Tales from the Congo River: Catching Mami Wata

Digital culture produces new dislocations, proximities and anxieties. Central here is “meme” culture, whose fluid movement morphs in transmission, drawing on older cultural symbols to create a feedback loop. One folkloric aquatic figure from the African continent and its diasporas, known as Mami Wata, exemplifies this memetic force that is carried over into the digital realm. Mami Wata is dualistic: human and water creature, beautiful and terrifying, pre-colonial and modern. She is fluid, not bound by traditionally grounded mobilities, and her origins are mysterious. Further, she thrives through time and place via rumour and her message and meaning are in constant flux. She is also a symbol of temptation, which carries with it anxiety. Mami Wata is said to haunt the banks of the mighty Congo River and its tributaries, waiting for new victims, thus serving as a cautionary tale, warning people of these potential fluvial supernatural encounters. As we will see, in the face of digitalisation and globalisation, contemporary memes and viral videos of Mami Wata give us a screen to view our own anxious projections. And yet she also reveals the possibility of encounter: an other who shows us another way. Drawing from extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) beginning in 2012, what emerges are parallels between Mami Wata and virality, and how they represent both an attitude and an ambiance in Kinshasa. What is more, we find that Mami Wata shows us a structure by which rumours, memes and in-group culture endure through time, not despite, but thanks to their mysterious origins and fluid meanings.

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A quantitative comparison of frugivorous tephritids (Diptera: Tephritidae) in tropical forests and rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485311000216 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 101 (5) ◽

pp. 591-597 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

M. Virgilio ◽

T. Backeljau ◽

R. Emeleme ◽

J.L. Juakali ◽

M. De Meyer

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forests ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Small Scale ◽

Republic Of Congo ◽

Rural Villages ◽

Congo River ◽

Disturbed Habitats

AbstractMost of the current knowledge about African tephritids originates from studies performed in agricultural areas, while information about their distribution in pristine or moderately disturbed environments is extremely scarce. This study aims at (i) describing levels of spatial variability of frugivorous tephritids in tropical forests and small rural villages of the Congo River basin and (ii) verifying if human-mediated activities, such as small-scale agriculture and trade, can affect their distribution patterns. Four locations were sampled along a 250 km stretch of the Congo River. At each location, pristine and disturbed habitats (i.e. tropical forests and small rural villages, respectively) were sampled, with three replicate sites in each combination of habitat and location. Sampling with modified McPhail traps baited with four different attractants yielded 819 tephritid specimens of 29 species from seven genera (Bactrocera, Carpophthoromyia, Ceratitis, Dacus, Celidodacus, Perilampsis, Trirhithrum). The three most abundant species sampled (Dacus bivittatus, D. punctatifrons, Bactrocera invadens) showed significant variations in abundance across locations and sites and accounted for 98.29% of the overall dissimilarity between habitats. Assemblages differed among locations and sites while they showed significant differences between pristine and disturbed habitats in two out of the four locations. This study shows that frugivorous tephritids in central Congo have remarkably patchy distributions with differences among locations and sites representing the main source of variability. Our data show that, in rural villages of central Democratic Republic of Congo, human activities, such as small-scale agriculture and local commerce, are not always sufficient to promote differences between the tephritid assemblages of villages and those of the surrounding tropical forests.

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“There Was No Genocide in Rwanda”

Conflict and Society ◽

10.3167/arcs.2015.010104 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 23-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Anna Hedlund

Keyword(s):

Second Generation ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Republic Of Congo ◽

Rwandan Genocide ◽

Ethnographic Fieldwork ◽

Political Ideologies ◽

Rebel Group ◽

Military Control ◽

Political Demonstrations

This article analyzes how the 1994 genocide in Rwanda is recalled and described by members of a Hutu rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) whose leadership can be linked to the 1994 atrocities in Rwanda. The article explores how individuals belonging to this rebel group, currently operating in the eastern territories of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), articulate, contest, and oppose the dominant narrative of the Rwandan genocide. Based on ethnographic fieldwork with members of the FDLR in a rebel camp, this article shows how a community of exiled fighters and second-generation Hutu refugees contest the official version of genocide by constructing a counterhistory of it. Through organized practices such as political demonstrations and military performances, it further shows how political ideologies and violence are being manufactured and reproduced within a setting of military control.

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Birds of the Man and Biosphere Reserve of Luki, Bas-Congo province, Democratic Republic of Congo

Check List ◽

10.15560/11.5.1755 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 1755

Author(s):

Tobit L.D. Liyandja ◽

Michael J. Andersen ◽

Carl H. Oliveros ◽

Lem’s N. Kalemba ◽

Trésor L. Bakambana ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Democratic Republic ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Forest Patch ◽

Republic Of Congo ◽

Psittacus Erithacus ◽

Congo River ◽

Direct Observations ◽

Audio Recordings ◽

Detailed List

The Democratic Republic of Congo holds the most diverse assemblage of birds in Africa. However, ornithological surveys in its network of reserves are rare. In this paper we pre-sent the first detailed list of birds from the Man and Biosphere Reserve of Luki in the country’s southwestern tip based on collected specimens, photographs, audio recordings, and direct observations from two surveys conducted in 2012–2013. We document a total of 136 species, including the threatened Psittacus erithacus. Range extensions of four species and breeding records for 19 species are also reported. Further surveys in the reserve, which covers the largest remaining forest patch along the Lower Congo River, are highly recommended.

