Scientists in DR Congo in difficulty continue their research despite conflict and poverty

Time seems to have stood still in the paneled library, where students and researchers work in silence while a few visitors stroll through the gardens and exterior cloisters.

Serious scholarships are common at universities and colleges in many parts of the world, but here in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo the pursuit of knowledge comes at an unusually high cost.

The chronic lack of funds has prevented the CRSN library from purchasing new books for years. By Guerchom NDEBO (AFP)

The Center de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles (CRSN) in South Kivu miraculously survived decades of war, natural disasters and chronic underfunding.

Perched in the heights of Lwiro, 45 kilometers (28 miles) west of the provincial capital Bukavu, the CRSN was established in 1947 in the style of a rural hacienda under Belgian colonial rule, which ended in 1960.

The institution has established itself as a knowledge hub for the Great Lakes region of Africa, offering studies in biology, geophysics and the environment, and offering thousands of samples of the region’s unique biodiversity.

The CRSN was built in 1947 during colonial times, 13 years before Belgian independence. By Guerchom NDEBO (AFP)

But the school has gone through many hardships and is struggling today.

“First, we were victims of several wars … (then) we were victims of earthquakes,” Anicet Bahidika, head of the documentation service, told AFP.

Few resources: A magazine on a library table. By Guerchom NDEBO (AFP)

The premises were not looted, but often the fighting reached its doors. Staff survive on sagging salaries. The school’s chemistry labs are running out of reagents. He has no money to buy a car – his vehicles are old and all have been donated by visiting NGOs.

“Power cuts happen all the time,” Bahidika said. “There is no internet here. It’s a problem.”