Festivities

International Woman`s Day in Congo is a national holiday which aims to celebrate women throughout the land!!! In essence, it means all the women take a day off work or domestic activities - and participate in the festivities. Pictured here are most of the females from our base. Everyone participating from the same place of work or society wears clothes made from the same material. 

The main part of the day is a big parade where all the women march down the main street whilst the men look on, there is also a tent of local and regional officials about half way down the road. The female members of the police are at the front leading the parade and then females from different businesses, health clinics, charities, clubs or family members of the military walk behind in their group - in there matching outfits. There are also `Mamans` groups; mamans are held in very high regard in Congo and are the equivalent of  `madame` in France. We had to wait here for it to start for quite a while!!!!

Some of the other people in the line up ready to go..

This is our group. There is music in the form of a band and a BIG BASE DRUM which you sort of walk / dance in time to. The effect is a sort of jiggly walk in time with everyone else. I think you are supposed to keep you hands at your side but I clearly got carried away!! I can honestly say I was completely terrified but not wanting to let the side down acted as if I would to cartwheel-arab spring-backflip if I could. As you can see we had a banner, everyone has this in front of their group. I should add that the crowd was fairly somber, until we jigged past. I am not sure what it was but their was a major uproar!! Afterwards, we had people shaking our hands saying how great the dancing was.

Back at the ranch! Not that we were glad that was over......!