A Hopeful Sign

Healthy levels of Britishness are apparent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite that nation's unfortunate colonial heritage from the imperfectly civilising influence of the wrong master race. A new footbridge in Kinshasa disintegrated under the weight of the dignity at its opening ceremony and fell into the stream it was meant to be spanning. While hardly so glamorous as the National Johnson's attempt to bridge the Irish Sea, the incident does clearly demonstrate a certain shared instinct for quality of material and care in design; although regrettably not for the elimination of uncouth elements among the spectators. Doubtless thanks to the dubious influence of Francophone culture, those watching the ceremony greeted the collapse with a distinct lack of deference.