The Abandoned Airport in Congo that Became a Playground

I spend a lot of time in nice airports—and plenty of not-so-nice ones, too. But seeing these photos from war photographer Michael Christopher Brown made me reflect on my days as an aid worker in West Africa.

While flying around the region, I saw plenty of abandoned planes on derelict runways. The airlines changed names and ownership in shady deals every couple of years. Flights would be canceled with no explanation, and sometimes the entire airport would be closed off, thwarting the plans of...