Arts & Culture
Saturday, October 16, 2010Breaking the Silence: A Global Call for Justice in the Congo
by Friends of the Congo Share this article:
October 1, 2010 marked an historic date. Finally the Congolese people were given a chance to demand justice for the atrocities that have been taking place in the Congo since 1996. On that day, the United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights published a report documenting 617 alleged violent incidents occurring in the DRC between March 1993 and June 2003. In light of this report, people throughout the globe have issued a worldwide call for justice in response to the greatest crimes committed against humanity at the dawn of the 21st century in the heart of Africa. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is located in the heart of Africa straddling the equator. Congo is bordered by nine other countries; it is the size of Western Europe and the fulcrum on which the African continent swings. Congo is the third largest country in Africa in area and the fourth largest in population with an estimated 65 million people. Its agricultural capacity can feed nine billion people, but Congo only uses less than 5 percent of its arable land. Congo is home to the second largest rainforest in the world, after the Amazon forest, making Congo a vital country for the fight against climate change. Its river, the mighty Congo River, can provide electricity to the whole continent of Africa. Congo is a young country with the majority of its population 18 years old or younger. With these basic facts on Congo, the world is still unaware of the current challenge of the Congo. From 1996 to the present, an estimated six million Congolese have lost their lives in a resource war due to the lust of powerful nations, corporations and individuals in the modern-day scramble for Africa.
With the exponential growth in modern technology, Congo became ground zero for the resource exploitation of minerals used in our cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices. One of the resources coveted in the Congo is a mineral known as coltan (columbite tantalite). Congo holds 64 percent of the world’s reserves of coltan.
The Congolese people have been caught in the midst of a struggle for control over resources and have witnessed some of the most gruesome crimes that human beings have come to know to date. The United Nations has dubbed the Congo conflict as the deadliest since World War II. Doctors without Borders say that this conflict is amongst the top 10 underreported stories in the world today.
In spite of the remarkable obstacles faced by the Congolese people, those challenges can be overcome, especially in light of the potential that exists in the Congo. Ordinary people around the world have been taking action in partnership with the Congolese people since 2008 when a global movement spearheaded by youth was launched. This movement is called "Breaking The Silence" Congo Week.
Congo Week is a week-long event hosted by people around the world to raise global consciousness about the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to advocate for peace, justice and human dignity for the people of the Congo. It takes place every third week of October.
Congo Week continues to grow rapidly inside and outside of the Congo as people throughout the globe utilize the occasion to do three things: 1) to articulate the challenges and potential that exist in the heart of Africa; 2) to stand in solidarity with Congolese seeking end the enormous suffering; and 3) to realize the tremendous potential that exists in the Congo. Congo Week is in fact a call for justice for the people of the Congo.
Since Friends of the Congo launched Congo Week in October 2008, more than 50 countries and 200 university campuses and communities have participated in the global call for justice in solidarity with the people of Congo.
Some highlights of Congo Week III in October 2010 will include: a marathon run by the International Criminal Court Staff in Amsterdam, a caravan of activists from Kenya to South Kivu for the International Women's March, a commemoration ceremony of the lives lost in the Congo War in Kisangani, and the "Congo In Harlem" film series in New York.
More people are becoming aware and engaged. Their actions, no matter how small, strengthen the resolve of Congolese inside the Congo who fight day and night for peaceful and lasting change.
This is why we have called for and organized “cell out” during Congo Week, on October 20 starting at 12 noon, to bring awareness of our connection to the Congo through our cell phones.
During the “cell out” people are asked to turn off their cell phones for at least an hour and change their voice message to say why the phone is off. It is done to acknowledge and commemorate the millions of lives lost in the Congo and our direct connection to them.
Information for the “cell out” can be found at thecellout.com. Upon turning on their phones after the “cell out,” we ask people to text the word CLUBCONGO to 467467 and send the response message to six of their friends, encouraging them to join the global movement in support of the Congo.
Congolese people knowing that they are not alone and have support throughout the globe makes a tremendous difference. This is an historic opportunity for you to be a part of a growing global movement to bring an end to what is the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world and the deadliest conflict since World War II.
About the author: Kambale Musavuli is the student coordinator and spokesperson for Friends of the Congo. He can be reached at kambale@friendsofthecongo.org
Sunday, October 17th, 7:00 PM
International Congo Week Kick-Off!
Co-Presented by Cultures of Resistance, Tabilulu Productions, and Friends of the Congo
Culture of Resistance: Congo
Dir. Iara Lee, 2010, 14 min.
