6 - The River

Summary

THE ZAIRE RIVER provided a second possible solution to the problem of overcrowding in the swamps. This choice appealed to many landless people who found their other options distasteful. Movement to Nkuboko, with its small streams and agricultural way of life, held little appeal for those who regarded fishing as superior to agriculture. But remaining in the swamps as a client or junior partner was stifling. For people who saw their situation in these terms, the river offered the best and last hope for becoming an independent person and perhaps even a big-man.

Just as the swamps marked the extreme southward limit of the Zaire's floodplain, the river south of the swamps was the southern extremity of the riverine fishing grounds. At the point where the river passed the swamps, it was approximately ten kilometers across and dotted with islands. The water was relatively shallow and moved fairly slowly. All of these features made this stretch of river attractive to fish and fishermen alike. This basic pattern continued as the river flowed southward for another 130 kilometers. Then the Zaire entered a long, narrow stretch called the channel, which was seldom more than one kilometer across yet carried as many cubic yards of water per second as the much wider stretches upstream. Therefore, as the shallow, meandering waters of the middle Zaire entered the channel they became fast and deep.