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Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. With a population

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of over 14 million, itís the largest French-speaking city in the world.

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The streets are bustling with activity.

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Many people take on multiple jobs to get by.

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Among them are couriers, street-sweepers, maggot sellers, bread

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sellers, and jewelers.

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Each day they count their earnings, dreaming of becoming one of

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Congoís super-rich.

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Everyone in Congo dreams of getting rich. Thereís money if you

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know where to find it.

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But large parts of the population live below the poverty line.

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Albert is a fisherman. He earns less than one euro seventy cents per day.

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Just opposite from his poor neighborhood live some of Congoís

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richest people.

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Thatís ìLa CitÈ du Fleuve.î The rich live there. They do business deals,

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we catch fish.

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The residential complex is for Congoís new upper class, including

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the countryís millionaires.

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Uninvited guests arenít allowed in.

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Fally Ipupa has the kind of life most Congolese can only dream of.

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I never imagined Iíd have multiple cars. I just wanted to sing and

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make a name for myself in Kinshasa and in Africa.

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Fally Ipupa is the DRCís biggest star, and heís known internationally. He

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is also a multi-millionaire.

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ant a photo?

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My God, I love you man!

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I love you too.

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Heís just invested more than 600,000 euros in a new home in ìLa

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CitÈ du Fleuve.î

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Are the doors open? Go on, open them!

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I really like being here, especially on Sundays. I can relax here. Iíve

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always liked coming to the river with my family, so I decided to put

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down a few bricks.

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Those ìfew bricksî amount to a Californian style villa, which stands

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out here in the DRC, one of the worldís poorest countries in terms

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of GDP per capita.

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It doesnít have to be that way. With its abundance of mineral

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resources, the DRC could be one of the richest countries in Africa.

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Mining is the countryís most important industry. Many of Fallyís

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neighbors have made a fortune selling raw materials to a resource-

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hungry world.

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Fally likes to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the city center.

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The Congo River is one of the longest in the world. For the local

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fishermen, itís also vital to their livelihood. They recognize the

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singer immediately.

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They say theyíre my brothers. Iíll give them something. Fifty bucks.

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Fally gets one of the marina workers to hand out a few notes.

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This is a lot! We called out to him, and he gave us fifty bucks to share

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amongst ourselves.

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Each fisherman just got the equivalent of about seven euros,

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the amount theyíd earn in a whole week.

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These people have different problems than we do. They even

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work on Sundays. I often give them a little something, even if itís

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just so they can take home a treat for their children. Iím happy to do it.

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Fally Ipupa is one of about 600 millionaires in the Democratic

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Republic of Congo.

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The DRC is the largest country in Central Africa, about six times the

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size of Germany. Itís home to nearly 100 million people. Its

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history is one of conflict and exploitation. The ongoing violence

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has resulted in six million deaths in the past couple decades.

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In 1965, Mobutu Sese Seko came to power. Nicknamed the ìLeopard of

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Zaire,î he ruled for nearly 32 years, embezzling the equivalent of more

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than four billion euros during his reign.

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In 1996 civil war broke out. Militias, supported by neighboring countries,

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enlisted thousands of child soldiers as they attempted to seize the

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countryís wealth. Mobutu died a year later in exile.

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2001 saw Joseph Kabila step into the political spotlight. During his 18

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years in power, he amassed an estimated fortune of more than 13

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billion euros. Because of its instability, the DRC is today

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regarded as a failed state.

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Weíre traveling across the Democratic Republic of Congo to

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understand why some are getting richer and richer, while others are

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struggling to survive.

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In Kinshasa, the roads are unpaved and difficult to navigate.

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Amid this chaos, a young woman named Moukembi is trying to build

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a future.

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Tell me what to do! The officers are supposed to direct traffic but

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one of them says go to the left; the other one says go to the right.

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What am I supposed to do?

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Moukembi is in the middle of a test. In the back seat, Arnaud is

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evaluating how well she navigates the traffic.

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Sheís clearly feeling the pressure.

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Youíll have to turn soon. You can tell you donít know your way

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around here. Follow this car.

