Goma town, the provincial capital of North Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has a vibrant night life despite being one of smallest towns and located in a region that is routinely rocked by insecurity.

Located on the border of Rwanda and the DRC, Goma is a vibrant town with luxurious hotels, bars and pubs — testimony to the Congolese people’s lifestyle.

Although I had been to Goma before, I had not sampled the night life. On the first night there on my last visit, an expatriate who lives in the town recommended we visit Petit Bruxelles. At the bar, there is a manneken pis, a sculpture of a young boy urinating, one of the symbols of the Belgian capital.

The brand name suggests close ties between the DRC and its former colonial master Belgium. There is also a bar called Petit Paris.

The brand is not surprising as France also maintains close diplomatic and economic co-operation with the country.

At Petit Bruxelles, the waitresses were friendly, but could only communicate in French or Kiswahili, which is a challenge for non -French and non-Kiswahili speakers.

However, this was not an issue as some people in our group were from Kenya and they speak Kiswahili, so they helped an American who was in the group to place her order.

The menu was similar to what we have in Kigali, apart from the sambaza — fish that is endemic to Lake Kivu. In Rwanda, you can find sambaza in Rubavu town and other areas near Lake Kivu.

Most of us ordered different varieties of fish and chips.

The dollar is the most widely used money in the DRC. Almost every transaction is made in the US currency, and even Sim cards are sold in dollars.

Petit Bruxelles seems to be a bar for expatriates and the middle class.

The owner is from Kinshasa, the capital of DRC, some 1,500km from Goma. She came to greet us and we had a warm chat; she even taught us some Lingala. She said she spoke only limited Kiswahili.

Some people from our group requested rhumba, a popular music genre from the DRC exported to many parts Africa and the world.

On the second night, we went to a bar where there was a live band playing. It was a Friday, the perfect way to start the weekend.

However, the music was too loud and we had to shout at each other to communicate.

The band was playing old school music from renowned Congolese bands, and some music that I didn’t know.

Some avid fans of Congolese music stayed at the bar until early morning, but I and others chose to return to the hotel after finishing our food.

We were staying at the Ihusi Hotel, located right on the border with Rwanda, and one of the luxurious hotels. The service at the hotel was good. Sitting on the shores of Lake Kivu, the restaurant has a beautiful view of the lake shared by Rwanda and the DRC.

Following the war in eastern DRC in the late 1990s, a number of NGOs started operating in the region; most of them are headquartered in Goma.

Toyota Land Cruisers are used for transport in many parts of Goma to reach the remote parts of Kivu that have poor roads. Although the NGOs play a big role in Goma’s economy and intervene in the development of North Kivu, a region devastated by wars, some locals are not happy about their presence.

Mugabo Baributsa, a former photojournalist who works as a “fixer”, said NGOs run the province, which he says cannot happen in countries like Rwanda.