Congo – Underway Blog

Virunga Photobook

Treated myself to a one-off fabric cover, hardback photobook with leporello binding. Book is 28×19 cm with 72 pages and contains black & white photographs from the Virunga mountains in Congo and Rwanda taken in 2014 to 2016. Have a look and flick through the pages of the Virunga photobook. Music for the video is by thegingerwhale.wordpress.com

The Mountain Gorillas of the Virungas

The Virunga volcano mountains in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are home to mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas live in groups of usually one silverback leader, and a number of females, and babys. Silverback gorillas can reach a height of more than two meters and a weight of more than 200 kilograms. Mountain gorilla are an endangered species due to habitat loss, poaching, disease, and war.

With a loud crack the silverback suddenly stormed forward, clearing a path trough the dense green jungle. A tree trunk as thick as my arm broke with the flick of his wrist. One second before, the silverback mountain gorilla had melancholically dozed on the ground. Then suddenly something had got him into a rage. The…… Continue reading The Mountain Gorillas of the Virungas

Under Way Magazine: Congo

Under Way magazine: four printed volumes: Rwanda, Hebrides, Journey, and Congo.

Et voilà, my self-produced Under Way magazine shows photos from the Congo, printed on heavy 118 gsm matte paper with a semi-gloss cover. It’s already the fourth volume of the magazine. Volume I holds photos from Rwanda, volume II is about the Hebrides, and volume III about journeys to India, South Africa, and Cairo.

Progress as Legitimation for Colonial Trade

Behind the jungle, Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has its head in the clouds. The Virunga volcanoes are part of the Albertine Rift Mountains, the western branch of the East African Rift.

Joseph Conrad’s short story «An Outpost of Progress», published in 1897 at the peak of European colonial interest in Africa, takes place at the bank of a river in central Africa – likely the Congo. The two protagonists, Kayerts and Carlier, are unsuccessful Brits deployed at the outpost of the Great Civilizing Company hired to…… Continue reading Progress as Legitimation for Colonial Trade

Chukudu Cargo Bikes in the Congo

Two men push a heavily loaded Chukudu uphill on the road from Goma to the North in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Chukudu transport bicycles are built from wood and spare parts of old disused cars. They are used for the transportation of loads of several hundred kilograms.

What looks like Picasso’s rendering of a bull is actually a Chukudu. These cargo bicycles are ingeniously built from wood from eucalyptus trees and spare parts of old disused cars. They characterize the street scenes of Goma in the Congo. Chukudu bikes can transport loads of several hundred kilograms. The wooden wheels are often wrapped…… Continue reading Chukudu Cargo Bikes in the Congo

Nyiragongo Video

Glowing steam rises from the Nyiragongo volcano crater in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo at night. The Virunga volcanoes are part of the Albertine Rift Mountains, the western branch of the East African Rift.

Nyiragongo is an active volcano of the Virunga mountains in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The crater holds Earth’s largest lava lake. The Virunga volcanoes are part of the East African Rift which is the largest seismically active rift system on Earth today.

Nyiragongo Volcano at Night

Glowing steam rises from Nyiragongo volcano (3'470 m) at night. Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo contains the Earth's largest lava lake. The Virunga volcanoes are part of the Albertine Rift Mountains, the western branch of the East African Rift. In the Virunga region, two parts of the African Plate, the Somali Plate and the Nubian Plate, are breaking apart at a rate of 6 to 7 mm annually. Eruptions of Nyiragongo occurred in 1832, 1904, 1977 and 2002.

Nyiragongo volcano overviews the jungle in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There’s glowing steam rising from the crater illuminating the passing clouds at the night sky.

Nyiragongo volcano

Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo contains the Earth's largest lava lake.

Nyiragongo is an active volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The crater contains the Earth’s largest lava lake. The hike to the 3’470-meter summit takes five hours with an armed rangers escort.

Le Petit Barrier

Left: Early morning in a village near Rubona in Rwanda. Right: Petit Barrier: A tricycle carries goods over the border between Gisenyi and Goma.

In a cloud of smoke and dust sits volcano Nyiragongo behind the twin towns Goma and Gisenyi at the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. It’s before dawn in the hills at Lake Kivu. On the road winding through small villages, people march in the direction of Gisenyi at the usual brisk Rwandan pace.…… Continue reading Le Petit Barrier