GOMA: Stories Of Strength and Sorrow From Eastern Congo
A city of more than one million people caught between volcanic
eruptions and armed conflict, Goma has come to embody the tragedy that is the
Democratic Republic of Congo. Often portrayed by outsiders as a living hell,
Goma is seen as a city of promise for many inside the country. Drawing on a
rich tapestry of personal narratives, from taxi drivers to market traders,
doctors to local humanitarian workers, Goma provides
an engaging and unconventional portrait of an African city.
In contrast to the bleak pessimism that dominates much
of the writing on Congo, Theodore Trefon and Noël Kabuyaya instead emphasize
the resilience, pragmatism, and ingenuity that characterizes so much of daily
life in Goma. Resigned and hardened by struggle, the protagonists of the book
give the impression that life is neither beautiful nor ugly, but an unending
skirmish with destiny. In doing so, they offer startling insights into the
social, cultural, and political landscape of this unique African city.
Theodore Trefon is a senior
researcher at the Belgian Royal Museum for Central Africa and a lecturer in
environmental governance at ERAIFT/ University of Kinshasa. He has published a
number of articles and books in French and English, including Congo Masquerade
and Reinventing Order in the Congo. Noël Kabuyaya is assistant professor of
human geography at the University of Kinshasa.
“In this moving and
inspiring book, Trefon and Kabuyaya finally give voice to the ordinary people
of eastern Congo. Reading these stories transported me back to Goma. Trefon and
Kabuyaya’s superb research and clear-headed writing takes us into the everyday
lives of Goma’s residents. In addition to hardship and resilience, it is by
revealing the normalcy of their lives, and our shared humanity, that the book
helps us connect with its protagonists. News from the DRC is often so bleak,
outsiders wonder how ordinary folk survive. The answer lies in these
testimonies. Trefon and Kabuyaya's protagonists negotiate militiamen, lava flows,
and cholera outbreaks with humour, determination and remarkable grace. A
fascinating dissection of Goma as told through the lives of its citizens. It
reminded me why I passionately fell in love with this town. One can only
respect these life stories, which resonate like gunfire and silent screams with
Congolese readers and come closer to revealing the true state of the DRC than
the many theoretical accounts. A
masterpiece of urban sociology. Zed Books are to be congratulated for making
this outstanding book by Theodore Trefon and Noël Kabuyaya available to
English-language readers.
Compiled by OKELLO ELIOT OTWAO
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