Democratic Republic of the Congo

"Born of a flight of fancy, Congo remains a land of fantasies and allegories. Nothing is to be taken literally; almost everything is fiction."

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a vast territory with extraordinary natural wealth and one of the world's poorest populations. This seeming contradiction has cultivated a culture of resilience and resourcesfulness, a country full of improvisers who excel at turning paltry materials into high fashion, eye-popping culinary delicacies, and a lively musical culture that has spread throughout the world. 

How does so much contrast fit inside a single country?

From the capital, Kinshasa, down the Congo River to the mountains and forests some 1,500 miles away, Guillaume Jan takes us on a rollicking ride through this logic-defying place, dreamlike yet very real, forged by centuries of colonization and corruption but also creativity and irrepressible optimism. 

Translated from the French by Rhonda Mullins

Part of Travel with a Writer, The Walking Tree's global literary travel series pairing acclaimed writers with the cities and places they know intimately. Combining literary essays and fiction, original infographics, curated walks, and beautiful design, each volume is a literary companion to place, designed to be read in a single sitting. Together, the series forms a growing literary atlas of the world.