Congo Masquerade is about mismanagement, hypocrisy, naivete and sabotage. It is a unique and original study of aid inefficiency in one of the 21st century's major attempts at reconstructing a failed state in Africa. Whilst a number of books have examined war and plunder in the Great Lakes region, none have yet evaluated the imported 'template format' reform package pieced together to introduce democracy and improve the well-being of ordinary Congolese. In this startling and provocative book, Trefon offers an in-depth analysis of Congolese political culture and examines the way it hampers reform.