When Douglas said the answer was 42, did that include the Congo?

Another day in Goma, the city that never sleeps, but rarely seemes to do anything else either. Endless amounts of people hustle and bustle in the streets, but to what end I have no idea.
I have seen enough buildingmaterials lugged around to build at least a handful Arcs, but the city is still in ruins and I have yet to see an arc.
What is wrong with Congo?
That is the question, and I seem to be coming no closer to finding an answer. At least not an answer that appeals to me.
How did Congo get here? Is it all because of colonialism and authoritarian rule? If that is the case than a lot more African countries should be severely worse of than they are.
Is it the size?
Sudan is huge, and allthough they have more than their fair share of troubles, they at least have some sort of semblance of a state?
Speaking of state, I went to to Rwandan border today to witness an historic summit between Kabila and Kagame. The exact middlepoint between the two countries had been painstakenly measured and located, and with strained theatrics, soldiers from both sides mingled in a pantomime of assumed friendship that I felt sure could end very badly at any moment.
I was sure the soldiers would rather point their weapons at each other, but diplomacy and circumstance inclined them to starce menacingly at each others and he crowd.
I was the only muzungu around, and apart from a very old man sporting a tattered Reuters vest and carrying a camera that must have been of the same type that they used to film cheap porn in the early 80's, I was the only press as well.
Having no accreditation, I had decided to play it safe and keep my camera to myself. It was jsut as well, as the show was not really worth taking pictures of. In a sea of uniforms the two met, waved and solved Africas problems, all withing the space of about 50 seconds, just in time for a drink at the nearby Ihusi Hotel.
As they disappeared from sight, I could not help but wonder why the crowd was cheering. Was it for the president very few of them liked or for the president most people seem to think is only waiting to invade them?
I apologize is I seem cynical today, but I spent most of last night battling what seems to be large parts of the African fauna in my underwear at 4 am.
There was a gekko the size of a Toyota in my bathroom, and as I gave chase, I am pretty sure I saw a flock of zebras disappear in the crack between to tiles.