Our apartment in
Birere
The view from our balcony
The motards
"Goma is full of motards. They occupy a world unto themselves. They rarely own the motorcycles that they ride, instead they rent them by the week, hoping to save up enough earnings for a different future. (p. 36)
Riding on Motorcycles
Sharing a meal
"In the center of the table was a large plastic plate, piled high with beans and potatoes. Next to the plate of food was a pile of forks and two plastic mugs of water." (p. 45)
Chukudu
"There they had arranged for a chukudu, a large wooden scooter that men usually pushed along the roadside, loaded with bananas or charcoal. They balanced Argentine on the scooter and pushed her forward." (p. 65)
Kinga
"Kingas are a common solution for people with disabilities in Congo. They have hand pedals and a platform in the back for carrying goods."
Photo shows Argentine on her kinga with Solange on the back.
Sitball
"I couldn’t help feeling that with each successful volley of the ball, my friends were all shrugging off a lifetime of stereotypes." (p. 96)
Mapendo playing sitball
Photo credit: Molly Feltner
Cheering
eachother on
Argentine
playing sitball
Traveling by kinga
. "I looked around and saw that the pavilion was surrounded by kingas parked outside. Men and women with physical disabilities from across Goma had put down their work and peddled in their kingas to arrive at this pavilion. It must have taken them hours just to arrive." (p.95)
Walking in Birere
This is video of Solange walking to a bus in Birere.