Congo's Extravagant Millionaires: The Crazy Lives of Africa's Ultra-Rich | Documentary

with a population of 14 million Kinshasa is the largest french-speaking city in the world the streets are full of activity many people get up very early at around 5 a.m and take on several jobs during the day to get by [Music] they could be couriers sweepers maggot sellers at midday they count their money often dreaming of making a fortune a millionaire yeah they even dream of wealth in this slum like 80 of its inhabitants [Applause] a bear a fisherman lives on less than one pound fifty per day the country's richest people live just opposite him come on this apartment complex is reserved for the new upper class and of course the millionaires of the Democratic Republic of Congo it's impossible for anyone from the outside to get in Pupa is one of these hugely wealthy people that the rest of the country dreams of becoming is the most famous singer in the Democratic Republic of Congo he performs all over the world with International stars and he is a multi-millionaire my guy I love you too he has just invested over six hundred thousand pounds for his new home and this Riverside estate foreign just a few bricks makes this Californian style villa which stands out hugely here in the Congo the eighth poorest country in the world his neighbors are lawyers financiers or entrepreneurs who have made their Fortune selling raw materials which the rest of the world is snapping up the Congo's underground reserves are full of wealth and boost the economy these people are very wealthy they could live in London or Miami but they've chosen to stay here Folly likes to relax far away from the hustle and bustle of the city center the Congo River one of the longest in the world is the city's playground [Music] but it's also a source of livelihood for fishermen who have quickly recognized foreign [Music] Folly gets a poor employee to distribute a few notes among them [Music] [Music] it's the equivalent of six pounds per fisherman which is the same as an entire working week foreign there are already 600 millionaires like Valley in the Congo the Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest country in central Africa it's four times the size of France it has been ravaged repeatedly by War for almost 60 years which has resulted in over 6 million deaths the country is also under a dictatorship wobutu says a Seiko nicknamed The Leopard of Zaire was in power for 32 years while ruling the country with an iron fist he embezzled 4 billion pounds in 1996 a civil war broke out militias supported by neighboring countries enlisted thousands of child soldiers to try and seize the country's wealth wabutu meanwhile eventually died in Exxon today entire regions are still unstable in this huge country everything still needs to be built and some businessmen make their Fortune amid this chaos [Music] Eric has a huge project at the end of this extremely dangerous road he is erecting a huge Dam to provide the population with electricity in the east of the country the Great Lakes region is one of its most beautiful areas but also one of the most dangerous in Africa having been an almost permanent War for over 20 years Robert a former Rebel leader has become a businessman he is also a politicians business Robert built his fortune in cool tan mines this is an essential ore for the manufacturing of mobile phones a small town has been created thanks to this businessman's employment and every day three thousand miners also dream of a better life [Music] the Congo's underground wealth has really boosted the economy an upper Clash is emerging and in Kinshasa the capital new products are appearing it's about twenty dollars but the majority of the population is still extremely poor with such disadvantage these people find refuge in religion which provides a windfall for corrupt pastors who have practically become Stars by selling miracle cures at a high price travel to one of the most chaotic countries in Africa to understand how its people manage to get by and sometimes even manage to build huge fortunes the roads resemble like battered tracks they are difficult to navigate [Music] each mess a young woman is fighting for her future she is called okembi [Music] oh yeah this is what foreign [Music] her ability to traffic a put a bit of pressure on her [Music] please applied for a job as a driver in a startup company the company was created by a Congolese businesswoman who wants to lift women out of poverty and is recognizable by its pink cars okembi was a nurse until this point if she passes the test she will triple her salary raising it to 200 pounds per month foreign character right until the end but it will be a few days until she finds out if she has got the job there are already about 15 cars in the company's car park the startup wants to create high-end services for the middle and upper class there are drinks cakes and even a Wi-Fi connection to allow clients to work while they sit in kinshasa's traffic jams [Music] Patricia is a businesswoman who wants to promote female integration after studying in South Africa she returned to the Congo she has created her driver service with the help of investors she also supports new businesses launched by women foreign that the Democratic Republic of Congo can take off foreign just like Patricia and her who are banking on the future