Christmas is in the air in Kinshasa. Giant illuminated Christmas trees stand in front of hotels and big supermarkets owned by Indian, Lebanese and Chinese hommes d’affaires (businessmen). Perhaps the tallest Christmas tree in the Democratic Republic of Congo is in the Place de l’Indépendance – Kinshasa’s equivalent of Trafalgar Square – by Rawbank, the country’s largest bank. You can hear choirs singing in the squares, appealing for money for different causes. Evangelical churches have put up giant posters around the city, announcing special Christmas spiritual campaigns. Secular musicians are also advertising big concerts. We are used to traffic jams but now you can’t drive a mile without being caught up in one. So many people have converged on the city from neighbouring provinces to buy early, as prices of essential goods will rise in the run-up to Christmas. Many weddings take place during the festivities. But I heard of one groom who was late for his wedding because the “Kin-traffic” was at a standstill. He was in tears. There are crowds everywhere and, according to a lady I spoke to in a taxi, during the season the dead also come to swell the crowds. This is a widespread belief here. There are few normal buses and getting on board old vans from Europe converted into buses is an uphill battle. I really feel sorry for pregnant passengers. For me, the more these early Christmas trees light up hotel receptions, fronts of supermarkets and other businesses, the more they remind me of the Advent of Christ, the Light of the World. We must therefore pray that businesses let Him light up every shady aspect of their undertakings (especially those of foreign capital).