Rich but poor

Fifty-six years ago, our ancestors helped snatch our nation its freedom and wealth from the Belgians. They toiled their way up the mountains without taking any respites until they arrived at the top. Throughout their journey, they struggled but did not give up until they finally attained their independence in 1960. On January 17, 1961, Patrice Lumumba, our leader and hero, gave up his life for our nation. That night, Lumumba was disemboweled, dismembered, and cremated by Belgian soldiers. But despite this defeat, Lumumba had already led us to our independence, which resulted in a new nation: the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Congo, the heart of Africa, is a beautiful land full of a rich variety of flora and fauna. There, the trees are the towers of the forest green, where the apes gibber and swing with joy. It is the home of the monkeys, lions, giraffes and elephants. Our land is not just a jungle, however; it has modern cities and buildings, that bustles with diverse people with different cultural backgrounds.  The Congo river that winds throughout this land is the second largest and deepest river in the world, with the length of 2,920 miles, it discharges 1,448 cubic of water per second. Our land is also rich with minerals like cobalt, copper, diamond, and gold. Unfortunately, these resources that belong to  our nation have been so grossly mismanaged by our politicians, that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently ranked amongst the poorest nations of the world.  

We were given the gift of independence by our ancestors, but we have failed to realize that political independence has no sense without economic progress and social development.We are not pushing ourselves enough to make our nation great. Laziness, selfishness, and corruption are leading us into poverty. Our corrupt authorities often come unto opposition with multinational corporations and foreign governments, and exploit our country’s mineral resources, without any actual benefits to the Congolese citizens. As a result, the country’s infrastructure (schools, roads, power plants, and water treatment centers) are depleted. Civil servants, teachers, nurses, and other workers are not motivated to work hard because they are poorly compensated.       

  So, let us rise, Congolese! Let us unite and not allow selfishness, laziness and
poverty impede our progress. We must not allow foreign corporations and governments continue to steal our wealth. We cannot give up on this nation! Let us leave our mistakes and problems behind, and move forward with confidence and perseverance. Let us reform our political institutions to be a more organized and fair system. People must be paid equally according to their hard work. We all must be industrious to rehabilitate our infrastructure and uplift our higher education standards. We need to be loyal and love our own country and not be subservient to other nations. And, most importantly, we need to prove to the world that we are a strong nation, and that we are capable of running our own affairs, without the constant help of others.

Again, Congolese, let us rise and once again take back our rightful place amongst modern nations.