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Moukembi has applied to be a driver at a taxi start-up. The

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company was founded by a Congolese businesswoman who

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wants to lift women out of poverty.

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The pink cars are the serviceís trademark.

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Previously, Moukembi worked as a nurse. If she passes the test, sheíll

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triple her salary, earning around 250 euros per month.

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I canít wait to start the job. Letís hope I pass the test.

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Okay, back to the office.

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Moukembi plays the part of a professional chauffeur until the

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very end, but it will be a few days before

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she finds out if sheís landed the job.

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The cab companyís customers are middle and upper class.

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To make the time spent in Kinshasaís traffic jams more

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enjoyable, passengers are offered drinks, snacks, and even WiFi.

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Weíre the first to offer this.

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Patricia Nzolantima wants to give women better employment

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opportunities. After completing her studies, she returned to Congo and

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started this cab service with the help of investors. Today, she pays it

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forward and supports other female entrepreneurs.

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We want to have more millionaires. Congo has more than

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80 million residents, and weíre rich in natural resources. Itís time

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for Congolese women to get a piece of that wealth.

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Despite the instability in the country?

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Give me two of those.

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?Patricia believes the economy will take off.

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You canít reduce Congo to rape and wars. There are young people,

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especially young women, who are trying to make real change. So itís

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wrong to reduce the country to just the things that donít work.

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This new generation will move the country forward.

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Like Patricia and her friends, more and more Congolese people are

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returning from abroad to work and invest in their homeland. These so-

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called ìrepatsî live in secure areas

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that offer a Western standard of living.

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Back at La CitÈ du Fleuve, the high-end residential complex sitting

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on a couple hundred hectares, two new residents are moving in.

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Olivier and Naomie have just relocated from Johannesburg,

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South Africa.

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Most important for us was the washing machine. And the bed.

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The couple works in finance. New job prospects convinced them to

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return to their home country.

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This will be the living room. The carpet can go here. There ? the

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table, the TV.

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This will be the bedroom.

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The apartment also offers a great view of the Congo River. Olivier and

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Naomie are newlyweds and want to start a family here.

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The couple earns about 3,500 euros per month. Thatís more than 100

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times the average salary. A third of it will go toward rent ? the steep

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price of security.

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You know, I want a place where my kids can play in the street and

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they donít have to worry about 100 other people on the street,

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and they donít have to worry about air pollution, noise pollution.

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They can do their homework in peace. Itís also very much about

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the environment, but also yes, it is a whole lot safer than the inner city.

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A brand-new apartment, brand new furnishings. The next thing we

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need is a brand-new baby!

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The couple has found their safe haven.

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Beginning of a new life for us. -Yes.

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Thereís growing demand to live in this new residential complex.

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Eventually, la CitÈ du Fleuve will have more than two thousand

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homes? including singer Fally Ipupaís.

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We meet him at an estate he rented to film his new music video.

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The dancers are dressed as Congolese warriors.

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The shoot is going well, until suddenly the music stops. Thereís

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been a power outage in the area.

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Thereís no electricity. Weíre trying to work it out.

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Fally and his team are stuck.

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Finally, a technician tracks down an emergency generator?

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?but that quickly breaks too.

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Fally is frustrated, even though heís used to these sorts of challenges.

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You see this tattoo? It means Iím Congolese. Iím not going to leave

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my country just because of a few power outages.

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Eventually, Fally Ipupaís assistant Manon

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tries using the carís sound system.

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We make do with what we have. Iíll connect my phone to the car for now.

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It works, and the video shoot can continue.

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In his twenty-year music career thus far, Fally has joined the club of

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multi-millionaires. And the number of members is increasing.

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The country is rich in minerals, including coltan, from which

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tantalum is extracted. The metal is used

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in the manufacture of mobile phones.

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The mines are in the Great Lakes region, in the eastern part of the

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country, near the Rwandan border.

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Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, has been shaken by

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bloody conflicts for more than two decades. Armed groups fight each

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other for control of the mineral resources.

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The UN has stationed 16,000 peacekeepers here, to shore up a

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fragile peace.

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The residents in this region are poor and traumatized by violence.