of their country many Congolese people return to work and invest in their country after years of living abroad especially in Europe or the United States these repatriates as they are called live in Secure areas where they can find all of the Comforts that they were used to abroad [Music] the complex of high-end apartment buildings and Villas extend over 300 hectares and two new people are moving in Olivier and Naomi a few days ago they were still living in Johannesburg South Africa [Music] Olivier and Naomi work in finance they decided to return to their country because there are new professional activities and luxury residences like these until it is and it has a breathtaking view of the Congo River Olivier and Naomi got married in Kinshasa just three days ago and they want to start their family here the couple earned 3 000 pounds a month which is over 100 times the average salary the rent alone costs almost 1 000 pounds but that's the price you pay for security I'm in a place where we might get other people on the streets and they don't have to worry about air production noise pollution they can do their homework in peace it's also very much about the environment but also yes it is a whole lot safer than the inner city foreign [Music] have found their Safe Haven yes demand to live in this new residence is growing eventually the fluv will have more than 2 000 homes including that of the singer Fally ipupas [Music] in a large house which he has rented as the backdrop of his new music video [Music] the extras are dressed up as Congolese Warriors the day starts well for Valley but all of a sudden the Music Stops for there has been a power cut in the area Folly and his team are stuck [Music] a technician manages to get his hands on a generator but that quickly breaks down too Folly is desperate even though he is used to such disappointment [Music] 's assistant uses the car's sound system to finish filming the clip patchwork thanks to this trick shooting can finish without a hitch in his 20-year career Folly has earned several million pounds he has had a huge success which is not necessarily an anomaly in this country Congo's underground is rich in minerals which have helped make the fortune of several well-advised men one of the main resources is kotan which once it's been transformed is used in the manufacturing of mobile phones the mines are in the Great Lakes region in the east of the country on the Rwandan border and Goma the capital of North kevu conflicts have been raging for over 20 years armed groups are trying to seize the land's wealth U.N permanently deploy 16 000 peacekeepers to maintain a semblance of Peace in the region the region is very poor traumatized by successive rebellions and massacres those who have made their Fortune especially in raw materials live in the luxurious Lake evil one of the Region's most important businessmen lives in this huge Villa there is a watchtower with a huge police presence at the entrance it's a true Fortress its owner has several tens of millions of pounds replay is the king of the koltan mines he has had an eventful life formally he was a rebel leader today he is a businessman and also a member of the Micey Parliament a district near tagoma the business even admits that his power has helped him to become an owner of some of these mines is also the president of one of the largest corporations extracting quotient in this region he is always escorted by armed guards as he regularly receives threats social activities the building does not pay for the mine but the Cooperative earns millions in turnover every year [Music] production over the last few days and the numbers are pretty good prefers to remain discreet these last few days the mines have given a lot to the cooperative and to their owners almost 2 million pounds the businessman employs 3 000 people to achieve these results he claims to be a faultless boss helmets boots and masks are mandatory in the mines to ensure the workers safety in fact the site could be a model example for the region [Music] these mines are situated 60 kilometers from Goma in a beautiful region of North kivu with hills and pastures as far as the eye can see [Music] it is also one of the most dangerous regions in Africa it has been at War for over 25 years [Music] in 1995 one of the worst tragedies of the 20th century broke out in Rwanda a genocide which would kill almost 1 million people hundreds of thousands of survivors fled to the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and north kivu in particular but militants who took part in the massacre joined the Exodus since then this region in the east of the Congo has been extremely volatile dozens of Rebel groups are clashing and in particular they are trying to capture some of the Congolese underground wealth laundry robertsoninga's chief engineer accompanies us to his Minds activity yet little seems to have changed in the region in recent years the road is in a terrible state every day people risk their lives in order to work our car struggles to get to the Ravine despite several attempts due to crevices full of water fatal accidents are common on this road foreign it will take us a total of five hours to travel just 60 kilometers this is ubaya a town near the mining site the town has boomed recently growing exponentially in just a few years today ten thousand people live here