Mbuji-Mayi
Democratic Republic of the Congo · Africa
About Mbuji-Mayi
Mbuji-Mayi (formerly Bakwanga) is a city and the capital of Kasai-Oriental Province in the south-central Democratic Republic of Congo. It is thought to be the second largest city in the country, after the capital Kinshasa and ahead of Lubumbashi, Kisangani and Kananga, though its exact population is not known. Estimates range from a 2010 CIA World Factbook estimated population of 1,480,000 to as many as 3,500,000 estimated by the United Nations in 2008.
Mbuji-Mayi lies in Luba country on the Mbuji-Mayi River. The name Mbuji-Mayi comes from the local language, Tshiluba, and translates as "Goat-Water," a name deriving from the great number of goats in the region. Despite its large population, the city remains remote, having little connection to surrounding provinces or to Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. However, Mbuji-Mayi is the traditional centre of industrial diamond mining in Congo, being located on top of one of the largest known deposits in the world. Air travel is provided through the Mbuji Mayi Airport.
Mbuji-Mayi is made up of five communes (municipalities), each headed by a burgomaster: Bipemba, Dibindi, Diulu, Kanshi and Muya. This division into communes...
Mbuji-Mayi travel guide
Understand
The area around Mbuji-Mayi is one of the richest sources of mineral wealth in the world. In the 1950s, it was estimated that the Mbuji-Mayi area had the world's most important industrial diamond deposits, containing at least 300 million karats of diamonds. The city was literally constructed on top of the diamond deposits, and while the city's reputation as a company town under tight control of Belgian economic interests meant it was neat and orderly, it also meant that the city's buildings and homes, including those of top MIBA executives, were sometimes demolished to access the diamonds. The city lacks much of the organization and classic European architecture that other major cities in the DRC inherited from the Belgian colonists. Journalist Michela Wrong described Mbuji-Mayi as "a curiously soulless settlement, with no tangible centre ... It is purely functional conurbation, dedicated to making money, with little left over for less focused activities." Even today, much of the city revolves around the Avenue Inga, where diamond and mineral buyers have set up shop and the city's main business remains the diamond trade. Estimates of the city's population range from a 2010 CIA World Factbook estimate of 1,480,000, to as many as 3,500,000 estimated by the United Nations in 2008.
Getting there
Given the state of roads and the rail system in the DRC, the only practical way to access the city is via air. Air Kasaï and Congo Airways fly to Kinshasa, while Air Kasaï also flies to Kananga and Congo Airways to Lubumbashi. Ethiopian Airlines flies the airport's only international route to Addis Ababa. There is a decent road from Mwene-Ditu, since that is the location of the nearest train station.
Sleep
Hôtel Equinoxe (Avenue du Marché, located across from the Mbuji-Mayi Town Hall), ☏ +243 99 731 2261. 32 rooms (updated Nov 2023)
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.