A spectacular ceremony in the huge Martyrs stadium in Kinshasa should kick off the ninth Games of the Francophonie on Friday evening, July 28, which the Congolese want to see as a message of hope in an ocean of problems.
Some 80,000 spectators are expected to see the 3,000 young athletes and artists, from around thirty countries, involved in the competitions and contests that take place over ten days in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), largest French-speaking city in the world with approximately 15 million inhabitants. In addition to the parade of delegations and their flag bearers, there is planned “a sound and light show that will present the changing Congo”, said government spokesman Patrick Muyaya earlier this week.
With strong press briefings and field visits, the authorities have worked to demonstrate that Kinshasa would be up to the event, despite the difficulties. Awarded in 2019 to the DRC, these games should have taken place in 2021, four years after those of Abidjan. But they were postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, then again in 2022 because the necessary equipment was not ready.
Because to accommodate the athletes, the country, rich in minerals but poor in standard of living and infrastructure, had to spend tens of millions of dollars to rehabilitate or build new facilities. These expenditures were added to the war effort against armed groups and rebellions in the east of the country, in particular against the March 23 Movement (M23), which, supported by Rwanda, has been occupying since last year part of the province of North Kivu.
Unsurprisingly, the Rwandan-Congolese crisis caused by this conflict was invited to the games in Kinshasa, with a controversy surrounding the presence at the opening ceremony of the Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), Louise Mushikiwabo, former Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs. On Monday, the Congolese government announced her presence. But her spokesperson indicated the next day that she would not come because she had not been invited, which was repeated on Wednesday by the administrator of the OIF, Caroline St-Hilaire, who replaces her in Kinshasa.
Brand new gymnasiums
In addition to the expenses incurred for the reinforcement of its army, the Congolese State must ensure this year the financing of the elections planned for December, in a tense climate and weighed down by the assassination of an opponent, on July 13 in Kinshasa.
The government says little about the precise cost of the games, but it presents it as an investment for the future of the country and its youth, who will be able to take advantage of brand new gymnasiums or rehabilitated rooms on the campus of the University of Kinshasa. . Same thing for the ambulances bought for the games and which will then go to health structures, for the new equipment for national television or for the training that police officers have received for crowd management.
Fears for the security of the delegations have led some countries, such as Quebec, to reduce their participation or altogether give up coming to Kinshasa. The organizers reacted very badly to these decisions, saying that safety was their first concern and that all necessary measures were being taken. Some 4,500 police officers and elements of the Republican Guard will be deployed, while a private company is responsible for the security of the playgrounds.
Until August 6, the Francophone Games will give rise to nine sports competitions and eleven cultural competitions. The sports are men’s football (under 20), women’s basketball (18-25), athletics and para-athletics, road cycling, freestyle and African wrestling, judo and table tennis . The cultural program includes painting, sculpture, photography, song, dance, digital creation, literature, storytelling, ball juggling, giant puppets and hip-hop.