practically cut off from the outside world life is organized there's a sewing Workshop a hairdressers and even something that's turned its insight into a nightclub and we'll buy it everything has been created to meet the needs of the population that has come to take advantage of this new Congolese Wild West sininga's face is displayed everywhere according to laundry his loyal follower he can make all dreams possible foreign and economic Miracle seems to be taking place but upon closer look most homes are simple wooden Shacks you lives here with his wife and their three children with five people living in 15 square meters of space they are forced to be very tidy up in the other room the kitchen is attached to the family bed the couple moved here five years ago when Jill wanted to earn his fortune in the mines [Music] for now Jill only earns 5 Euros per day he works 10 kilometers from the center of rubaiya and must travel for an hour and a half to get there hundreds of cool time extraction sites surround the area jizz is called bamfu every day it filters kotan mixed with sand that is extracted from the mine is this black substance once transformed it goes into the manufacturing of microelectronic components later on Jill has to go into the mine to dig the wall is very slippery [Music] and there's no safety measure to rely on along this 15 meter descent once you've arrived at the bottom it is difficult to breathe tons of sand have already been extracted which has opened up tunnels there is no supporting structure to secure them so the risk of a landslide is very high extracts the quotient using just his hands foreign priority is given to extraction never safety there are regular accidents in these mines at laundry our guide doesn't see the problem s there are no official figures but men regularly lose their lives extracting clothes leaving we notice that some of the miners seem very young laundry seems embarrassed is Jesus 30 or so colleagues at least half don't seem to be older than teenagers this site isn't an anomaly we meet a lot of children in the region Who hide from the camera according to UNICEF mines allegedly employ forty thousand children this mineral which is generating fortunes steals these children's childhood and sometimes even their lives [Music] two months before filming a massacre took place one evening in the center of rubaya three men armed with machetes launched an attack 12 were killed including three women and a five-year-old child it was undoubtedly a settling of scores over the koltan black market that plagues the region underground reselling of quoten happens at all levels of the production chain from miners to site managers much of the product is sold illegally to avoid paying taxes to the Congolese government Goma we pose as Traders wanting to buy smuggled Corton we made an appointment with traffickers the traffickers present us with different quotes and samples to try and convince us [Music] according to these sellers the kotan comes from the place where we just left go this clotan is tax-free at this price the traffickers are responsible for delivering the goods across the Rwandan border the country is regularly accused of stimulating economic growth through smuggled raw materials from the Democratic Republic of Congo this theft takes place with the help of Congolese soldiers like this man who lets the convoys pass through weapon [Music] is like all Congolese civil servants this Soldier only gets a small salary [Music] the DRC is one of the 20 most corrupt countries on the planet in total corruption costs the Congolese State 11 billion pounds every year despite all of this trafficking the mining sector drives the drc's economy the country's economy has grown by almost six percent in 2018 thanks to this industry this economic success is showcased in Kinshasa the capital around the boulevard the 30th of June is their independence day which was granted after almost a century of Belgian rule here in the business district we find Olivier the young Banker who moved to the city de fleurve a few weeks ago with his wife Naomi I like this [Music] these pastries cost four pounds each the same price as in the UK they're a luxury in Kinshasa 21 pounds is almost the country's average salary but that doesn't seem to bother Olivier yourself although these well-paid Executives only make up a tiny part of the population new businesses are slowly but surely being set up in the city center this new clientele used to the Western Way of Life must be catered For [Music] this supermarket has adapted its stock from coffee capsules to European cheeses to cereal you can find everything here that is sold in rich countries but they have to pay a huge price for all of these imported products how many dollars that's about twenty dollars no for you twenty dollars is expensive for me I wouldn't spend a kind of money on juice [Music] products are very expensive a four pack of yogurts comes to almost eight pounds a box of cereal is 10 pounds that's three times more expensive than in the UK you know the perception to people that live in yeah gear of Congo they think war and it's been in the jungle civilized people this type of supermarket in the city center is attracting more and more well-off clients as well as those who have lived abroad like Olivier and Naomi I need to start going to the market and buying things you know in