Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic
Republic of Congo. With a population of over 14 million, itís the largest
French-speaking city in the world. The streets are
bustling with activity. Many people take on
multiple jobs to get by. Among them are couriers,
street-sweepers, maggot sellers, bread sellers, and jewelers. Each day they count their earnings,
dreaming of becoming one of Congoís super-rich. Everyone in Congo dreams of getting
rich. Thereís money if you know where to find it. But large parts of the population
live below the poverty line. Albert is a fisherman. He earns less
than one euro seventy cents per day. Just opposite from his poor
neighborhood live some of Congoís richest people. Thatís ìLa CitÈ du Fleuve.î The rich
live there. They do business deals, we catch fish. The residential complex is for
Congoís new upper class, including the countryís millionaires. Uninvited guests arenít allowed in. Fally Ipupa has the kind of life
most Congolese can only dream of. I never imagined Iíd have multiple
cars. I just wanted to sing and make a name for myself in
Kinshasa and in Africa. Fally Ipupa is the DRCís biggest star,
and heís known internationally. He is also a multi-millionaire. ant a photo? My God, I love you man! I love you too. Heís just invested more than
600,000 euros in a new home in ìLa CitÈ du Fleuve.î Are the doors open? Go on, open them! I really like being here, especially
on Sundays. I can relax here. Iíve always liked coming to the river
with my family, so I decided to put down a few bricks. Those ìfew bricksî amount to a
Californian style villa, which stands out here in the DRC, one of the
worldís poorest countries in terms of GDP per capita. It doesnít have to be that way.
With its abundance of mineral resources, the DRC could be one of
the richest countries in Africa. Mining is the countryís most
important industry. Many of Fallyís neighbors have made a fortune selling
raw materials to a resource- hungry world. Fally likes to relax away from the
hustle and bustle of the city center. The Congo River is one of the
longest in the world. For the local fishermen, itís also vital to their
livelihood. They recognize the singer immediately. They say theyíre my brothers. Iíll
give them something. Fifty bucks. Fally gets one of the marina
workers to hand out a few notes. This is a lot! We called out to him,
and he gave us fifty bucks to share amongst ourselves. Each fisherman just got the
equivalent of about seven euros, the amount theyíd
earn in a whole week. These people have different
problems than we do. They even work on Sundays. I often give them
a little something, even if itís just so they can take home a treat for
their children. Iím happy to do it. Fally Ipupa is one of about 600
millionaires in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The DRC is the largest country in
Central Africa, about six times the size of Germany. Itís home to
nearly 100 million people. Its history is one of conflict and
exploitation. The ongoing violence has resulted in six million deaths
in the past couple decades. In 1965, Mobutu Sese Seko came to
power. Nicknamed the ìLeopard of Zaire,î he ruled for nearly 32 years,
embezzling the equivalent of more than four billion euros
during his reign. In 1996 civil war broke out. Militias,
supported by neighboring countries, enlisted thousands of child soldiers
as they attempted to seize the countryís wealth. Mobutu
died a year later in exile. 2001 saw Joseph Kabila step into the
political spotlight. During his 18 years in power, he amassed an
estimated fortune of more than 13 billion euros. Because of its
instability, the DRC is today regarded as a
failed state. Weíre traveling across the
Democratic Republic of Congo to understand why some are getting
richer and richer, while others are struggling to survive. In Kinshasa, the roads are unpaved
and difficult to navigate. Amid this chaos, a young woman
named Moukembi is trying to build a future. Tell me what to do! The officers
are supposed to direct traffic but one of them says go to the left; the
other one says go to the right. What am I supposed to do? Moukembi is in the middle of a test.
In the back seat, Arnaud is evaluating how well she
navigates the traffic. Sheís clearly feeling the pressure. Youíll have to turn soon. You can
tell you donít know your way around here. Follow this car. Moukembi has applied to be a
driver at a taxi start-up. The company was founded by a
Congolese businesswoman who wants to lift women
out of poverty. The pink cars are the
serviceís trademark. Previously, Moukembi worked as a
nurse. If she passes the test, sheíll triple her salary, earning
around 250 euros per month. I canít wait to start the job.
