Since this city is freed from feudal ties to Lubumbashi – capital of the former Katanga province, today of the downsized Haut-Katanga province – it is all hands on deck promoting Kolwezi’s new statute. The freshly installed provincial Ministries were accommodated in a hurry; often four to five of them share a single former villa while waiting for more appropriate housing. Not only buildings, but officials seem to have been chosen rather rashly too. Some ministers complained that several appointments to their cabinet are political in nature, leading to some incompetent members among their staff. Local representatives of the national authorities in Kolwezi too, denounced the lack of experience of the newcomers.
But all acknowledge that every start-up phase is difficult, and hopes are high. Visibility is what matters now, it is important to publicize the new province. The provincial governor urged all trade unions to set up their own offices in Kolwezi, to stress their independence from the Lubumbashi offices. One minister stated he is confident that Kolwezi will become a city of great international prestige, in his words, “Kolwezi devient un point focal,” and will become economically more important than Lubumbashi. Kolwezi seems to be in a fratricidal clash with its fellow province of Haut-Katanga, sparing no effort to stand out.
Last Saturday night I witnessed these public relations efforts. In the majestic venue of the Manika, where the provincial province holds its meetings too, I assisted the presentation of a booklet by a local poetess, hot off the press. The town’s beautiful people were all present. Pupils performed some sketches, local artists play-backed Lionel Richie songs, and public figures gave speeches. In a passionate rant, a minister praised the province pilote, the province that will jump ahead of the others before long. Then some individuals recited the poet’s poetry, poems which glorified the new Lualaba province.
When the poetry night faded to a momentary lull, I slipped out of the fancy venue and hurried to the next rendezvous, at an equally fancy place where the vernissage of yet another piece of writing was due. Number 00 of the magazine “Kwetu,” freely translated as “Back Home,” was launched alongside the swimming pool of a 5-star hotel. It appeared that I was not the only one who was double-booked, as the minister, some of the public figures and the Lionel Richie imitator showed up as well. “Kwetu” is made by young entrepreneurs, and funded by the local federation of entrepreneurs. Its articles laud self-reliance and entrepreneurship, obviously, as well as the pilot province. During his talk, the minister reiterated the points he made in his speech at the poetry recital.
Interlocutors often feel the need to differentiate their province from the other provinces in the Copperbelt, after all, the area possesses what is framed as the crown jewels of the mining industry, among which the mines of Kapata, Kamoto and Musonoi, commonly referred to as Gécamines’ “Groupe Ouest.” Yet another freshly appointed minister warned though that it is not only the greater amount of natural resources that makes the province of Lualaba stand out, “but it is hard work and discipline that got us here,” he insisted.
As if to make sure that the point was made, the above thumbnail sketch of the new provincial capital as captured on a Saturday evening, was then aptly illustrated on my way back home. I flagged down a taxi and the driver turned out to be a young man from Kinshasa. Two years ago, he had come to Kolwezi to seek a better life, the city of bonanza job opportunities, so he had heard. And it had turned out to be true; he had found a job immediately, and is making good money today. “You can really feel this is a mining area,” he said, “and that people make a very good living right here. Very different from Kinshasa, the city of the needy,” he added. “But don’t you miss Kinshasa’s ambiance,” I wanted to know, thinking about the city’s overwhelmingly present nightlife while we drove along the empty streets of Kolwezi. “Nah, don’t worry,” he replied, “if I wanna have some fun, I just go to Lubumbashi to relax for a while. And when I need easy money, I just head back to Kolwezi.” He stalled for a while and looked in his rear-view mirror. “Right here, it’s all work and no play,” he then concluded, hereby sustaining the minister’s claim.