Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 342

"I’m studying to be a civil engineer. Congo needs...

"I’m studying to be a civil engineer. Congo needs everything: bridges, roads, buildings, wells. The country is like a workshop."

(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"Too many questions."(Kasangulu, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"Too many questions."

(Kasangulu, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"When I was thirteen years old, government troops passed through...

"When I was thirteen years old, government troops passed through our town when they were fleeing the rebels. At first I heard the gunfire, and then they came into our house and took everything they could. I was hiding under the bed. I heard them say they were going to kill my mother. One of them took off all my sister’s clothes. But at the last moment he was pulled away, because the other soldiers told him there wasn’t time for that."

(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"What is your biggest dream?""To have my own house. With two...

"What is your biggest dream?"
"To have my own house. With two stories."

(Kasangulu, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"I’ve had to run from war twice. Both times I left good...

"I’ve had to run from war twice. Both times I left good jobs behind, and it was very painful. The second time was the worst. I thought I’d escaped a hopeless situation, and then it happened again. You can feel when war is coming to your town. Traffic picks up. People’s faces begin to look very worried. Nobody cares for each other. If someone talks to you, you can tell that they want the conversation to end as soon as possible. The second time I had to run, I thought: ‘This time I have to get as far away as possible.’ So I came all the way to Kinshasa."
"Were you worried the war would reach Kinshasa?"
"No. Because the wars have all been about Kinshasa. So if the war reaches Kinshasa, the war is over."
(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"I have a one-and-a-half year old daughter at home. There are...

"I have a one-and-a-half year old daughter at home. There are two things that we do every day. When I get home from work in the evening, she runs to me, and asks me to buy her a sausage. And every morning when she wakes up— at exactly 5:30 AM — she needs to go to the bathroom, and she screams for me to bring her the pot. She never screams for Mom. Just for me. How this became my job, I don’t know." 
(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"I’m listening to music about God." (Kasangulu, Democratic...

"I’m listening to music about God." 
(Kasangulu, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"I’d like them to be ministers or business people. But...

"I’d like them to be ministers or business people. But this one is supposed to start school this year, and I don’t have the money to send him." 
(Kasangulu, Democratic Republic of Congo)

She said she’d let me take her photo if I bought some...

She said she’d let me take her photo if I bought some peanuts from her. Afterward, I asked if she could remember the saddest moment of her life. She laughed, and said: “You’re going to need to buy some more peanuts.”
(Kasangulu, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"I’m studying to be a lawyer. He likes books about...

"I’m studying to be a lawyer. He likes books about frogs." 
(Kasangulu, Democratic Republic of Congo)