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The majestic Congo River, the second largest river in the world after the Amazon, is the spine of the country with the same name, forming a link between the Katanga mines, the equatorial forest and the capital city, Kinshasa. As a waterway leading inland, it played a critical role during colonization, and is the only route across the country from the Swahili-speaking East to the West where both the Lingala language and Belgian colonial forces spread along the river banks. Here is a journey into the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo shortly before the country celebrates half a century of independence.