DRCongo Reps from Even the Tiniest Towns

The town of Marly-Gomont has French Congolese rapper Kamini to thank for putting it on the map. Last summer the artist uploaded his basement-budget video, "Marly-Gomont", onto the internet. By September his video had thousands of views. By mid-October he had a two-album deal with RCA. In December 2006 Time profiled Kamini as part of its Person of the Year articles on Internet-based content creators.

At a time when many hip hop stars are rapping about luxury cars, scantily-clad women, and diamond-studded everythings; Kamini took a different approach. He rhymed about what he knew -- growing up as one of a handful of blacks in a small town and dealing with its pressures, struggles, lessons and ultimately its laughs. "I couldn't rap about 'bitches' and 'hos' and do that whole gangsta thing," he says, "because it's not true. It's not my life."

Big up to Kamini for keeping it real all the way to a record deal. Check the rhyme here.

'State of war' in eastern Congo

On Saturday, September 1, 2007, a state of war was declared in eastern DRCongo.

A dissident Congolese army officer says there is a state of war between the government and his forces in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Speaking to the BBC, General Laurent Nkunda, a Congolese Tutsi, accused the government of forming an alliance with Hutus to attack his troops.

Heavy fighting is reported in the Kivu region, with the Congolese army moving troops into the area.

The UN refugee agency says tens of thousands have fled from their homes. The UNHCR says people are afraid of being caught between government forces, former Rwandan rebels and troops of General Nkunda.
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