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Those who have made their fortune live along the shore of Lake

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Kivu. Including one of the regionís most influential businessmen.

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His villa is guarded around the clock by police. Itís like a fortress.

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Robert Seninga is a multi-millionaire.

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Hi, how are you?

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His wealth comes from coltan mining. He was once a rebel leader.

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In 2006, he was elected to parliament in the Masisi district.

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Even when youíre a politician, you can still do business.

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Robert Seninga freely admits that political clout has helped him. He

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runs the mining cooperative Cooperamma, which extracts

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coltan. His bodyguards never leave his side.

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I ask him where we are.

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This is Cooperammaís headquarters. The heart of the mineral trade.

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The simple building belies the millions that Cooperamma turns

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over each year.

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Robert Seninga looks at the production figures of the last few days.

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On the 6th, it was four tons and 668 kilos.

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The numbers are looking pretty good.

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Itís 40 tons in total.

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I ask how much thatís worth.

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A kilo is about 42 to 45 dollars. You can do the math.

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In the last few days, the mines have brought in close to two million

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euros. With three thousand mine workers, Cooperamma is the

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regionís biggest employer.

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I ask if any children work in his mines.

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No, thatís illegal. There are officers who make sure they donít.

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Children should be in school, not the mines.

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Helmets, boots and masks are mandatory in the mines to ensure

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the workersí safety. According to Seninga, the mines are seen as a

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model for the region.

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Theyíre situated about 60 kilometers from Goma, in one of

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the most beautiful landscapes in Africa.

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But itís also among the most dangerous regions. Conflict has

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raged on here for more than 20 years.

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In 1994, one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century took place in

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neighboring Rwanda: a genocide that killed almost one million

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people. Hundreds of thousands of people fled to the Democratic

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Republic of Congo, including many of the perpetrators.

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Since then, survivors and perpetrators have lived side by side

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in this volatile region. Meanwhile, armed rebel groups clash over

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Congoís valuable resources.

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We head to the mines with Landry, Robert Seningaís chief engineer.

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Seninga has saved the Masisi community. Thanks to him, life can

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go on as normal.

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But little seems to have changed in the region in recent years. The

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roads are disastrous. Each day, people risk their lives getting to work.

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Several times on our journey, our vehicle

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nearly veers off the road into the ravine.

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That was close. A bit further and weíd have ended up in the river.

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Nearly there.

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After five hours on the road, we reach Rubaya, home to the biggest

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coltan mine in the country. About 100,000 people live here.

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Among them are Gilles, his wife and their three children.

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The family lives in this 15 square-meter home. Everything has its

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designated spot.

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The house is very small. We hang the shoes on the wall. The

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childrenís things are here.

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The adjacent room has the kitchen and the familyís bed.

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The bed is very narrow. We sleep there and my wife cooks here.

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The couple moved here 5 years ago, hoping to get wealthy from the mines.

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I hope God will help me, so one day I can buy a car like this one.

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For now, Gilles earns the equivalent of 5 euros per day.

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His work is many kilometers away from the center of Rubaya. It takes

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him an hour and a half to get there.

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There are hundreds of coltan mines in the area. The one Gilles works in

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is called Bamfou.

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The ore is extracted from the sludge by hand.

240
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Itís easier by hand. That way we can separate the coltan from the sand.

241
00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:31,759
Once processed, itís an important part of manufacturing micro-

242
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electronic components.

243
00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:37,759
This is coltan. Itís mainly used for mobile phones.

244
00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:45,759
Gilles has to climb into the mine to dig. The way down is slippery.

245
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Wait. Stop? If you know how to do it, itís pretty easy.

246
00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:01,079
Thereís nothing to hold onto for the 15-meter descent.

247
00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:10,279
At the bottom, itís difficult to breathe.

248
00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:16,920
The shafts and tunnels are not adequately supported. Theyíre at

249
00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:18,240
risk of collapsing.

250
00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:24,559
Gilles gets to work with a pickaxe.

251
00:23:29,279 --> 00:23:32,039
Thereís a lot of sand here. Itís endless.

