A boat Trip on the Congo River

Text and photo: Erika Fässler

For once, I’ve put my bike away and am exploring the Republic of the Congo on a boat traveling down the river of the same name. It’s a cargo ship that mainly transports freshwater fish, fruits, and vegetables from the north of the country to Brazzaville and neighboring Kinshasa. Merchants and other passengers are traveling along with us.

The ship consists of several interconnected rafts arranged in three rows side by side, forming a large floating platform. I was allowed to set up my tent on one of the rafts.

Life on the ship was truly fascinating. People cooked and ate, did laundry, took showers, bathed children, shaved beards, cut hair, fed sheep and goats, dried or smoked fish, and much more. Everything was just as it would be, if they were at home. It felt like a little village on the water.

Trade also took place there. Time and again, pirogues from both banks would approach to offer their goods. Most often they brought fish for the markets, but sometimes they also brought fruit, bread, cassava, or other food for the passengers.

It was fascinating to watch them dock their narrow boats alongside the ship and hand over their goods. How effortlessly they maintained their balance during these maneuvers! They move about in these tiny boats on the water as if it were solid ground.