Letís hope I pass the test. Okay, back to the office. Moukembi plays the part of a
professional chauffeur until the very end, but it will
be a few days before she finds out if sheís landed the job. The cab companyís customers
are middle and upper class. To make the time spent in
Kinshasaís traffic jams more enjoyable, passengers are offered
drinks, snacks, and even WiFi. Weíre the first to offer this. Patricia Nzolantima wants to
give women better employment opportunities. After completing her
studies, she returned to Congo and started this cab service with the
help of investors. Today, she pays it forward and supports other
female entrepreneurs. We want to have more millionaires.
Congo has more than 80 million residents, and weíre rich
in natural resources. Itís time for Congolese women to get
a piece of that wealth. Despite the instability
in the country? Give me two of those. ?Patricia believes the
economy will take off. You canít reduce Congo to rape and
wars. There are young people, especially young women, who are
trying to make real change. So itís wrong to reduce the country to
just the things that donít work. This new generation will
move the country forward. Like Patricia and her friends,
more and more Congolese people are returning from abroad to work and
invest in their homeland. These so- called ìrepatsî live in secure areas that offer a Western
standard of living. Back at La CitÈ du Fleuve, the
high-end residential complex sitting on a couple hundred hectares, two
new residents are moving in. Olivier and Naomie have just
relocated from Johannesburg, South Africa. Most important for us was the
washing machine. And the bed. The couple works in finance. New
job prospects convinced them to return to their home country. This will be the living room. The
carpet can go here. There ? the table, the TV. This will be the bedroom. The apartment also offers a great
view of the Congo River. Olivier and Naomie are newlyweds and
want to start a family here. The couple earns about 3,500 euros
per month. Thatís more than 100 times the average salary. A third of
it will go toward rent ? the steep price of security. You know, I want a place where my
kids can play in the street and they donít have to worry about
100 other people on the street, and they donít have to worry about
air pollution, noise pollution. They can do their homework in peace.
Itís also very much about the environment, but also yes, it is a
whole lot safer than the inner city. A brand-new apartment, brand new
furnishings. The next thing we need is a brand-new baby! The couple has found their safe haven. Beginning of a new life for us.
-Yes. Thereís growing demand to live
in this new residential complex. Eventually, la CitÈ du Fleuve
will have more than two thousand homes? including singer Fally Ipupaís. We meet him at an estate he rented
to film his new music video. The dancers are dressed
as Congolese warriors. The shoot is going well, until
suddenly the music stops. Thereís been a power outage in the area. Thereís no electricity. Weíre
trying to work it out. Fally and his team are stuck. Finally, a technician tracks
down an emergency generator? ?but that quickly breaks too. Fally is frustrated, even though heís
used to these sorts of challenges. You see this tattoo? It means Iím
Congolese. Iím not going to leave my country just because
of a few power outages. Eventually, Fally
Ipupaís assistant Manon tries using the carís sound system. We make do with what we have. Iíll
connect my phone to the car for now. It works, and the video
shoot can continue. In his twenty-year music career thus
far, Fally has joined the club of multi-millionaires. And the
number of members is increasing. The country is rich in minerals,
including coltan, from which tantalum is extracted.
The metal is used in the manufacture of mobile phones. The mines are in the Great Lakes
region, in the eastern part of the country, near the Rwandan border. Goma, the capital of North Kivu
province, has been shaken by bloody conflicts for more than two
decades. Armed groups fight each other for control of
the mineral resources. The UN has stationed 16,000
peacekeepers here, to shore up a fragile peace. The residents in this region are
poor and traumatized by violence. Those who have made their fortune
live along the shore of Lake Kivu. Including one of the regionís
most influential businessmen. His villa is guarded around the clock
by police. Itís like a fortress. Robert Seninga is a
multi-millionaire. Hi, how are you? His wealth comes from coltan mining.
He was once a rebel leader. In 2006, he was elected to
parliament in the Masisi district. Even when youíre a politician,
you can still do business. Robert Seninga freely admits that
political clout has helped him. He runs the mining cooperative
Cooperamma, which extracts coltan. His bodyguards
never leave his side. I ask him where we are. This is Cooperammaís headquarters.
The heart of the mineral trade. The simple building belies the
millions that Cooperamma turns over each year. Robert Seninga looks at the production
figures of the last few days. On the 6th, it was four
tons and 668 kilos. The numbers are
looking pretty good. Itís 40 tons in total. I ask how much thatís worth. A kilo is about 42 to 45 dollars.
