Congo: The Boat of Hell

00:00 Boat for the poorest
8:13 In a hurry to leave the passengers help
10:57 Departure on the Congo River
14:38 This is the way to the shower
17:14 Boat rules
19:48 We have to fix the boat
33:00 Medicine on board
38:32 Ouch
41:34 Birth of a baby
44:43 It's night with only a small lamp for lighting
47:56 Sunrise
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, to go from Kinshasa, the capital, to Kisangani, the big city in the North, there are no longer any roads. The lack of maintenance and the invasive forest made it disappear little by little. To transport their goods or to travel between these two cities, the Congolese have only two solutions: the plane for the richest, the ticket costs the equivalent of 6 months' salary, or the boat for the poorest, a grueling journey of 2000 kilometers on the Congo, one of the largest rivers in Africa. Old boats like the “Gbémani” ensure the connection. It transports nearly 2,000 people in safety and hygienic conditions from another age. A trip to hell for these passengers which will last three weeks. This boat looks like a real floating slum. Overcrowding and lack of hygiene cause the arrival of certain diseases such as dysentery. Passengers who cannot afford drinking water do not hesitate to drink water from the river. Every day, René, the captain of the Gbémani, sends a prayer to its creator so that the trip goes smoothly. For captains, the Congo River is a real nightmare. The road signs indicating the rocks and the wrecks no longer exist and the only map on board dates from Belgian colonization. The Gbémani is not equipped with any modern navigation instruments, no radar, nor even a depth sounder. The captain and co-pilots must navigate by sight day and night. Every year, on this river, shipwrecks cause the death of several hundred people...
Location: Congo, Africa
Producer: Tony Comiti, France5
Authors: Daniel Lainé, David Geoffrion