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Congo: A Journey to the Heart of Africa

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15/12/2018 GMT

BBC World News - Congo: A Journey to the Heart of Africa

Alastair Leithead explores how history has shaped the Congo of today.

Alastair Leithead takes an epic journey from the Atlantic Ocean to the far reaches of the Congo river to explore how history has shaped the Congo of today.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a vast, mineral rich country the size of Western Europe. For many, it's still tainted by Joseph Conrad's brutal portrayal of colonial imperialism immortalised in The Heart of Darkness, written over 100 years ago. That's not surprising when most news reports from the DRC tell of death, disease and suffering.
 
As the country prepares to hold long-delayed elections, Alastair Leithead takes an epic journey from the Atlantic Ocean to the far reaches of the Congo river to explore how history has shaped the Congo of today and uncover the lesser told stories of this beautiful, if troubled country. In the largest rain forest outside of the Amazon he comes face to face with its gorillas and hunts with pygmies, he travels into the heart of the Ebola outbreak with United Nations peacekeepers, and explores the cobalt mines which will drive our electric cars of the future.

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