnár, Boston, USA. Many thanks for her collaboration!