the flea market and whatnot but yeah if this didn't exist I don't know if we'd eat Naomi made sure that she eats a balanced diet because she is pregnant it will be a boy he he's due in three months it's a baby boy I'm a little bit nervous but happy at the same time I think it's just like first-time parents we've never raised another human life this is the perfect outcome for the couple who have had time to settle down I think I think little by little their apartment is becoming more homely [Music] foreign [Music] thank you for this meal thank you this meal gives them a chance to consider their child's future which will most likely be in the Democratic Republic of congoose I want him to be an entrepreneur why because I want him to be his own boss and I don't want him to to spend his life working for somebody else an entrepreneur job that young Congolese people dream of the job is demanding but the success more than makes up for it entrepreneur is celebrating an exciting new contract he is called Eric Monga this business leader is also at the top of an employer's Union Eric's friends are drinking only the best champagne they are celebrating good news the businessman has just come back from Florida in the USA where he met with investors he is in the process of convincing them to fund his project which is certainly ambitious and which will cost upwards of 250 million pounds Eric wants to construct what will be one of the Congo's largest dams today less than one in five Congolese people are connected to the electricity Network Eric is hoping to fill part of this Gap with this new projects [Music] in time Eric will improve the living conditions for some of his 81 million fellow citizens the businessman is from lumbumbashi in the south of the Congo he has made his fortune by creating a company specializing in the analysis of minerals the entrepreneur is leaving this morning for an expedition on the site of his future Dan it is 350 kilometers away Eric is looking to check the river's flow rate but the road is extremely dangerous and Eric asked his colleagues to be careful foreign there are no lights very little signage and potholes everywhere the National Road one Highway which crosses katanga is one of the most deadly roads in the country many lorries transporting minerals and chemical products use UV mining industry use this road every day drivers on this road will take any risks necessary to ensure timely delivery of their precious merchandise um the conductor food three of the 11 passengers in this vehicle were just killed just a few hours ago but that doesn't affect these drivers Eric is worried a high-speed car suddenly comes by a little too close despite the low visibility the driver goes for it after three hours of difficult driving Eric can finally breathe a sigh of relief he leaves the National Road one highway to take a long 100 kilometer track which is used far less frequently the area where he hopes to set up his dam is currently very remote in order to construct it he will have to bring workers in from far away but the challenge is worth it foreign [Laughter] in the meantime Eric has set up a small camp in the middle of nowhere which hosts a dozen engineers the employees have been living here for a year completely alone they have a water tank a generator and a small shed for tools [Music] it is [Music] despite being tired from traveling the thing at least any time he leads his team to the bank of the lufira river which runs through the dam Eric checks the height and the speed of the water the project has already successfully passed all of the feasibility tests the project will be one of the five largest in the conga with a height of 90 meters it will produce 150 megawatts of power which will be able to provide 500 000 people with electricity it will supply the equivalent of the population of Manchester the Dam's construction is expected to create almost 3 000 jobs and boost the Region's economy several large investors notably Americans have registered their interest in the project Eric hopes to gather the 250 million pounds needed for the project in the next three years Upon returning to the camp he has a small surprise for his team foreign he has asked his cook to prepare a celebratory meal of traditional dishes Eric believes that in this country one of the least developed in the world there are various opportunities for Success you just need to dare to take a leap and get started [Music] foreign [Music] by the boldness and success of entrepreneurs like Eric more and more Congolese people are throwing themselves into the world of business in a hope to escape poverty and this dream motivates thousands of women in Kinshasa every day they come at 4am from all parts of the city to stock up on bread from this wholesaler they buy whatever they can to make a living that day [Music] Marie comes here every day for the 6 a.m batch Marie was widowed six months ago and therefore has the huge responsibility of bringing enough home to feed her whole family Amazon Marie is carrying more than 15 kilograms of goods on her head she sets up her stall in a strategic location every day which will get her the most clients [Music] foreign thanks to her smile and her kindness Marie usually attracts a lot of customers [Music] Marie earns 50 pounds per day thanks to this little stand she believes in her business and dreams of opening