You can do the math. In the last few days, the mines have
brought in close to two million euros. With three thousand mine
workers, Cooperamma is the regionís biggest employer. I ask if any children
work in his mines. No, thatís illegal. There are
officers who make sure they donít. Children should be in
school, not the mines. Helmets, boots and masks are
mandatory in the mines to ensure the workersí safety. According to
Seninga, the mines are seen as a model for the region. Theyíre situated about 60
kilometers from Goma, in one of the most beautiful
landscapes in Africa. But itís also among the most
dangerous regions. Conflict has raged on here for more than 20 years. In 1994, one of the worst atrocities
of the 20th century took place in neighboring Rwanda: a genocide
that killed almost one million people. Hundreds of thousands of
people fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, including
many of the perpetrators. Since then, survivors and
perpetrators have lived side by side in this volatile region. Meanwhile,
armed rebel groups clash over Congoís valuable resources. We head to the mines with Landry,
Robert Seningaís chief engineer. Seninga has saved the Masisi
community. Thanks to him, life can go on as normal. But little seems to have changed
in the region in recent years. The roads are disastrous. Each day, people
risk their lives getting to work. Several times on our
journey, our vehicle nearly veers off the
road into the ravine. That was close. A bit further and
weíd have ended up in the river. Nearly there. After five hours on the road, we
reach Rubaya, home to the biggest coltan mine in the country.
About 100,000 people live here. Among them are Gilles, his
wife and their three children. The family lives in this 15
square-meter home. Everything has its designated spot. The house is very small. We
hang the shoes on the wall. The childrenís things are here. The adjacent room has the
kitchen and the familyís bed. The bed is very narrow. We sleep
there and my wife cooks here. The couple moved here 5 years ago,
hoping to get wealthy from the mines. I hope God will help me, so one day
I can buy a car like this one. For now, Gilles earns the
equivalent of 5 euros per day. His work is many kilometers away
from the center of Rubaya. It takes him an hour and a half to get there. There are hundreds of coltan mines
in the area. The one Gilles works in is called Bamfou. The ore is extracted
from the sludge by hand. Itís easier by hand. That way we can
separate the coltan from the sand. Once processed, itís an important
part of manufacturing micro- electronic components. This is coltan. Itís mainly
used for mobile phones. Gilles has to climb into the mine
to dig. The way down is slippery. Wait. Stop? If you know how
to do it, itís pretty easy. Thereís nothing to hold onto
for the 15-meter descent. At the bottom, itís
difficult to breathe. The shafts and tunnels are not
adequately supported. Theyíre at risk of collapsing. Gilles gets to work with a pickaxe. Thereís a lot of sand here.
Itís endless. Extraction is the
priority, not safety. Serious accidents often
occur in these mines. I ask if itís dangerous. Sometimes rocks fall. Landry sees no problems
with the safety standards. Itís normal for there to be deaths
in mines, because of landslides for example. Not just in Rubaya but
everywhere. If this shaft collapsed now, weíd probably all suffocate. There are no official figures, but
fatal accidents while coltan mining are commonplace, not the exception.
We notice that some of the miners look very young. Landry seems uncomfortable
with our questions. How old are you? I'm twenty Heís twenty years old. He may
seem younger because heís so small. But he manages well. Of Gillesí 30 or so colleagues, half
look younger than 18 years old. In this region and others, we
regularly encounter children who hide when they see our cameras. According to UNICEF, more than 40,000
children work in the DRCís mines. While this mineral makes some people
rich, it robs others of their childhood and sometimes
even their life. Everyone tries to profit
from coltan mining, which is why the black
market is flourishing. A considerable portion of this
valuable commodity is sold under the table to avoid paying taxes
to the Congolese government. This illegal trade takes place with
the help of Congolese soldiers, who let the convoys pass through. The soldier makes good money
through the black-market trade. The Democratic Republic of Congo
is one of the 20 most corrupt countries in the world. Illegal trade
means the Congolese state misses out on several billion euros
in revenue every year. Nevertheless, the mining sector
drove Congoís economy to almost 6-percent growth in 2018. That economic success is especially
showcased on the ìBoulevard of June 30th" in DRCís capital, Kinshasa. The street is named after
the DRCís Independence Day. Being an entrepreneur is something
many young Congolese dream of? the job is demanding, but the
financial independence more than makes up for it. One such entrepreneur is
celebrating a lucrative new contract. Eric Monga not only runs a
business, heís also the head of a trade association. Hereís to the future of the business? Good luck with your project! They toast with expensive
champagne, because Eric has good news. He just returned from Florida
in the United States, where he met with investors. He has convinced
them to fund his ambitious project, which will cost more
than 400-million euros. A contract was signed?but thatís all
I can tell you. Weíre drinking to celebrate how well our
