I think it is a struggle for many artists in Africa to get the same recognition.

The arts world in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is very active.But talented local artists still struggle for international recognition.

One of those artists is 26-year-old Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga.Kamuanga says Congo’s cultural and mineral wealth has influenced his artistry.He says another influence is his country’s painful colonial history.

His paintings have been shown in South Africa, Europe and the United States.One of his pieces can sell for as much as $30,000 at an international auction.That makes him one of Congo’s highest paid artists.

But art industry experts say his work only gets average prices when compared to artists worldwide.

Kamuanga says African artists are thought of differently in the arts world.He adds, “I think it is a struggle for many artists in Africa to get the same recognition.”

Another artist, Freddy Tsimba, says one problem is the lack of support in DRC.Tsimba creates sculptures.His works are shown internationally, but get little attention in his home country.

Congolese artist Vitshois Mwilambwe Bondo has shown his art work and lived around the world.But he returned home to Congo to work at a recently established studio for young Congolese artists.

“I say, OK, it is good for me to stay here, why?Because we need to build [the] art scene and to make something, since the people can buy artwork in Congo.And now, people are starting to buy, (but it) is a big process, it is a big challenge.”

Currently, the studio has two women artists.One of them is Dina Ekanga.

She says it is not easy being both a woman and an artist because the men push you around from all sides.She adds that the art scene is rather difficult, especially in Congo.

Younger artists, like painter Romario Lukau, also say they struggle to establish themselves.Lukau is one of four young painters who are trying to find success as artists.They sell their paintings for about $1,000 each.

Lukau says his biggest dream is for people to talk about Congolese art the way we talk about American, German or Belgian art.He and other Congolese artists say they are hopeful that dream will come true one day soon.

刚果民主共和国（DRC）的艺术世界非常活跃，但有才华的当地艺术家仍在为获得国际认可而奋斗。

26岁的埃迪·卡姆加·兰加是其中的一位艺术家。卡姆加说刚果丰富的文化和充足的矿产影响了他的艺术，而另一个影响因素是刚果悲惨的殖民历史。

他的画作已在南非、欧洲和美国展出。在一场国际拍卖会中，他的一幅作品售价达3万美元。这使他成为作品售价最高的刚果画家之一。

但是艺术行业专家说，与世界范围内的艺术家相比，他的作品售价只达到了世界平均价格。

卡姆加说非洲艺术家在艺术世界中的评价不一。他补充说道：“我认为对于许多非洲的艺术家来说，获得与世界上其他艺术家相同的认可需要付出极大的努力。”

另外一位艺术家弗雷迪·钦巴说问题之一是缺乏国家的支持。钦巴是一位雕塑家。他的作品在国际上展出，但在刚果却很少受到关注。

刚果艺术家Vitshois Mwilambwe Bondo已经在全世界展出作品并且居住在世界各地。但是他却回到了家乡刚果，在一家最近为刚果的年轻艺术家成立的画室工作。

“好吧，我说，留在这里是对的，为什么呢？因为我们需要建立艺术圈并且需要做点什么，这样人们就可以在刚果买艺术品了。现在，人们开始购买艺术品了，但是这真的是一个漫长的过程，并且是一个巨大的挑战。”

目前该画室有两名女艺术家，其中一个名为Dina Ekanga。

她说身为一个女人同时还是一个艺术家并不容易，因为男人们会把你推来推去。她补充道在艺术圈更加困难，尤其是在刚果。

像Romario Lukau一样的年轻画家也说：他们正在努力的塑造自己。Lukau 是四个试着以艺术家身份获得成功的画家之一。他们画作的售价在每幅1000美元左右。

Lukau 说他最大的梦想就是希望人们在谈论起刚果的艺术时，能够像谈论美国、德国或者比利时的艺术一样。他和其他的刚果艺术家说，希望这个梦想在不久的将来能够实现。