MALUKU, VILLAGE ON THE CONGO RIVER, TWO HOURS FROM KINSHASA

Olivier, Jean Paul's wife and secretary, Jean Paul, and his associate a local preacher, in their communications and digital services office in Maluku. Jean Paul took the Interweave course and formed his NGO here in Maluku. He is the only member of the Church in the village.

Stake President of Kimbanseke Stake, Lono, who came with us to assess the potential for the Church in the area. View from the front porch at the entrance to Jean Paul's office.

Local residents assembled in a Pentecostal meeting space to learn about Interweave. There were more than a hundred.

View from the front of the meeting area. The dirt floor was neatly swept. Jean Paul began the gathering explaining the reason for the meeting. Olivier explained Interweave and how it can help them become self-sufficient. President Lono talked about the Church and its goals, the benefits it brings, the Book of Mormon, and the Liahona. He gave away copies of both. On our way out, women on the front row complained that they had not heard from the Mundeles, so I explained that we didn't speak Lingala, because each speaker had spoken in Lingala. They said, do it in French. We spoke with them briefly and apologized for not speaking, though I don't know what I would have said, but could have spoken about the Church in general, however I believe that President Lono had already done that well.

Jean Paul talking with a resident after the meeting. Note the pulpit in the background, left. President offered copies of the Book of Mormon to those interested, following his remarks. There was a rush for the free book which quickly emptied the box. He promised to send more.

Children in the courtyard of a home across from the meeting place excited by the presence of the Mundeles. Notice the little girl's extensions on the right of the photo.

We drove to the beach where numerous pirogues nosed up to the river's edge following the morning fishery.

Boats on the shore, lumber raft in the distance.

Upstream a few yards from the pirogues an assortment of river boats, some loaded with passengers and produce, were moored to the beach. A brisk business was underway for the products from the boats, it appeared. A river tugboat, in the background, was guiding a flotilla of forest logs down river.

Another view of the moored boats and market.

On the path to the beach where the Pirogues are moored.

Catch of the day.

Five dollars buys a whole fish. The fish look well fed.

Different varieties of fish, cats and who knows what other kinds. Evidently there are electric catfish in the river too.

Untangling the nets, or whatever fisherman call this process.

Good place for a bath.

Some of the catch is kept alive on stringers.

Yes, they are alive and not happy fish.

Working the nets, loading the pirogues. Pirogues are made from one solid tree trunk, and repaired, and patched, over and over. Some are modified and use outboard engines, many are paddled or poled upon the river. It would be interesting to know how long a pirogue lasts under normal usage. They look very old. I did not see one that looked new among the hundred of so on the beach.

Flip flop soles used for net floats.

Fish is dried, smoked, and packed in these wicker devices for easy transportation. Congolese eat large quantities of fish, fresh, smoked, salted. Salted fish in the markets is imported from Norway.

Smoked fish packed for shipment.

Woman cooking on a wood fired grill.

Negotiating the price for leaf wrapped cooked, smoked, fish. Two ears of corn in foreground that President Lono purchased. He asked if we wanted some. He eagerly ate his in the car on the way home. I have the impression it is not sweet corn as we know it. It appears to be heavy field corn. I have not seen inside the leave wrapped fish, but one of these days I will get a chance. It is is sold everywhere in the city carried about on large platters on the heads of many vendors.

Two young boys stood by, silent, watching the transactions, holding this tray of little leaf wrapped food morsels. President Lono said it is squash mashed and mixed with fish.

Sue asked President Lono what they were and thought we should buy some from them, which he did, two for 200 CF, about ten cents each.

We left Kinshasa about 9h30, according to Olivier, for a trip just beyond the airport, maybe fifteen or twenty minutes.  I had half a tank of mazout. When arrived in Maluku the gauge showed about a quarter, and I did not want to return without buying carburant. However the main means of transportation in Maluku is mortorcycle, which use gas, not diesel. There are no gas stations. After three inquiries we made our way to a "station" under a tree where two young men ran up with dirty yellow jugs full of "clean, unmixed" mazout for fifteen dollars. The funnel was the end of a water bottle with a sock stuffed into it for a filter, and we were off.

On the return trip we saw this car on a chariot. Earlier in the day we saw a full sized sedan on a chariot but the cameras were not at the ready. Chariots carry everything, anything, in the middle of traffic, everywhere. Pronounced shar-e-o, the "r" is trilled here.