Reply To: Congo Paparazi

[Congo]

It is a custom in Kinshasa and elsewhere. During the Christmas and New Year festivities, the population expresses its joy by using firecrackers and fireworks. The merchants, on the other hand, profit from it to make recipes. In short, make good business. This year, they are deprived of these habits. In a statement released on Monday, December 26, 2016, the Governor of the Kinshasa City-Province, André Kimbuta Yango, prohibited the use and sale of firecrackers throughout its jurisdiction. He instructed the bourgmestres of 24 communes to ensure the strict application of this measure. When questioned, some parents, children and merchants are indignant. When they hear them speak, they think that the one they consider to be the solution is still restricting their freedom. Hence, the cries of the heart to Y’André to raise the measure, since it is the only one to whom this power belongs.

The capital of DR Congo will spend the holiday season without the firecrackers. It was following a ban from the Town Hall. Governor André Kimbuta is simply against it. He opposes it every year. In 2016, it strengthened the mechanisms. He extended the powers to the bourgmestres. He instructed them to implement the scheme. The bourgmestre of Kalamu, Jean-Claude Kadima, is already at the front. Speaking on local radio, he said that the doors of the dungeons are open for any recalcitrant child. He also expanded his position by saying “the child who used the firecracker and the one who funded it will all be arrested.” The officials, including the parents, are also targeted in the broad interpretation of Kadima’s statements. On the other hand, while the authorities are ready to implement this measure, parents, children and sellers describe the attitude. Mrs. Charlie, living in the Mont-Fleuri district, is against it. She says it’s a better distraction for kids. Even if they have not eaten or worn, they are occupied by these different games. A child, surprised lighting the firecracker banned by Kimbuta, said that he did not plan many places where we can play. If he wants to be left behind, he must also ask those who manufacture and those who sell not to do so. Moreover, last year too, he had banned. But we used to be. So we will use, there will be nothing, he said. A salesman said: I know it’s forbidden to sell firecrackers. But, if we do, it is because the children are in need. The Governor must really reconsider his decision, because this helps us to sell during this time. Besides, I, as a parent, digest very badly that. Our children are used to playing. Thus, all children remain convinced that the high-summit will solve this problem. In the communication prohibiting the use and sale of firecrackers, André also congratulated the people of Kino for the peaceful attitude observed during the time that people considered the end of the world.

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