London

Although the DR Congo is one of the great African disaster areas (war, AIDS, poverty and volcanoes have done their worst), tragedy is the last thing that comes to mind walking around Tottenham High Street. The area is a jumble of West African and Caribbean cafés and music shops, with Congo rumba, or its raunchy cousin ndombolo, blaring from the shop fronts (the music is the basis of Cuban rumba, transported there via African slaves). The language on the streets and in the shops is French. Weyi himself speaks little English – he mostly speaks French and occasionally Lingala, one of the more common Congolese languages, with his compatriots. Feature continues

‘Congolese are passionate about music,’ says Weyi, who recommends the group Wenge BCBG alongside better known Congolese musicians such as rumba legend Papa Wemba.

The other great Congolese obsession is fashion – they are an immaculately groomed people. So much so that last year Papa Wemba caused controversy among the Congolese community here when he said, on a BBC4 documentary, that Congolese people are so materialistic they turn to crime to pay for their expensive clothes. ‘My parents taught me to dress nicely – it’s the same in all Congolese families,’ retorts Weyi, who sports a clean, white vest beneath his neat attire. ‘It is important for me to dress well. I like mixing American, English and African styles.’
At Juniors, the barber shop where he has worked for three years, Weyi specialises in ‘number ones’ (designs shaved into the scalp) and photos of his and his colleagues’ handiwork are proudly displayed on the walls, including one boy sporting a palm tree and another with ‘ARSENAL’ shaved on to his head.

This tight-knit community often comes together to eat and Weyi spends much of his free time in the cafés and restaurants clustered around Seven Sisters tube station. Ma-Mapasa is a favourite, serving up traditional Congolese fare such as fou fou, a sticky semolina-like foodstuff derived from the manioc root. He also recommends makayabu (saltfish), cassava pudding, baked plantain, barbecued goat and tilapia (an African freshwater fish).

One of the biggest differences between Kinshasa and London is simply having the money to buy a variety of food – the average daily wage in the Congo is about £1.50. ‘Take chicken. I love chicken. It is a luxury in Congo, but here eating chicken is nothing special.’ The gap between the lifestyles here and his own country continue to amaze him. ‘Congolese come from poverty, so we have a very different state of mind to British people. We have different values, and appreciate things you might take for granted.’

Weyi is also dismayed that his asylum claim still hasn’t been granted, forcing him to register every month with the immigration centre in Croydon while his appeal is processed. ‘It shocked me with all my heart that my asylum was turned down. I feel rejected by the system here, but I can’t return to the Congo.’

He is unsentimental about the country of his birth. Apart from attending church and the occasional political meeting on Congolese rights, there are few activities or traditions he has brought over from his homeland. He has no qualms about settling here and even marrying a non-African. ‘When I’m ready to marry a lady, I’ll marry her, whatever her background,’ he says shyly.

Returning to the Congo is not an option for Weyi. But there’s more than a hint of sadness in his voice when he says, ‘I don’t think about my country any more. I would rather make my life here.’