When Hubert, 26, fled his home in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) amidst instability in 2012, he had little time to gather his belongings. Shots ringing in the distance, he grabbed a few essential items before pausing at his big Singer sewing machine, the source of his livelihood over the past year.

How would he make a living in a refugee camp without it? But how could he risk burdening himself with such a heavy item as he tried to escape? He made a quick decision, tied it up to a wooden bike, and left.

He told Oxfam: “I knew I had to take it with me, how else would I put food on the table? I was here [in Kibati camp] back in 2009 without any means to survive and I did not want to put my family in this situation again.”

“Business is not good here because people have nothing. I charge very little, 100 Congolese francs (approx 6 cents) for my services, but it is at least enough to make sure my wife, my two children and my mum all eat once a day.”

Photograph by Marie Cacace.

The DR Congo is again facing unstable and unpredictable times. The longer President Joseph Kabila stays in office, the more the constitutional crisis deepens. Meanwhile, violence is increasing again in the eastern Congo and the Kasai region.

For more on the DR Congo, see:

• An interview with Moïse Katumbi, DR Congo’s would-be president
• Slippage in the DR Congo: Where are the UN and South Africa?
• Trench war: The factions that make up DR Congo’s fragmented landscape
• It’s no longer possible to predict what’ll happen in the Congo
• Lucha continua: The youth movement striking fear into Congo’s elite
• Congo Come Back! Why we’re building a new political movement in DRC
• Don’t look away now: DR Congo is at greatest risk than for years

In our Photo of the Week, we showcase one of the boldest and most beautiful images, old or new, that we’ve come across that week. If you’d like to submit a photograph to be featured, please email editor@africanarguments.org.