252
00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:43,720
Extraction is the priority, not safety.

253
00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:53,240
Serious accidents often occur in these mines.

254
00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:56,519
I ask if itís dangerous.

255
00:23:57,240 --> 00:23:58,640
Sometimes rocks fall.

256
00:24:01,039 --> 00:24:04,359
Landry sees no problems with the safety standards.

257
00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:10,240
Itís normal for there to be deaths in mines, because of landslides for

258
00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:16,240
example. Not just in Rubaya but everywhere. If this shaft collapsed

259
00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:18,440
now, weíd probably all suffocate.

260
00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:27,600
There are no official figures, but fatal accidents while coltan mining

261
00:24:27,599 --> 00:24:33,079
are commonplace, not the exception. We notice that some of

262
00:24:33,079 --> 00:24:36,039
the miners look very young. Landry

263
00:24:36,039 --> 00:24:38,639
seems uncomfortable with our questions.

264
00:24:40,039 --> 00:24:41,119
How old are you?

265
00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:43,119
I'm twenty

266
00:24:44,279 --> 00:24:51,599
Heís twenty years old. He may seem younger because heís so

267
00:24:51,599 --> 00:24:54,519
small. But he manages well.

268
00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:02,680
Of Gillesí 30 or so colleagues, half look younger than 18 years old.

269
00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:10,679
In this region and others, we regularly encounter children who

270
00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:12,759
hide when they see our cameras.

271
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:19,400
According to UNICEF, more than 40,000 children work in the DRCís mines.

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00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:25,400
While this mineral makes some people rich, it robs others of their

273
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:28,080
childhood and sometimes even their life.

274
00:25:30,839 --> 00:25:33,959
Everyone tries to profit from coltan mining,

275
00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:37,160
which is why the black market is flourishing.

276
00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:42,440
A considerable portion of this valuable commodity is sold under

277
00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:46,440
the table to avoid paying taxes to the Congolese government.

278
00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:58,840
This illegal trade takes place with the help of Congolese soldiers, who

279
00:25:58,839 --> 00:26:00,759
let the convoys pass through.

280
00:26:12,839 --> 00:26:16,839
The soldier makes good money through the black-market trade.

281
00:26:45,279 --> 00:26:48,960
The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the 20 most corrupt

282
00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:53,440
countries in the world. Illegal trade means the Congolese state misses

283
00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:56,840
out on several billion euros in revenue every year.

284
00:26:57,319 --> 00:27:01,519
Nevertheless, the mining sector drove Congoís economy to almost

285
00:27:01,519 --> 00:27:04,359
6-percent growth in 2018.

286
00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:08,759
That economic success is especially showcased on the ìBoulevard of

287
00:27:08,759 --> 00:27:11,400
June 30th" in DRCís capital, Kinshasa.

288
00:27:13,559 --> 00:27:17,440
The street is named after the DRCís Independence Day.

289
00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:22,680
Being an entrepreneur is something many young Congolese dream of?

290
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:26,120
the job is demanding, but the financial independence more than

291
00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:27,199
makes up for it.

292
00:27:28,839 --> 00:27:31,639
One such entrepreneur is celebrating a lucrative new

293
00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:37,080
contract. Eric Monga not only runs a business, heís also the head of a

294
00:27:37,079 --> 00:27:38,359
trade association.

295
00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:42,480
Hereís to the future of the business?

296
00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:45,279
Good luck with your project!

297
00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:52,799
They toast with expensive champagne, because Eric has good

298
00:27:52,799 --> 00:27:58,279
news. He just returned from Florida in the United States, where he met

299
00:27:58,279 --> 00:28:03,279
with investors. He has convinced them to fund his ambitious project,

300
00:28:03,279 --> 00:28:06,200
which will cost more than 400-million euros.

301
00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:15,440
A contract was signed?but thatís all I can tell you. Weíre drinking to

302
00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:18,360
celebrate how well our friend negotiated it.

303
00:28:20,839 --> 00:28:25,679
Eric wants to construct a hydroelectric power plant. Fewer

304
00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:30,920
than 1 in 5 people in Congo have access to electricity. He wants to

305
00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:31,920
change that.

