Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Announcing our new monthly cultural series!

AERWA and the U.S. Embassy's Public Diplomacy section are pleased to announce a collaboration on a monthly cultural series aimed at promoting a better understanding of Congolese culture among the U.S. Embassy community in Kinshasa.

The series launches this month. Our first event, on Friday, Oct. 17will feature art expert Monsieur Mbungu Mbuka from the Antika art gallery at College Boboto.

Monsieur Mbuka will showcase antique Congolese art from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the African Queen hall at the JAO compound at 498 Avenue Colonel Lukusa in Gombe.

Attendance is free for AERWA members and $5 for non-AERWA members. English translation will be provided at the event.

For security reasons, if you do not have a U.S. Embassy-issued I.D., please RSVP by Tuesday, Oct. 14, so we can arrange for you to access the JAO compound. Please bring a photo I.D. with you and no electronic devices. Your understanding is appreciated.

We hope to see you there!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Join our new Facebook community!

On Oct. 1, we launched AERWAkin, a Facebook group for the wider English-speaking community in Kinshasa. Its goal is to connect you to the happenings, people and information that make life in the Congo a little bit easier and a lot more fun. ThAERWAkin Facebook community is not intended to be a marketplace for things for sale or rent -- there's already a Facebook group for that -- but an English-speaking peer resource for information and advice about life in the Congo. 

Our online community is already at 80 members and growing. So far, community members have shared advice about barbers, a dependable taxi service and even a few job leads. Please take a look and consider joining. Membership to AERWAkin must be approved by an administrator and member posts will be moderated to ensure a friendly experience for all.

If you enjoy our online group, please consider joining AERWA as a paying member. You do not have to be a U.S. citizen to join and enjoy certain privileges, such as free or discounted entry to our events. Only U.S. citizen government employees under the authority of the U.S. chief of mission may vote on AERWA affairs and enjoy a full range of benefits.