Brazzaville 2

6 February, 2019

The word 'pleasant' can hardly be used to describe the experience of being in several other cities in Africa, but for this city it is a word that can fairly be used. My stay here has been an unmitigatedly pleasant experience so far. 

The whole country, The Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), is sparsely populated, with a population of only 5.2 million, of whom 1.37 million live in the capital Brazzaville. Kinshasa, which the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is located just across the river (the Congo River) from where I am seated typing this. I can stare at the city of Kinshasa (Africa's third most populous) by just raising my head. Kinshasa's population alone is more than twice that of the whole country of Congo Brazzaville.

Population density for most of the city of Brazzaville in my estimation would be around 20-25 people per sq km on average. I have seen no crowds anywhere, but lots of open spaces, well tended gardens in public spaces like parks, ornate roundabouts (rondpoints), with fountains and statues of eminent people. 

I'm sure that there are aspects of the city that a visitor like myself here for the first time and only for a relatively short period will not be privy to. Those who live and work here permanently are better placed to give a more accurate report. Also, comments I have elicited so far from my contacts here would seem to suggest that they believe their lives aren't that great, and could be much better if they lived elsewhere. But I put this down to that 'the grass is greener on the other side' syndrome that many of us suffer without full appreciation of what we do have and enjoy where we are at present. 

The day-to-day living conditions for the ordinary Brazzaville resident for example, are better than those of the ordinary Nairobi, Accra or Lagos resident by far, who everyday has to contend with difficult and stressful traffic conditions, overcrowding, especially in Lagos, high crime rates, and so on. This is not to say that these are not relevant to Brazzaville also, but even if they were, it is to a much lesser degree and lower scale. And this not only because of the city's relatively smaller population and size, but because of just how well organised and well run the place is. 

Everything in Brazzaville seems to be working as it should, everything seems orderly. There is a noticeable absence of chaos. The taps are running (in the hotel) for example, mains water supply from the waterworks; individual private boreholes for water, familiar to most Nigerians, are unknown here. Traffic is flowing smoothly, things appear well ordered. Also, the electricity supply has been constant since I arrived. I am informed that outages when they occur are not for long, and are rare. There is no constant electricity generator noise in the background as in Lagos.

One thing I must briefly comment on though is that the experience for the African tourist in an African city is vastly different from that of the non African tourist. I have observed this everywhere I have been on the continent. I hope to be able to discuss this in more detail in a separate post at some time to come.

I write down things like this as a way to preserve my thoughts so that I can come back later to reminisce on my experiences at the time, and on how my mind reacted to those experiences. To share the thoughts on social media is a bonus. 

I like this place I am currently visiting, and I intend after this visit to visit it again in the future to explore it more deeply.