dehumidifiers to keep out the damp. through so many wars, through all of these difficulties, he has maintained this facility to an extraordinary degree. why? [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: staff still show up to work and organize. catalog and write requests for funding. perhaps to kinshasa or a central office where someone may or may not ever respond. >> he was here pre-independence, yes? does he remember the belgian rule? [ speaking foreign language ] >> he remembers the period, and that was the best time they were living. >> what do you say to someone who suggests that ball jan colonialism might have been the good times?