"The beauty and the horror" Democratic Republic of Congo by sphynxxs

it seems quite fitting that Goma, provincial capital of North Kivu in the volatile Eastern DRC is set at the base of two volcanoes and has been partly buried by lava after eruptions. Goma is a bustling town, hub of many NGOs as for the past 16 years there has always been some major humanitarian disaster in the area, and while a lot of things can be quite depressing, there is also a general mood of "we´re still alive" - bustling street markets, the rhythmic lingala music blaring from shacks, a vibrant energy and people who are determined to rebuild their lifes

You know you are in the Great Lakes region when looking out at Lake Kivu, watching it stretch to the horizon, framed by the Rwandan hills and the volcanic mountains in DRC. The silence only interrupted by the noveau riches in their speedboats, trying to avoid the bad roats while racing to their favorite lakeside restaurant or the villa of a buddy or business partner.

Hard to imagine, but the lake is tricky, due to some underground gas which has suffocated dozens of people in the past when a gas bubble rose to the surface. T