Republic of Congo – 155th Country

Republic of Congo – 155th Country. To see where I have been so far, check out my map as I count down the final 93 countries on the road to all 193 UN countries. Republic of Congo is my 155th country.

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The Republic of Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, gained independence from France in 1960. The early years of independence were marked by political instability and coups, with several different leaders taking power. In the 1990s, multi-party democracy was established, and the country has since made progress in reducing poverty and promoting economic growth. The Republic of Congo has significant natural resources, including oil and minerals, which have been a major driver of the economy. However, the country also faces challenges related to corruption, inequality, and political instability, and there have been periodic outbreaks of violence and conflict in certain regions.

ROC is one of those many countries in Africa which have limited tourism infrastructure and supply. Meaning, there are limited suppliers and the one I used “mailed it in” with poor service and price gauging. But besides that, went to visit a waterfall and a bunch of gorillas. The highlight, and for me on my bucket list for some time was a visit with the sapeurs. La Sape, an abbreviation based on the phrase Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes (French; literally “Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People”) and hinting to the French slang word sape which means “clothes” or sapé, which means “dressed up”. Four gentlemen modeled for a photo shoot and then stuck around for some beers.