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The typical rural Congolese building may be earthquake-safer. BUT it is not too sturdy and safe.
It is vulnerable to strong winds, heavy rains, and tornadoes. Also, they are vulnerable to man-made disasters like fires.
Durability is a problem, too. The normal tropical rains take their toll. Plain sticks and mud housing do not last too long. The mud should be reinforced with a natural harder or lime.
If an earthquake hits a rural area of Congo, there would be damage. However, I think the death toll would be minimal.
The houses and building in rural Congo are made from stick, mud, and palm leaves.
The situation may change in the future.
Here in the United States, you may be able to find a yellow plastic jug at your hardware or automotive store. BUT it will have diesel molded or stenciled on the side. Yellow is standard for diesel. Also, red is used for gas.
In Congo, there are no such rules. The famous yellow plastic jugs are used for everything. Most in the rural areas where there are few vehicles, they are used exclusively for carrying water.
Yes, occasionally, you can taste residue from prior contents. So you develop the habit of smelling your drink and looking for anything floating on top. That's the rule in rural Congo.
Besides the purchased souvenirs, rural Congolese are very generous people. They offer visitors examples of their Kuba artifacts as tokens of appreciation. They want to thank you for coming to visit them in the bush.
Masks and drums are popular gifts. Lots of the masks would be used for ceremonies and burials.
Of course, it is up to the receiver to pack and safely transport their gifts.
During my first visit to Congo back in 1998, I have no idea that I would ever return. So I wanted to buy something to take back home. We quickly realized that T-shirts were out of the question. The T-shirts we found were old American T-shirts.
Here's the only Congolese souvenir that I have ever REALLY wanted. We fondly called him, "Flat Man'. I can not remember how much I finally paid for him. Also, I did not get the real story of "Flat Man". Later, I discovered it was probably a burial suit for a king or a royal family member.
"Flat Man" is made from a tree bark. It is hand-painted with authentic Kuba designs.
"Flat Man" now residence is a footlocker along with my other un-displayed, authentic Congolese stuff (gifts).
I have never really been excited about bring back souvenirs from Congo. BUT this time, I was excited about getting two souvenirs. (Ok, I was excited just one other time.)
On this trip, I brought back two of the infamous yellow water jugs. They hold 20 liters or just over 5 gallons of water. They weigh over 40 pounds when they are filled with water.
These yellow water jugs are everywhere throughout Congo and most of Africa. I have seen them in the capital city of Kinshasa to the most rural village in the bush. They are used by women and girls to carry water from a distance water source to their homes.
They are for my show and tell, and feel presentation. I want to make it as real as possible for people to understand and experience the task of going to fetch water. Most of us have never carrying more than a half-gallon pitcher of water from our kitchen to the table.
Thankfully, most of us will NOT carry five gallons of water, weighing more than 40 pounds, up a hill, two miles or more, back to our home, once or twice a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Can you believe there's a late model VW Beetle in Kananga? And it was still being driven. I could not believe it. The driver just drove it up to the gas station.
There are some lessons to be learned. Simple. Efficient. Durable.
Today, we talk about the sustainability of projects or models. The VW Beetle is a model to follow.
