Facing the Congo - a modern-day journey into the heart of darkness
by Taylor, Jeffrey
pub. by . Three Rivers (random house), New York, 2000     isbn - 0-609-80826-5 - - 261 p. - map p.2 - Black and White photos - Epilogue p.257-260 - Acknowledgements and Prologue. Visions of a River p. xi-xxii
Jeffrey Taylor served as in the Peace Corps in Uzbekistan and was working in Russia when he became dissatisfied with the way his life was going. He became infected with the idea of going to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), and taking a local canoe down the Congo River from Kisangani downstream to Kinshasa. If he succeded he would be the first since H. M. Stanley did the trip 1875-1877.
After much preparation Taylor flew to Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, just across the river from Kinshasa in Zaire (as Democratic Republic of the Congo was then called). In Brazzaville he met with Peace Corps people and took a few weeks to learn rudimentary Lingala the most common language in the region, other than French.
He took a ferry from Brazzaville to Kinshasa and encountered a less than great reception. He described incredible poverty and squalor. The hotel he found was dreadful. Looking for a ride up river to Kisangani he was directed to -the Colonel- (Zaire Army) who ran a pusher tug (pousseur) which pushed barges up river to Kinsangani carrying cargo and a large quantity of people. Taylor was roughly befriended by -the Colonel- and was provided with a ride, over a few weeks, to arrive in Kisangani (The Congo River goes through rapids above there and is not navigable by the same boats which travel from Kinshasa.) Taylor learns much on the trip up. He purchases a 30 ft. dugout canoe and hires Desi, one of the crew as a guide. After buying supplies they leave in secrecy so that none wishing to harm him would be able to easily follow him. There are difficulties, in the Lokele tribe region, but the trip went well enough. Enviornmental councerns (mosquitos, wasps etc.) were seveare. Desi visited relatives, including his wife and child, and soon after became ill. Traveling through the area where his tribe lived was not very hazardous. There were other areas downstream inhabited by less friendly tribes such as the Ngombe tribe which natively spoke another language and who they did encounter and the fierce Bangala tribe further down the river. (The Bangala supplied many of the soldiers in the Zairean Army under President Mobutu.)
In the town of Lisala Jeffrey Taylor hired an armed member of the army to accompany and guard them for travel through more dangerous territory. Desi became more ill and came to crisis. To save his life they tied on to a pousseur (called Colonel Ebeya) with barges. They managed to tie on without it stopping, an interesting feat, near the town of La Gare, near where the Mongala River enters the Congo. Taylor had gone some 470 miles on his trip when he had to quit. He paid the fare for the soldier to return to his post and paid him the full amount agreed on plus a bonus. Desi was also paid off with bonus, and given the canoe and all the equipment left. His condition became much better by use of medicine from some selling medicine on the barges. There were some 4000 people traveling on this barge tow. These barge tows are regular towns on the Congo.
He and some Spaniards he encountered on the Ebeya left river travel at Mbandaka and flew back to Kinshasa and the practical end of the adventure. From there Taylor traveled across the Congo to Brazzaville and flew back home.
Jeffrey Taylor includes a good epilogue finishing off the story and his eventual marriage to his Russian friend and living near Moscow, enjoying the Russian winter.
This is an incredible and detailed true adventure story, from an area where few have ever gone, especially in the last 20 years. Read it for the adventure. Read it for priceless geographical knowlege.
~ 2014 ~

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