other stands like this one she even allows herself to imagine making a fortune on there again but there's still a long way to go because be confident for a day's work is just 15 pounds and a third of this sum needs to go towards renting a small apartment with a kitchen on the landing foreign which is used as a bedroom and living room for Marie and her daughter Sarah is the youngest of her five children is salary higher than 350 pounds per month Marie could live in a bigger apartment but she would rather save money on her housing in order to fund her children's studies [Music] foreign schooling costs her 25 pounds per month but it will give them the tools they need to encourage them to dream big too [Music] foreign like 90 of Congolese people Marie and her daughter Sarah are Christians they follow the Evangelical denomination the shopkeeper visits a temple three times a week she thanks God for having Spirit her from poverty [Music] Evangelical churches thrive in the Congo much like in many other African countries and by exploiting the Congolese people's strong faith and sometimes their naivety some religious leaders have become millionaires Day morning in Kinshasa all of the Cities usually very busy main streets are strangely deserted since done tens of thousands of have been heading towards the largest stadium in central Africa [Music] a thousand attendees are not there for a football match or a huge concert they have come to hear a speech from a man who sells a juice which supposedly has extraordinary powers [Applause] the prophet [Applause] there are cameramen photographers cheerleaders policemen on alert it's the biggest event of the year it is also being broadcast live on television the star everyone is waiting for is called the prophet he lives a few kilometers away from the stadium we find him at his home where his escort is already ready and dressed impeccably his bodyguards are also his disciples [Music] the prophet Conde is this man with a floral shirt Dominique his first name created a Christian Church in the Congo which has five million followers it is a success story that could make people jealous Dominic Conde says that he regularly receives death threats yes in his living room the so-called Prophet is proud to show us his dozens of diplomas is recognized as a scientist a scholar at a universal minister of peace [Music] the prophet doesn't really respond to the question but this supposedly miraculous Jews has made him a fortune and perhaps that of his church as well his first clients are these many loyal followers it is two o'clock Dominic Conde surrounded by his arm bodyguards Lee for the stadium upon arrival the man is greeted by a cheering crowd all right before going on stage Dominic Conde greets Bruno chibala in the crowd the country's prime minister after prayers and hymns the prophet reads his sermon it is a call for everyone to keep faith in the future [Music] [Music] the apparent Prophet is a clever man he does not sell his miraculous juice in public places like this Stadium he dispenses it more discreetly and small parishes scattered around the country it is thanks to this network that he has already raked in millions of pounds a few days later Dominic Conde holds an open session in Matata in the suburbs of Kinshasa there are already more than 100 people waiting on the pavement in front of the entrance for a consultation at 11 o'clock Dominic Conde arrives in his large 4x4 worth several thousand pounds let's see all of his followers have come for his supposedly magical remedy but before being allowed to get it you must go to the cash register and make a small donation Dominic Conde meets a long line of ill people this woman suffered a brain hemorrhage a year ago applications consultations often only last a few seconds the prescription is always the same foreign once they've received a prescription the ill people are directed towards the room next door which is the pharmacy this is where you find the famous juice it is sold in small used water bottles the followers are convinced that it makes miracles happen memories [Music] [Music] it's a promise with no scientific Foundation which can be a dangerous message for ill people it costs over 10 pounds for just 500 milliliters of the juice it's a huge sum which equates to half of the average salary as a result the poorest patients share the costs for example the room is letting off a strong smell of petrol the juice is packed on site the demand is so high that Dominic Conde will soon have to begin industrial production he has just received the new packaging it mentions on the packaging that it cures diseases such as epilepsy cancer and even AIDS how does it have so much power if he could explain it would provide a divine inspiration but when we asked Dominic Conde to read to us what is written on the box he avoids reading the word AIDS um [Music] in the Congo around 400 000 people are infected with AIDS another false statement that the prophet gives is that his Jews supposedly resurrects dead children applications while we are in his office his assistants count and stack banknotes this scammer sells tens of thousands of bottles every year and doesn't ever worry about getting caught [Music]

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Id: 3J9NjHTS60w

Length: 58min 19sec (3499 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 15 2023