306
00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:38,920
In every problem, thereís also a business opportunity. People need

307
00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:44,000
food, they need clothes. And now we want to ensure they have electricity.

308
00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:51,519
He plans to improve living conditions for at least some of the

309
00:28:51,519 --> 00:28:54,639
nearly 100-million people in the DRC.

310
00:29:02,839 --> 00:29:07,240
Eric Monga is from Lubumbashi, in the southern part of the country.

311
00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:10,480
He made his fortune with a company specializing in the

312
00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:13,160
chemical analysis of minerals.

313
00:29:14,519 --> 00:29:18,039
Heís about to show us the location of his future dam.

314
00:29:18,799 --> 00:29:22,079
The area is remote and sparsely populated.

315
00:29:23,799 --> 00:29:28,000
The project will mean bringing workers in from far away. But the

316
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:29,519
challenge is worth it.

317
00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:36,320
The power plant will bring in almost 1 million dollars per month.

318
00:29:36,319 --> 00:29:37,319
A lot of money.

319
00:29:39,359 --> 00:29:41,759
Oops. Welcome to the bush!

320
00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:49,600
Eric has set up a small camp in the middle of the wilderness. It hosts a

321
00:29:49,599 --> 00:29:50,799
team of engineers.

322
00:29:54,799 --> 00:29:56,279
Hello, howís it going?

323
00:29:57,839 --> 00:30:01,639
About a dozen employees have been living here for a year.

324
00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:07,400
They have a water tank, a generator, and some small sheds.

325
00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:16,080
Right now weíre standing at about 735 meters. The top of the dam

326
00:30:16,079 --> 00:30:21,079
will be at 830 meters. The water will go up to that level there,

327
00:30:21,079 --> 00:30:24,279
where the sun is. This will be an enormous lake.

328
00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:34,440
At a height of 90 meters, the dam will be one of the largest in the DRC.

329
00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:40,839
It will have a capacity of 150 megawatts, providing half a million

330
00:30:40,839 --> 00:30:47,079
residents with power. And building it will create about 3,000 jobs.

331
00:30:50,799 --> 00:30:55,200
Weíre making something that will really benefit the region. Itís

332
00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:57,440
especially important for farmers.

333
00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:00,640
They need electricity to modernize agriculture.

334
00:31:03,559 --> 00:31:07,279
Several investors, especially Americans, have shown interest in

335
00:31:07,279 --> 00:31:11,839
the project. Eric hopes to wrap up construction within three years.

336
00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:20,160
He believes people can be successful when they have the

337
00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:22,360
courage to leap into the unknown.

338
00:31:31,799 --> 00:31:37,480
Many people have found success here. Why not me? If you work

339
00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:41,200
hard, you can make a lot of money here in a short time.

340
00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:49,480
Eric is not alone in this belief. More and more Congolese are becoming

341
00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:52,599
entrepreneurs, throwing themselves into the business world

342
00:31:52,599 --> 00:31:54,719
in the hope of escaping poverty.

343
00:31:57,559 --> 00:31:59,519
Back to Kinshasa.

344
00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:09,120
In the early morning, bread-sellers come from all parts of the city to

345
00:32:09,119 --> 00:32:11,119
stock up from this wholesaler.

346
00:32:13,359 --> 00:32:15,599
Many women make a living this way.

347
00:32:20,559 --> 00:32:22,960
Marie comes here every day at 6 a.m.

348
00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:27,400
Two boxes.

349
00:32:30,119 --> 00:32:34,919
Marie was widowed six months ago. Now she must provide for her

350
00:32:34,920 --> 00:32:35,920
family alone.

351
00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:41,600
Hold this for me, please.

352
00:32:42,559 --> 00:32:46,679
No, itís not too heavy. Iím used to it, itís part of the job.

353
00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:58,200
Marie is balancing more than fifteen kilos. Every day she sets up

354
00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:00,440
her stand on a busy street corner.

355
00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:06,799
How much is the cake?

356
00:33:06,799 --> 00:33:07,799
300 francs.

357
00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:09,720
I'll take one.