friend negotiated it. Eric wants to construct a
hydroelectric power plant. Fewer than 1 in 5 people in Congo have
access to electricity. He wants to change that. In every problem, thereís also a
business opportunity. People need food, they need clothes. And now we
want to ensure they have electricity. He plans to improve living
conditions for at least some of the nearly 100-million people in the DRC. Eric Monga is from Lubumbashi, in
the southern part of the country. He made his fortune with a
company specializing in the chemical analysis of minerals. Heís about to show us the
location of his future dam. The area is remote and
sparsely populated. The project will mean bringing
workers in from far away. But the challenge is worth it. The power plant will bring in
almost 1 million dollars per month. A lot of money. Oops. Welcome to the bush! Eric has set up a small camp in the
middle of the wilderness. It hosts a team of engineers. Hello, howís it going? About a dozen employees have
been living here for a year. They have a water tank, a
generator, and some small sheds. Right now weíre standing at about
735 meters. The top of the dam will be at 830 meters. The water
will go up to that level there, where the sun is. This
will be an enormous lake. At a height of 90 meters, the dam will
be one of the largest in the DRC. It will have a capacity of 150
megawatts, providing half a million residents with power. And building
it will create about 3,000 jobs. Weíre making something that will
really benefit the region. Itís especially important for farmers. They need electricity to
modernize agriculture. Several investors, especially
Americans, have shown interest in the project. Eric hopes to wrap up
construction within three years. He believes people can be
successful when they have the courage to leap into the unknown. Many people have found success here.
Why not me? If you work hard, you can make a lot of
money here in a short time. Eric is not alone in this belief.
More and more Congolese are becoming entrepreneurs, throwing themselves
into the business world in the hope of escaping poverty. Back to Kinshasa. In the early morning, bread-sellers
come from all parts of the city to stock up from
this wholesaler. Many women make a living this way. Marie comes here every day at 6 a.m. Two boxes. Marie was widowed six months ago.
Now she must provide for her family alone. Hold this for me, please. No, itís not too heavy. Iím used
to it, itís part of the job. Marie is balancing more than fifteen
kilos. Every day she sets up her stand on a busy street corner. How much is the cake? 300 francs. I'll take one. Iíll give you two.
Youíve gotten so thin. Oh, thanks! I often come here and buy bread from
Marie. I like her stand, itís clean. Marie gets lots of customers,
with her friendly disposition. Itís going well today! She typically earns about 60 euros
a day selling bread. She dreams of opening more stalls,
and even getting rich. If you know how to manage a
business, you can become a millionaire. You just have to be
smart, plan properly and run your business well. She still has a long way to go. Her
net profit at the end of the day is only 18 euros. Marie goes to church three times
per week, to pray and thank God. God is very important to me.
I owe everything to him. Evangelical churches thrive in Congo.
And some make their money from capitalizing
on other peopleís faith. On this Sunday morning in Kinshasa,
the cityís usually bustling streets are nearly deserted. Since dawn,
tens of thousands of people have been streaming into the
countryís national stadium. Theyíre not here for a soccer match
or a concert. The 80,000 attendees have come to see a man they
believe performs miracles. We believe in the prophet
Khondeís miracles. I was dying, but then I drank a
glass of his miracle juice and my pain disappeared immediately. Iím
living proof. Heís a prophet. There are camera crews,
photographers, cheerleaders, and lots of police. Itís one of the
biggest events of the year. Itís even being broadcast live on television. Dominique Khonde is the man
everyone is waiting for. The self- proclaimed prophet has several
million followers. When he enters the stadium, the crowd erupts. Before he goes on stage, he greets
former Prime Minister Bruno Tshibala. The wife of former President
Joseph Kabila is also in the audience. After a few prayers
and songs, he begins to preach. They donít want you to succeed or
live in abundance, prosperity and wealth. But even in poverty, even
when you are hungry or ill?youíll have everything as long as you realize
the truth. Amen. Fear not. Amen. Dominique Khondeís business model
involves a supposed miracle cure that he peddles across the
country. But not here, out in the open. Instead, he sells it discretely
in small rural communities. The business has already earned
him several million euros. A few days later, we accompany
Khonde to Matete, a Kinshasa suburb. Outside the
church, more than a hundred of his followers are waiting. The prophet told me to stop
spending money on doctors. He told me to drink the juice and pray. At 11 oíclock, Dominique Khonde
arrives in his luxury car. His followers have all come for
some of his supposed miracle cure. But first the prophet
wants a donation. Khonde receives the sick as though
they were on a conveyer belt. This woman had a brain
hemorrhage one year ago. I came to the prophet because I
am very ill. When I heard about the prophetís miracle cure, I
asked to be brought to him. I canít walk anymore. She should be massaged with the juice.
