Into the Congo with Ben Fogle S01E03 - Episode 3

On this final leg of his journey, Ben encounters the mighty Congo River for the first time. A trade super-highway, this great river allowed 19th century Europeans to plunder the resources of Central Africa and enrich their Colonial Empires - and it's still a lifeline for millions today.

Near the capital, Brazzaville, the Congo River transforms into the deadliest rapids on the planet, and Ben meets the daredevil fishermen risking their lives to put food on the table. He joins them on the edge of the banks where over a million cubic feet of water flow past every second. The fishermen dive into these fierce rapids to secure their nets, much to Ben's astonishment and concern.

The Congo's treacherous rapids led French and Belgian traders to build their respective colonial capitals on opposite banks of the river. Ben explores Brazzaville's French colonial legacy and meets the city's famous "Sapeurs" - African style-icons who mix Congolese fashion with French haute-couture. He visits a local market with "Congo's best dressed man", Sapeur Maxime Pivot, to choose flamboyant material for his next attention-grabbing outfit, before seeing the Sapeurs in action in a street fashion show.

European colonisation also left a darker legacy in the Congo, and Ben learns how conflict and chaos in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo is threatening the stability of the region.

Ben's epic Congo journey goes out with a bang as he dives into the surreal, mad-cap world of Congolese wrestling, in which fighters use the ancient magical powers of "Juju" to defeat their opponents. He watches on awe-struck (and a little horrified) as grown men dress up as mermaids, set themselves on fire, brandish live snakes and eat glass bottles. As Ben says himself, it's "just another day in the Congo".