The DRC's flag is instantly recognisable: a sky-blue background with a red stripe edged in yellow running diagonally across it, and a yellow star in the top left corner. The blue represents peace, the red represents the blood and sacrifice of the country's people, the yellow represents the country's minerals and wealth, and the star represents unity.
On Independence Day, streets and buildings across the country are decorated in blue, yellow and red. Families dress in their finest clothing — often in vibrant coloured fabrics with beautiful prints — and gather together. Music plays everywhere: soukous rhythms from speakers, live bands performing in squares, and choirs singing.
In Kinshasa, the capital and one of the largest cities in Africa with over 15 million people, Independence Day celebrations are especially spectacular. There are official parades, cultural performances showing dances and music from across the country's many different ethnic groups, and fireworks lighting up the sky over the Congo River at night.
Independence Day is also a time for Congolese people to feel proud of their rich culture and remarkable natural world — the gorillas, the rivers, the rainforests, the music and the food that make the DRC unique. Children often perform songs and dances at school celebrations in the days leading up to 30 June.