Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/06/world/africa/captured-life-in-an-abandoned-airport/index.html
The article “Captured: Life In An Abandoned Airport” really caught my attention because it gives hope; it depicts a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, even when it seems like cloudy days is all a person or country is getting. The author described how to the Goma International Airport, which was once an arsenal for armed forces of The Democratic Republic Of Congo has been converted to a makeshift playground by local children and this scenario the author describes as “The Congo Experience”. On one hand, Congo is often portrayed on the news as a very horrific place because of the brutality and disaster that has happened there such as war and volcanic eruption but as the author said, “beautiful things happen there too.”
Even in the most difficult situations there are still moments that make you go “Awnnnn” and give you that warm feeling on the inside. There are still places you can go to escape the hectic world and take your mind off things . The “Awnnnn” moment for me in the article was how the children made the airport into a makeshift playground and some children were using the wing of the plane as a slide. Also, a picture in the article shows a group of children gathered in the cockpit taking turns to play pilot and it really stood out to me. Despite the extreme poverty and other negative conditions that surrounds them, the youth still finds a way to have fun.
The article is important because there has been a lot of talk about the problems in Africa and I am not opposed to be talking about the issues because sometimes a problem shared is a problem half solved. It is important to be aware of issues, but it seems like the problems are all we ever hear about and see in the media.
In Congo, there were years of war and a volcanic eruption in 2002 ,which overran most of the city. Even the airport and commercial activities in the area were shut down due to the lava. The locals used the leftover volcanic rocks to reconstruct their houses. This act simply highlights the hustler/survival instincts of most Africans, which not many people seem to shed light on or acknowledge. I admire Africans for this attribute. The children even gathered parts of the aircraft while playing to sell and help their parents. Africans can survive harsh conditions, pick themselves up and still keep going and keep fighting no matter what.
The author of the article uses harsh language such as conflict-ridden area, horrific places and horrific things to describe some situations in Congo, yet they were all true representations of the situation, and her tone was primarily neutral when stating facts, while generally positive in all other parts. This source did not affect the tone of the article.
The author concluded by telling the story of a young man from Congo who had always wanted to be a pilot but his parents were to poor to educate him. When Mount Nyirangogo in the Congo erupted, the young man and a couple of others rushed to move the planes before they were engulfed by lava; The plane proved easy to shift, so he jumped in and stirred the plane while others pushed and for him he briefly lived the dream he never got to fulfill. Despite his failed dream, the man described it as an exhilarating moment for him; a dream almost coming true, and for that he was grateful. The last line of the article which is quite inspiring reads, “the Goma airport has acted as a kind of fantasy island for the locals inviting them to dream big even if their means are small.”
Bunmi Akintola.