Whoever bewitched The Democratic Republic of Congo did not take a day’s rest. That person has been working overtime since the 1884 Berlin Conference when it was gifted to King Leopold II as his personal fief. The atrocities and pillaging of that county by the king are well-documented and it was the pinnacle of human greed whose ghost still haunts the country today. After independence from Belgium, Congo was the centre of the central and eastern African universe; cosmopolitan, sophisticated and a centre of excellence in terms of education. Then things started to fall apart. The African dream started tearing at the seam during the Cold War and an alleged kleptomaniac president didn’t make things easier. And then in stepped in the Interahamwe factor and then it was a downward spiral all the way. As if that was not enough on its plate, all manners of viruses started attacking it and its weak medical infrastructure couldn’t hold; and then came Ebola. The threat of the disease crossing over into neighbouring states was a wakeup call to strengthen preventive measures which have heavily informed the current COVID-19 response. Now Ebola is back again. There has been humourous exchanges on social media that the global lockdown should shake African leaders from their slumber. The years-long negligence of infrastructure is coming to haunt them now that they don’t have the luxury of flying abroad for even the smallest ailment. Right now many African governments are burning the midnight candle trying to see how best to strengthen their health facilities. Let us hope that that enthusiasm will not thaw once the viruses are no more, but anyway, COVID-19 has served as a good lesson.
