Kinshasa in confinement by Justin Makangara — Congo in Conversation / 11th Carmignac Photojournalism Award

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, mid-March, 2020. A market in Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital. Congolese authorities closed schools and shut down major commercial activities to enforce social distancing. Many people weren’t taking precautions and didn’t believe the virus was a threat to them during the early days of the pandemic. © Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac

In early March, as the coronavirus spread across Asia, Europe and the Americas, many African countries were also implementing precautionary measures to protect their populations. I live in Congo’s capital Kinshasa, one of Africa’s largest cities. It is home to more than 12 million people, many of them living in cramped conditions. The central business district of Gombe — Kinshasa’s financial and administrative hub where many foreigners and Congolese elite live and work — is the epicenter of DRC’s coronavirus outbreak.

On March 19, schools were closed, major commercial activities halted, and Gombe was put under lockdown, with access roads blocked off and passes required for entry. Police patrolled Gombe’s streets and people were screened at the entrances to buildings and at the few essential shops that remained operational. Five days later, President Tshisekedi declared a national state of emergency, closed the country’s borders, and isolated Kinshasa from other provinces to stem the spread from the capital to the other regions.

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, early April, 2020. A busy street in the financial and administrative district of Gombe in the capital. Even though the area had been put on lockdown on March 19, streets were often still crowded. People continue to make a living; much of the population survives on less than $2 per day.
© Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac — Kinshasa, early April, 2020. A busy street in the financial and administrative district of Gombe in the capital. Even though the area had been put on lockdown on March 19, streets were often still crowded. People continue to make a living; much of the population survives on less than $2 per day. © Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, March 19, 2020. A busy street in the Mont Ngafula district of the capital. Even though much of Kinshasa had been put on lockdown that day, streets were often still crowded. People continue trying to make a living; much of the population survives on less than $2 per day. © Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac — Kinshasa, March 19, 2020. A busy street in the Mont Ngafula district of the capital. © Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, mid-March, 2020. A street scene in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital. Congolese authorities closed schools and shut down major commercial activities to enforce social distancing. Many people weren't taking precautions and didn't believe the virus was a threat to them during the early days of the pandemic.
© Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac — Kinshasa, mid-March, 2020. A street scene in Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital. Congolese authorities closed schools and shut down major commercial activities to enforce social distancing. Many people weren’t taking precautions and didn’t believe the virus was a threat to them during the early days of the pandemic. © Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, early April, 2020. A billboard promoting health measures aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus in front of Kinshasa's City Hall in the financial and administrative district of Gombe. Gombe — the city’s financial and administrative hub where many foreigners and Congolese elite live and work — is the epicenter of Congo’s Coronavirus outbreak.
© Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac — Kinshasa, early April, 2020. A billboard promoting health measures aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus in front of Kinshasa’s City Hall in the financial and administrative district of Gombe. Gombe — the city’s financial and administrative hub where many foreigners and Congolese elite live and work — is the epicenter of Congo’s Coronavirus outbreak. © Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, early April, 2020. A provincial deputy addresses a crowd of people frustrated with a process required to obtain access badges to Gombe, the central commercial district of Kinshasa. Congolese authorities closed schools, shut down major commercial activities, and closed off access to the wealthy Gombe district to enforce social distancing.
© Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac — Kinshasa, early April, 2020. A provincial deputy addresses a crowd of people frustrated with a process required to obtain access badges to Gombe, the central commercial district of Kinshasa. Congolese authorities closed schools, shut down major commercial activities, and closed off access to the wealthy Gombe district to enforce social distancing. © Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, mid-March, 2020. A member of the COVID-19 response team wears protective equipment at the entrance to a building in the Gombe commune of DR Congo's Capital. The responders were at the main entrance of the building to raise awareness among apartment residents about social distancing and to take the temperature of anyone entering or leaving the building, where there are around 75 families and offices.
© Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac — Kinshasa, mid-March, 2020. A member of the COVID-19 response team wears protective equipment at the entrance to a building in the Gombe commune of DR Congo’s Capital. The responders were at the main entrance of the building to raise awareness among apartment residents about social distancing and to take the temperature of anyone entering or leaving the building, where there are around 75 families and offices. © Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, March 19, 2020. Sister Élysee, who runs a school in the Mont Ngafula area of Congo's capital, stands in a courtyard on the day Congolese authorities closed schools, shut down major commercial activities, and closed off access to the wealthy Gombe district to enforce social distancing.
© Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac — Kinshasa, March 19, 2020. Sister Élysee, who runs a school in the Mont Ngafula area of Congo’s capital, stands in a courtyard. © Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, mid-March, 2020. An empty classroom in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital. Congolese authorities closed schools and shut down major commercial activities to enforce social distancing. Many people weren't taking precautions and didn't believe the virus was a threat to them during the early days of the pandemic. © Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac — Kinshasa, mid-March, 2020. An empty classroom in Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital. © Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac

Gombe, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sunday, April 05, 9:05 pm. Gombe is preparing for its 14-day lockdown. The grocery stores and shops are already closed and this part of the busy city is empty of its regulars. Gombe is the administrative centre of Kinshasa and considered the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic affecting Democratic Republic of Congo. To date, records show that Gombe has more than 70 percent of cases in the national territory.
© Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac — Gombe, Kinshasa, Sunday, April 05, 9:05 pm. Gombe is preparing for its 14-day lockdown. The grocery stores and shops are already closed and this part of the busy city is empty of its regulars. Gombe is the administrative centre of Kinshasa and considered the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic affecting Democratic Republic of Congo. To date, records show that Gombe has more than 70 percent of cases in the national territory. © Justin Makangara for Fondation Carmignac

While Gombe’s streets fell quiet, scenes in the surrounding neighbourhoods were very different. As I walked through Mont Ngafula, a southern commune of Kinshasa, I found many people who were not yet respecting social distancing measures and other precautions suggested by the World Health Organization. Even now, many people continue business as usual without protection. Many don’t believe the virus is a real threat to them. As of today, April 29, Congo has reported 491 COVID-19 cases and 30 deaths.