1. Democratic Republic of the Congo -formerly known as Zaire

7. 6-month old Tilapia. mmm.... mmm good!

8. A village in the Congo – similar to Kalambayi

9. Traveling by motorbike along the Congo’s primitive roads.

10. Heads up!

11. Pretty cool

12. Yikes! Would you or wouldn’t you?

13. The infrastructure in the Congo is difficult to maintain.

19. The Tiger Fish

21. Colonialism/ Imperialism in Africa 1870’s Almost every square inch of land, and almost every single person, fell under the rule of a European country.

22. King Leopold of Belgium The Congo became his and Belgium’s colony. “I must have a piece of this magnificent African cake.”

23. Imperialism-Colonialism - African view of the Europeans Colonial rule operates on the principle of “what’s best for the us, not what’s best for them.”

24. The Belgians made it very clear to the people of the Congo: work for us or pay the price. The natural resource that produced a fortune for King Leopold and Belgium: Rubber

27. Punishment for not cooperating

28. Mark Twain wrote “King Leopold’s Soliloquy,” as a way of drawing attention to his murderous rule of the Congo. (1905)

29. After the Belgians leave, the ruler is... Mobutu Sese Seko, 1965-1997 The stereotype of the African ruler enriching himself and impoverishing his people.

30. "Mobutu's villa has ripe lemons on its trees, extravagant floral arrangements a black Mercedes in its drive, two pet sheep on its grounds, and a view over the shimmering sea. It is a perfect image of the fruits of three decades of absolute power in an African country bled to the bone." --NY Times / November 9, 1996

31. Mobutu was treated as a friend and ally and given billions of U.S. tax dollars. He was supported by Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Bush Sr., and Clinton. While he oppressed the people and robbed the country’s wealth, the U.S. looked away. Why? He kept all communist (Russian) influence out of the country.

32. Mobutu with Nixon in Washington, 1973

34. Civil War and conflict in the Congo since 1996 – Partly a gang-style warfare over valuable natural resources.

36. At the time of the attacks of 9/11/2001, an average of 1,400 people were dying in the Congo every day as a result of civil war and conflict. But who knew? Was anyone paying attention?

37. Civil war continues.

38. An all-too-familiar scene: refugees...

40. ... and refugee camps.

41. Congo Civil War- since 1996 More deaths than any other conflict since WWII Estimates of 6 million deaths, mostly civilians

43. Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thousands earn their living from digging with bare hands and simple shovels. They live with the constant risk of exposure to toxic substances. Moreover they run a high risk of being buried by a collapsing tunnel, security measures being almost non-existent.

47. A man stands in a pool of muddy water in a gold mine in Chudja, near Bunia, north-eastern Congo

49. A gold miner scoops mud while digging an open pit at the Chudja minein north-eastern Congo, 2/23/2009. Conflict in Congo has been driven by the violent struggle for control over the country's vast natural resources.

50. The Dirty Truth about Gold Eastern Congo has been destabilized by conflict for the last eight years. One of the reasons for the conflict there has been the struggle to control the Congo's vast mineral wealth that includes gold.