I think that will help her. I have faith that he will heal me. Consultations usually
only last seconds. You need to take the juice. The prescription is always the same. Are you taking the juice? Yes.
-Good, keep taking it. After speaking to the prophet, the
sick people are sent next door, to the pharmacy. This is where they get the famous
juice. No one here doubts its healing powers. It cures AIDS, stomach
pain, liver cancer, cirrhosis, all kinds of diseases... I had AIDS and lost a lot of weight.
Now I weigh 52 kilos, thanks to the juice from the prophet Dominique
Khonde. He healed me. Thereís no science behind the juice,
but many people blindly trust it. A half-liter costs the equivalent of 14
euros, about a third of the average monthly salary. Three of us pooled our money and
weíre going to share a bottle. Thereís a strong smell
of gasoline in the room. Thereís lemon juice in it, gasoline
and some other ingredients. Right now the juice is bottled
on-site, but demand is so high that soon Khonde will begin
producing it in a factory. Hereís the new packaging. According to the packaging, the
juice cures epilepsy, cancer and even AIDS. The active ingredient?
Divine enlightenment. This product treats illnesses with
different causes, such as epilepsy, cancer and so on. It says it cures AIDS,
but he didnít read that. No, we havenít tried
it with AIDS much. More than half a million
Congolese are HIV-positive. Another supposed benefit of the
miracle cure: it can bring children back from the dead. Some people have applied the juice
to their still-born babies, and theyíve woken up again. A juice that can cure AIDS and bring
the dead back to life. Congolese authorities donít stop him from
selling tens of thousands of bottles of his gasoline-lemon
mixture every year. While his assistants count the day's
earnings, most Congolese people continue their daily struggle against
poverty. The road to becoming a millionaire legitimately is long and
hard. Thatís why some take shortcuts.
It's sad watching people get taken advantage of. Especially when they are already in dire situations, such as the Congolese. Really makes you appreciate the life that you have. The fact that I don't have to go work in a mine in Congo just to make a few bucks is something I shouldn't take for granted.
That one musician gave those guys like 50 dollars and they said the national weekly average income is less than $7. That's sad man.
I lived in Nigeria for a year as an expat. In many ways, being middle class in the US and Europe is a better life that being super-rich in a country with such intense poverty and inequality. These folks face tough choices: stay and enjoy their relative wealth or move and enjoy luxuries like the rule of law and the freedom to walk down the street at any time of the day or night safely. Their wealth makes them a target and creates it's own set of insecurities. The ones who choose to stay are often doing so for a sense of obligation to their families and their communities. They are well educated and their countries need their skills.
"There are very few poor countries in this world. Most countries are rich...only the people are poor...These countries are not underdeveloped. They are overexploited".
Also, obligatory Thomas Sankara shoutout.
Oh my god the miracle juice. I can’t believe people willingly drink gasoline.
Excellent documentary. Im going to watch it again and again.
It just underscores how politicians should not be allowed to profit from their positions. You cant be the mayor of a town and own the biggest mine / sole employer in the town at the same time. Its bound to result in corruption.
Does not matter if you are a politician in the Congo or the USA or the EU, you cant use your position to create a monopoly where you are the sole benefactor.
Its also telling when you see the african rap artist is the only one trying to do some good for the people handing out little bits of cash to local fishermen.
Its sickening how children are used to mine coaltan the key ingredient used in Tantalum, which goes to make a lot of the components in cell phones, flat screen TV's and car electronics. Mining with their bare hands and accepting mine collapses and death as a normal part of working life. All to make $158 US per kilo for some scumbag owner.
If the Congo is so mineral rich surely they can afford decent mining safety procedures like shoring up the tunnels against collapse and automatic digging equipment. Make their mineral wealth benefit all Congelese for now and well into the future.
Must watch!
This was incredibly interesting. Thank you for sharing.
DW has really been impressing the fuck out of me recently with these documentaries!