BRAZZAVILLE: The Capital City of THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO.

Brazzaville is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Congo, a country in the western part of Central Africa. Brazzaville was founded on September 10, 1880. The city is said to have been on the side of Kuna, a batik village and was named after its part-African founder, explorer Pierre Savignon de Brazza. Brazzaville is a great and cultural crossroad where artistic activity and intellectual activity thrive. The city witnessed the beginning of Congolese Rumba, a musical rhythm and theme initiated by Paul Camba of the Bantus de la Capital orchestra. In this video, we will discover amazing facts about this 142-year-old city. Before then, please subscribe if you haven't and turn on the notification bell in order to be notified of any new video. Let's get right into it. Congo Brazzaville and DRC Congo Officially known as the Republic of Congo, the country is often called Congo Brazzaville. With its capital added to distinguish it from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, which is often referred to by its acronym, the DRC, or called Congo Kinshasa. Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, formerly a Belgian colony, and the Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville, formerly a French colony, both celebrated independence in 1960. During colonization, while still under the French, Congo Brazzaville used to be called the French Congo or Middle Congo. One of its most common nicknames is Brazza the Green because of its environment-friendly policies. Brazzaville is a beautiful city with over 1.8 million residents, designated a city of music by UNESCO in 2013. Brazzaville-Kinshasa Bridge Brazzaville is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Congo and is located on the Congo River, across from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both cities sit on opposite sides of the Congo River, Kinshasa on the southern bank and Brazzaville on the north bank. They are considered the closest capitals in the world. Over the years, there have been talks between the two countries of constructing a bridge between them, across the Congo River. However, plans have been established but stalled repeatedly since 1991 because of a number of reasons. These include a lack of adequate funding, turmoil in the Republic of Congo, DRC's fears of affecting their economic activities at the ports of Boma and Matadi. Wikipedia writes, following a study in 2009, the project lay dormant until a meeting was held in Libreville, Gabon in December 2016 between the two countries. In January 2017, the ECCAS reactivated the project with the African Development Bank pledging 250 million euros to the project. The two Congo's were to raise the remaining 110 million euros and seek donors for an additional 40 million euros. An agreement was formally signed in November 2018 between the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo for a 1.5 meter long toll bridge to connect their capitals. Construction works have since been repeatedly delayed with works now expected to commence in 2023. The bridge is expected to be completed in 2028. Let's wait and see how the bridge turns out. Nambemba Elf Tower. This is Brazzaville's tallest skyscraper and the tallest building in the Republic of Congo. It stands 106 meters tall with 30 floors. Nambemba Tower was named after Mount Nambemba, which is the highest mountain in the country. The building is said to The tower was designed by Jean-Marie Le Grand and built between 1983 and 1986. It was inaugurated by President Sassou Nguesso in the year 1990. Various charity and ministry offices are housed in the tower, for example the UNESCO offices. Nambemba Tower was voted among the top 10 most beautiful buildings in Africa in 2016. In 1997, the tower was severely damaged during the Republic of Congo civil war. The building was rebuilt when President Nguesso returned to power and has undergone regular maintenance. All this has been done for years at a cost considering exorbitant to some like architect Norbert Miller, who sees the building as a symbolic building built only for prestige. Tropical pitlands in Brazzaville. Pitlands are wetlands that contain a mixture of decomposed organic material partially submerged in layers of water The complex biodiversity of pitlands means they are home to a variety of species. Their high carbon content makes them uniquely vulnerable to incineration if drained. They are globally important carbon stores. The unregulated exploitation of pitlands can potentially be detrimental to the environment and to climate as they could release carbon emissions that have been The Cuvette Central Region in Congo Basin is the world's largest natural tropical pitland. It stores an equivalent of up to three years of global greenhouse gas emissions. The Brazzaville Declaration was signed to protect this pitland to promote better management and conservation from unregulated land use and also prevent its drainage and degradation. It was signed jointly by the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo and Indonesia on the sidelines of the third partners meeting of global pitlands initiative held in Brazzaville Republic of Congo. It was signed in March 2018. Education system. 12.6% of the Congolese budget is spent on education. 