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Knowing Masculinities in Armed Conflict?

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199300983.013.42 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Eriksson Baaz ◽

Maria Stern

Keyword(s):

Sexual Violence ◽

Armed Conflict ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Feminist Research ◽

Post Colonial ◽

Protracted Conflict ◽

Ethnographic Fieldwork ◽

Ethics Of Research ◽

Good Soldier

Drawing on interviews and ethnographic fieldwork with members of the Congolese military, this chapter explores conceptions of militarized masculinity, particularly in the context of sexual violence perpetrated by Congolese government forces during the protracted conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The chapter opens with a review of the feminist research regarding the interconnectedness of gender, militarization, and war, comparing these theories with the conceptions of masculinity articulated by Congolese soldiers. While portions of the interviews were consistent with prevailing research framings, the chapter documents various points of dissonance. These include differences in the articulation of what characteristics make one a “good soldier”; the recurring articulations of vulnerability and failure; and a perception of rape as the action of an emasculated man. The chapter concludes with the authors’ reflection on their experience carrying out their research and the ethics of research in a post-colonial context.

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The flies of the family Hybotidae (Diptera, Empidoidea) collected during the Boyekoli Ebale Congo 2010 Expedition in Democratic Republic of Congo

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.3603.1.1 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3603 (1) ◽

pp. 1-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

PATRICK GROOTAERT ◽

IGOR SHAMSHEV

Keyword(s):

Democratic Republic ◽

New Records ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Type Material ◽

Republic Of Congo ◽

Congo River ◽

The Family ◽

New Material

Thirty-two species of Hybotidae (Diptera: Empidoidea) were collected during the Boyekoli Ebale Congo 2010 Expedition that took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo along the Congo River between Kisangani and Bumba. Only four species were known previously. Here we present new records for Syndyas crisis Garrett Jones, 1940 and Crossopalpus aenescens (Wiedemann, 1830). In addition Syneches elevatus Bezzi, 1908 and Crossopalpus quadrispina (Collart, 1934) are re-described based on the type material as well as on new material. Elaphropeza ghesquierei (Collart, 1934) and E. plagiata (Bezzi, 1908) were not found during the expedition, but are also re-described. Twenty-five species are described as new to science: Crossopalpus yaekela sp. nov., Drapetis congoensis sp. nov., D. yaekelaensis sp. nov., D. zamba sp. nov., Elaphropeza angulata sp. nov., E. baeloi sp. nov., E. congoensis sp. nov., E. excavata sp. nov., E. furcata sp. nov., E. incerta sp. nov., E. infuscata sp. nov., E. interrupta sp. nov., E. juakalyi sp. nov., E. kona sp. nov., E. laudisoitae sp. nov., E. mai sp. nov., E. monoseta sp. nov., E. motane sp. nov., E. moyindo sp. nov., E. nuda sp. nov., E. yaekela sp. nov., E. zamba sp. nov., Stilpon congoensis sp. nov., S. variabilis sp. nov. and Syndyas zamba sp. nov. A species of Drapetis and Crossopalpus recorded from females only are diagnosed, but not named.

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A new species of Pseudocrenilabrus (Perciformes: Cichlidae) from Lake Mweru in the Upper Congo River System

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4237.1.10 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4237 (1) ◽

pp. 181 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

CYPRIAN KATONGO ◽

OLE SEEHAUSEN ◽

JOS SNOEKS

Keyword(s):

Democratic Republic ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Broad Band ◽

River System ◽

The Body ◽

Caudal Peduncle ◽

Congo River ◽

Distal Edge ◽

Orange Colour ◽

A New Species

Pseudocrenilabrus pyrrhocaudalis sp. nov. is described from Lake Mweru in the upper Congo River drainage, on the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. This species, which appears to be endemic to the lake, lives in sympatry with P. philander. Pseudocrenilabrus pyrrhocaudalis sp. nov. is distinguished from P. philander in nuptial males by the presence of an orange colour on the ventral part of the body and the proximal parts of the anal and caudal fins, a broad band of bright white on the distal edge of anal and caudal fins, a uniform grey head and dorsum, and a subtruncate caudal fin. In addition, P. pyrrhocaudalis has a shorter snout, a narrower head, a smaller interorbital distance, a smaller pre-anal distance, a more slender caudal peduncle and fewer scales around the caudal peduncle in both sexes.

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