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I’m a Californian currently working and residing in the city of Mbandaka in the Equatorial Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Landscape symbols I identified result from the county’s recent history of political and economic upheaval, conflict and war, and long-term neglect. The United Nations and dozens of foreign NGO (non-government organizations) offices are prominently located throughout the city. Their presence underscores the many needs of this impoverished city and country where over 1.5 million were internally displaced. Oxfam, World Food Program, Foreign Agricultural Program, UNICEF, and United Nations High Commission on Refugees are all represented—their offices behind razor wire gates and fences. Other symbols include the ubiquitous advertisements of the city’s 3 major Telecommunications companies: Vodacom, Orange, and Airtel. Public and Private spaces are stenciled, and spray-painted with their logos. A public art sculpture with a dove representing peace does not escape the Orange logo. And neither does the stand where police direct traffic—it is tagged with the logos of Primus and Turbo King, beers made by the parent company of Heineken at its local brewery, Bralima. In America, a symbol of law enforcement would not include statements promoting alcoholic beverages. But the need to raise revenue takes precedent. Three landscape symbols that have escaped the prevalence of advertising are the many churches in the cities, the palm trees that line the streets, and the Equator marker, which is the demarcation line between the southern and northern hemispheres.