Large carrying baskets containing coffee beans, near Lake Kivu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

"In the 1980s, coffee was Zaire's largest agricultural export. Two major varieties are grown in Zaire: the hearthy robusta that is grown in the Ubangi, Uele, Kivu, Kasai, and Bas-Zaire areas; and the lighter Arabica, which constitutes one-fifth of the total crop, that grows in the higher altitudes of eastern Kivu and Ituri." [F. Scott Bobb, 1999: Historical Dictionary of Democratic Republic of Congo, The Scarecrow Press, Inc.]. The photograph depicts coffee beans in large carrying baskets with straps to be placed over the shoulder or used as a tumpline over the forehead. During his trip to Congo (now Democratic Republic of Congo), Elisofon visited Goma and its surrounding, in eastern Congo near Lake Kivu. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17,1970.