There are 2 little girls sitting behind this table, watching their mother's product of kwanga, which is for sale. It is a staple of food in much of Africa, although it is called by different names and probably has different tastes - but the main ingredient is always manioc. It is made into a flour paste and is wrapped in green leaves and tied together, then steamed for, I am told, at least 3 hours. It comes in different sizes and shapes.
We don't think is has much food value, but it is very filling and is eaten with most meals, cut up into pieces and served with some type of gravy - or just eaten 'on the run' with some water or Coca Cola to wash it down, as we have seen a lot of laborers do.
We had not seen a fire truck for many months when we first came, then we saw one in the yard of the only Fire Station we have seen. Recently we saw into the open gate of the Fire Station and could see more than one, although it is difficult to determine if they are 'working'. A few days ago as we entered a busy intersection, one came flying through and we had to get out of the way quickly. We hear of homes burning down, and one family's home in the Pointe Noire Branche did burn down about two weeks ago. So many of the homes are cinder block with not much to burn, but the other, most humble homes are wooden and burn easily and the families loose everything.
These two photos are not very clear. I have posted a few photos of the harbor previously, but one day we wanted to get out of town for a few minutes, so we drove out a few miles, and then up on a hill to see if we could see the African Mercy Ship that is docked in our harbor.
We couldn't see the Mercy Ship but this shows other ships. Most commodities in Pointe Noire are either shipped in or flown in, which explains why everything is very expensive.
This is a training school for hair stylists. There are many Coiffure shops, and many women who simply 'do hair' in the yards of their homes.
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