40% on primary education, 31% on secondary level and 27% on tertiary level. Only 1% goes to pre-primary education. Education in Congo takes 13 years from the first level of primary school to higher certificate. This is the breakdown. Primary level, six grades, two preparatory, two elementary and two medium classes. A secondary school entry test is then done before moving forward. Secondary level, seven years, two parts. For example, college and lycee. College includes grade 7 and 8, grade 9 and grade 10. There are three kinds of lycees. For example, general, agricultural and technical. These include grade 11, 12 and 13. At grade 13, every student is required to do a senior high school higher certificate school. The literacy rate in the Republic of Congo is 82.8%. Some of the schools in Brazzaville are American international schools of Brazzaville and Marianguabi University. Where would you go shopping? Crafts and shops. The place is awash with African voodoo dolls, masks, clothing and leather goods popular for jewelry, beads, painting, sculptures and ceramics. It's also the only market which sells flowers. Don't forget to bargain. The unpaved back streets are lined with stands selling colorful fabrics especially popular with local brides looking for material for their big day. A true cultural experience. Wendze and Mungali markets for local crafts and pottery. Taladamiso, near Marché du Plateau craft market. It has wood carvings and brassware. Batteries and meat stores like Casino, Supermarket and Nenu Viande. Bakeries like La Mandarine, La Midoré and Exotic Palace. The cataracts or repeats. The Jura River is a river of the Republic of Congo. It is a tributary of the Congo River. The Jura River rises in the pool department to the north of Myanmar and flows through that town. It then follows a meandering southeast course through Ngoma Tjete in the Brazzaville department and through the west of the city of Brazzaville. Entering the Congo where it leaves the pool Malembo. The river flows through the Kintamo rapids at its mouth. Described by the English explorer Henry Morton Stanley on 12 March 1877 as having an impressive beauty not easily quailed. About 20 minutes from the center of town, these rapids prevented 19th century European settlers from traveling down to the Congo River. It is a great viewpoint for photos. Head to the Rapides Hotel, the beaches of the cataracts or the Sea Touristique Les Rapides for a breathtaking view of the Jura rapids of the Congo River. On the outskirts of the capital, the Congo River goes wild. Les Rapides are a section of the river dominated by unwanted rapids which are next to impossible to navigate. But at Ponjue on the southwest of Brazzaville city center, you can sit in a bar or walk along a bridge and enjoy a beautiful view of this natural phenomenon on the surrounding landscapes. The famous living stone falls can also be found nearby. Basilic Saint-Anne, Brazzaville. The Basilica of Saint-Anne-du-Congo and its 22 meter high vaults has a flamboyant emerald roof with 200,000 twill shaped tiles resembling an ecumenical UFO. Roger Errol who drew it up in 1943 sees her as a culmination of his Franco-African architectural synthesis research. The use of the broken arc is inspired by the spear irons according to H. Brissette-Goubet. This church of unusual magnitude in central Africa contains the quintessence of what could have and should have been a true way for the future for modern African architecture. The Saint-Anne Basilica is one of the most impressive pieces of architecture within the city of Brazzaville. The Basilica sits about 400 meters away from the main station of the city. The building sits next to a stadium and a small park owned by the Basilica. It is best known for its pointed arch and green roof and is one of the main Catholic places of worship within the city. The building is seen as a fusion of traditional Congolese architecture and European Gothic architecture. Construction began in 1943 and finished in 2011. The building took more than six years because construction was stopped during civil unrest. Inadequate resources because of damage to the church during the civil war in 1990s. For a long time the church roof and the main clock tower remained unfinished. The clock in the main tower was finally installed in 2011. This iconic building is worth a visit. The People Palace, Palais du Peuple. In 1901 on the site of the future Brazzaville and the center of the Plateau Hill and where the 17 slave huts of local chief Ngoya had been since 1884, construction began to the palace of the governor-general of Congo. This palace was the seat of the general government throughout the colonial period from 1961 to 1968. The former governor's palace was renamed the residency palace and then the people's palace. It is the official residence of the president of the Republic of Congo. Isolated in the vast park, the building has a decoration characteristic of the 1900s. Lowered arcades and open work balustrades. Two symmetrical wings were added in 1914 then annexed at the rear in 1944. It was restored in 1982 with the addition of an awning in 1994. It is heavily guarded and best not approached or photographed. It is currently one of the presidential residence for Congo's long-term president Denis Sasugiso. Languages of Congo Brazzaville. French is the official language of the Congo. A majority of the French speakers in Congo live in the urban area of Brazzaville. French is used as a medium of instruction in schools and is also taught as a subject. It is also the language of communication in the government. Kituba and Lingala are the country's national languages. They are ethnic languages. Kituba is the largest ethnic language in the Republic of Congo mainly spoken in the southern part of the country. It is spoken by over 50.35 percent of the Congolese population. Lingala is mainly spoken in the northern and eastern region. This is widely used in administration, trade and educational training. Minority languages in the Republic of Congo are many about 60. Some of them are Kiteke, Bembe, Akwa, Kituba, Likuba, Congo and Baganda. With over 100 ethnic groups in Congo, each speaking their own languages. There are so many languages spoken in Congo and its capital Brazzaville. So how would you say hi in Brazzaville? That's it for today's video. Leave us a thumbs up if you liked it and share, subscribe. Until next time, bless and au revoir.