358
00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:15,160
Iíll give you two. Youíve gotten so thin.

359
00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:17,000
Oh, thanks!

360
00:33:18,599 --> 00:33:24,439
I often come here and buy bread from Marie. I like her stand, itís clean.

361
00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:31,680
Marie gets lots of customers, with her friendly disposition.

362
00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:34,440
Itís going well today!

363
00:33:37,079 --> 00:33:42,960
She typically earns about 60 euros a day selling bread. She dreams of

364
00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:46,279
opening more stalls, and even getting rich.

365
00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:54,600
If you know how to manage a business, you can become a

366
00:33:54,599 --> 00:33:59,000
millionaire. You just have to be smart, plan properly and run your

367
00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:00,000
business well.

368
00:34:02,599 --> 00:34:07,000
She still has a long way to go. Her net profit at the end of the day is

369
00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:08,559
only 18 euros.

370
00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:19,200
Marie goes to church three times per week, to pray and thank God.

371
00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:28,039
God is very important to me. I owe everything to him.

372
00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:35,680
Evangelical churches thrive in Congo. And some make their

373
00:34:35,679 --> 00:34:38,919
money from capitalizing on other peopleís faith.

374
00:34:49,679 --> 00:34:54,719
On this Sunday morning in Kinshasa, the cityís usually bustling streets

375
00:34:54,719 --> 00:35:01,199
are nearly deserted. Since dawn, tens of thousands of people have

376
00:35:01,199 --> 00:35:04,599
been streaming into the countryís national stadium.

377
00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:19,880
Theyíre not here for a soccer match or a concert. The 80,000 attendees

378
00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:23,480
have come to see a man they believe performs miracles.

379
00:35:28,119 --> 00:35:31,079
We believe in the prophet Khondeís miracles.

380
00:35:32,719 --> 00:35:36,799
I was dying, but then I drank a glass of his miracle juice and my

381
00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:41,960
pain disappeared immediately. Iím living proof. Heís a prophet.

382
00:35:53,079 --> 00:35:57,239
There are camera crews, photographers, cheerleaders, and

383
00:35:57,239 --> 00:36:02,719
lots of police. Itís one of the biggest events of the year. Itís even

384
00:36:02,719 --> 00:36:05,079
being broadcast live on television.

385
00:36:07,199 --> 00:36:11,719
Dominique Khonde is the man everyone is waiting for. The self-

386
00:36:11,719 --> 00:36:16,480
proclaimed prophet has several million followers. When he enters

387
00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:18,480
the stadium, the crowd erupts.

388
00:36:26,519 --> 00:36:31,320
Before he goes on stage, he greets former Prime Minister Bruno Tshibala.

389
00:36:33,119 --> 00:36:36,159
The wife of former President Joseph Kabila is also in the

390
00:36:36,159 --> 00:36:41,319
audience. After a few prayers and songs, he begins to preach.

391
00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:46,119
They donít want you to succeed or live in abundance, prosperity and

392
00:36:46,119 --> 00:36:55,400
wealth. But even in poverty, even when you are hungry or ill?youíll

393
00:36:55,400 --> 00:37:04,280
have everything as long as you realize the truth. Amen. Fear not. Amen.

394
00:37:09,199 --> 00:37:13,039
Dominique Khondeís business model involves a supposed miracle

395
00:37:13,039 --> 00:37:17,519
cure that he peddles across the country. But not here, out in the

396
00:37:17,519 --> 00:37:22,039
open. Instead, he sells it discretely in small rural communities. The

397
00:37:22,039 --> 00:37:25,639
business has already earned him several million euros.

398
00:37:27,079 --> 00:37:31,719
A few days later, we accompany Khonde to Matete, a Kinshasa

399
00:37:31,719 --> 00:37:36,480
suburb. Outside the church, more than a

400
00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:38,960
hundred of his followers are waiting.

401
00:37:41,519 --> 00:37:44,320
The prophet told me to stop spending money on doctors. He

402
00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:46,720
told me to drink the juice and pray.

403
00:37:48,559 --> 00:37:52,639
At 11 oíclock, Dominique Khonde arrives in his luxury car.

