Language
The official language of the Congo is French, although 242 languages are spoken among the tribes throughout the country. Of those 242 only Kikongo, Lingala, Tshiluba, and Swahili are nationally recognized.
Religion
90% of the population of the Congo is Christian primarily Roman Catholic and Protestant. The remainder of the population is Muslim, Kimbanguist, or another religion.
Ethnic Groups
There are four major ethnic groups in the Congo - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) making up 45% of the population, however there are over 200 other ethnic tribes.
There are also 60,000 Belgians. The ancestors of this population were the Belgians who used to control the country before the country gained Independence.
The status of women is very low in the social culture of the Congo. Women are underrepresented in leadership positions as well as in law.
Demographics
At birth there are 1.03 males for every female born.
0-14 makes up 46.9% of the population
15-64 makes up 50.6% of the population
65- and up makes up 2.5% of the population
The life expectancy is about 54 years which is clearly indicated by the small percentage of the population who are over 65.
http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo.html
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Democratic_Republic_of_Congo#Status_of_women
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/sub-saharan-africa/congo-democratic-republic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo#Early_history
Although diversity is a cool thing, in this case, it may be the cause of the conflict. It is not hard to see why there is so much fighting. With so many groups, tribes, languages, and religions, there are bound to be some butting of heads. The fact that 242 languages are spoken, instead of enriching the culture, actually seems to me, like it would divide the culture further because when people are unable to communicate, they are unable to work together or compromise. Add to the fact that additional groups (Rwandans etc.), are coming into the country. A feeling of loyalty towards your own people is sure to form. And when people become overly defensive, they in turn become overly offensive, and conflict emerges. The diversity, although interesting and desired by some more developed countries, is actually the recipe for disaster in DRC.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that there are more men than women in the Congo probably contribute to their controlling, elitist attitudes.
ReplyDeleteAgreed with Alex. Even if some people speak multiple languages, there's got to be a serious communication problem. This probably goes back all the way to the original colonization, when European leaders divided up Africa with little to no regard to tribal and cultural affiliations. As well, since much of the conflict seems to have overflowed into the DRC from other countries like Rwanda and Uganda, and there are still Belgians in the country, there is no real national identity. It is hard to accomplish the political unification of a country that has little to unify it culturally.
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