Romain Octin

Thursday, August 15, 10:30 p.m., Ndjili International Airport. That’s it, I’m in Kinshasa. After a final baggage check, the automatic door opens. A blast of hot air hits me, and I am confronted with the hustle and bustle of the airport, which propels me into another world. My feelings are complex. In a matter of seconds, my thirst for discovery and desire to seize every opportunity are mixed with a hint of “what am I doing here?” Alfred and Ernest, from ULB-Coopération, are waiting for me at the airport gates. The first contacts are warm, and the journey to the hotel gives me a first impression of Kinshasa by night.

Normally, the next morning, after stopping by the office in Kinshasa for some administrative formalities, we will set off for Mbanza-Ngungu in the province of Kongo Central, where my internship will take place. ULB-Coopération is running a project in this region that supports sustainable agriculture. Alongside my internship, I will be conducting research for my thesis, which takes a sociological look at the adoption of innovative agricultural practices.

But things didn’t go as planned. Due to administrative complications, the details of which I won’t bore you with, my stay in Kinshasa lasted a week rather than a few hours! Far from discouraging me, I took advantage of these few days to immerse myself in the life of Kinshasa, perhaps a unique opportunity for me.

The atmosphere is reminiscent of the tumultuous Congo River that separates us from Brazzaville. Kin is a bustling city that never sleeps. There is a constant buzz here; cars and people everywhere, merchants of all kinds, houses crammed together in every direction… Sharing Congolese cuisine under one of the straw huts lining the river, or an evening punctuated by a band playing Congolese rumba on a rooftop in the heart of the city, give me a glimpse of this culture and teach me a few words of Lingala.

Tomorrow, I will finally discover Kongo Central. My internship will truly begin. Questions related to the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices have been on my mind for several years, and I am eager to address them in this particular context.

The projects