404
00:37:59,239 --> 00:38:03,719
His followers have all come for some of his supposed miracle cure.

405
00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,599
But first the prophet wants a donation.

406
00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:16,320
Khonde receives the sick as though they were on a conveyer belt.

407
00:38:19,719 --> 00:38:22,839
This woman had a brain hemorrhage one year ago.

408
00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:29,480
I came to the prophet because I am very ill. When I heard about

409
00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:32,240
the prophetís miracle cure, I asked to be brought to him.

410
00:38:32,239 --> 00:38:33,639
I canít walk anymore.

411
00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:42,880
She should be massaged with the juice. I think that will help her.

412
00:38:46,559 --> 00:38:48,840
I have faith that he will heal me.

413
00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:52,920
Consultations usually only last seconds.

414
00:38:54,159 --> 00:38:55,960
You need to take the juice.

415
00:38:57,599 --> 00:39:00,000
The prescription is always the same.

416
00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:02,000
Are you taking the juice?

417
00:39:02,119 --> 00:39:04,599
Yes. -Good, keep taking it.

418
00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:11,599
After speaking to the prophet, the sick people are sent next door, to

419
00:39:11,599 --> 00:39:12,599
the pharmacy.

420
00:39:14,119 --> 00:39:23,400
This is where they get the famous juice. No one here doubts its

421
00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:24,400
healing powers.

422
00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:29,039
It cures AIDS, stomach pain, liver cancer,

423
00:39:29,039 --> 00:39:31,800
cirrhosis, all kinds of diseases...

424
00:39:35,679 --> 00:39:44,799
I had AIDS and lost a lot of weight. Now I weigh 52 kilos, thanks to the

425
00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:49,680
juice from the prophet Dominique Khonde. He healed me.

426
00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:59,200
Thereís no science behind the juice, but many people blindly trust it. A

427
00:39:59,199 --> 00:40:04,439
half-liter costs the equivalent of 14 euros, about a third of the average

428
00:40:04,440 --> 00:40:05,440
monthly salary.

429
00:40:09,119 --> 00:40:13,319
Three of us pooled our money and weíre going to share a bottle.

430
00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:21,119
Thereís a strong smell of gasoline in the room.

431
00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:26,960
Thereís lemon juice in it, gasoline and some other ingredients.

432
00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:40,240
Right now the juice is bottled on-site, but demand is so high that

433
00:40:40,239 --> 00:40:43,479
soon Khonde will begin producing it in a factory.

434
00:40:48,679 --> 00:40:50,399
Hereís the new packaging.

435
00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:56,320
According to the packaging, the juice cures epilepsy, cancer and

436
00:40:56,320 --> 00:40:57,320
even AIDS.

437
00:40:57,880 --> 00:41:01,599
The active ingredient? Divine enlightenment.

438
00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:07,840
This product treats illnesses with different causes, such as epilepsy,

439
00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:10,800
cancer and so on.

440
00:41:15,159 --> 00:41:18,279
It says it cures AIDS, but he didnít read that.

441
00:41:19,239 --> 00:41:21,839
No, we havenít tried it with AIDS much.

442
00:41:24,639 --> 00:41:28,199
More than half a million Congolese are HIV-positive.

443
00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:34,280
Another supposed benefit of the miracle cure: it can bring children

444
00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:35,600
back from the dead.

445
00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:40,400
Some people have applied the juice to their still-born babies, and

446
00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:42,000
theyíve woken up again.

447
00:41:44,519 --> 00:41:50,079
A juice that can cure AIDS and bring the dead back to life. Congolese

448
00:41:50,079 --> 00:41:53,319
authorities donít stop him from selling tens of thousands of bottles

449
00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:56,120
of his gasoline-lemon mixture every year.

450
00:41:56,400 --> 00:42:00,039
While his assistants count the day's earnings, most Congolese people

451
00:42:00,039 --> 00:42:05,559
continue their daily struggle against poverty. The road to becoming a

452
00:42:05,559 --> 00:42:11,679
millionaire legitimately is long and hard. Thatís why some take shortcuts.