This is a short film about Friends of the Congo and their efforts to raise consciousness about the situation and support Congolese institutions working for peace.
An evening with Kanda Bongo Man
A sneak peak at a new documentary about popular soukous singer Kanda Bongo Man, along with a short selection of music videos and interviews. Kanda Bongo Man will be in attendance along with Dr. Lawrence Nii Nartey, host of The African Show, New York's longest running African music program, and Lubangi Muniania, founder of Tabilulu Productions, the record label that released Kanda Bongo Man's latest album, Non-Stop Feeling.
After the Movie:
Discussion with Kanda Bongo Man, Dr. Lawrence Nii Nartey (host of The African Show), and Lubangi Muniania (founder of Tabilulu Productions) & International Congo Week Kick-Off reception
Evening Co-Presented by Cultures of Resistance, Tabilulu Productions, and Friends of the Congo
Monday, October 18th, 7:30 PM
Congo in Four Acts
Dir. Kiripi Katembo Siku, Dieudo Hamadi, Patrick Ken Kalala, Davita Wa Lusala (2010) 69 min.
Four short films made by Congolese filmmakers who set out to create an alternative to the snapshots of horror and desperation that have come to characterize their country.
Ladies in Waiting
Directed by Dieudo Hamadi & Divita Wa Lusala
An embattled hospital manager negotiates collateral with a group of new mothers being held at the hospital until they can pay their medical bills.
Symphony Kinshasa
Directed by Kiripi Katembo Siku
Siku takes a poetic, unflinching eye to the streets of Kinshasa, Congo's capitol. Stagnant puddles, heaps of trash, and bare electrical wires expose the city's imploding infrastructure and absence of public services.
Zero Tolerance
Directed by Dieudo Hamadi
A Congolese policewoman, who is head of the Sexual Violence Unit, questions two boys accused of attacking and raping a woman on her way home from the market. Her efforts to mediate between the young perpetrators and their victim reveal both the depth of the problem and the community's resolve to address it.
After the Mine
Directed by Kiripi Katembo Siku
Siku examines Kibushi, a polluted mining town where even the youngest children are enlisted to extract the nation's wealth. The devastating conditions have trapped those who are living there, and this film tells their stories.
AFTER THE SCREENING:
Discussion with Joseph Mbangu (Congolese attorney and activist), Sylvie Muanga Mbanga (Congolese human rights lawyer and women's rights advocate).
Co-presented by Icarus Films
Review of the film by the Hollywood Reporter
Tuesday, October 19th, 7:30 PM
State of Mind: Healing Trauma
Dir. Djo Munga (2010) 52 min.
Is healing possible for individuals living in a country where over 5 million people have died? Director Djo Munga takes this question on by following Dr. Albert Pesso, a psychotherapist who has traveled to Congo to train health care practitioners in his trademarked method for healing trauma. Munga obsersves Pesso's ambitious efforts with patience and honesty, delicately revealing the deep and complex roots of the challenge at hand.
AFTER THE FILM:
Discussion with psychologist Dr. Mark Bolden and other special guests
Co-presented by Icarus Films
Wednesday, October 20th, 7:30 PM
Jazz Mama
Dir. Petna Katondola (2010) 30 min.
How do you talk about rape in a place where basic human rights are systematically violated? Katondolo skirts the boundaries of reality and fiction, offering a compelling portrait of Congolese women who stand strong in their communities and denounce the violence they experience.
Weapon of War
Dir. Isle and Famke Van Velzen (2009) 59 min.
Two soldiers attempt to reconcile with their past, unveiling a seldom seen side of the brutal use of rape in DR Congo's conflict. One soldier meets his victim in an attempt to ask her forgiveness. The other, now a priest in Congo's army, confronts perpetrators and urges them to change, just as he did.
After the Movie:
Discussion with Dr. Roger Luhiri (human rights advocate and former fistula doctor at Panzi Hospital), Jocelyn Kelly (gender-based violence Research Coordinator with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative) and Dr. Lee Ann De Reus (President of the Board of Directors of Panzi Hospital Foundation)
Link to trailer for film
Thursday, October 21st, 7:30 PM
Le Clandestin / "The Stowaway"
Dir. Zéka Laplaine, 1996, 15min
An African stowaway attempts to elude a tenacious police officer in a short burlesque film that sets the serious issue of illegal immigration against a comic backdrop.
Pushing the Elephant
Dir. Beth Davenport and Elizabeth Mandel (2010) 91 min.
"An intimate family drama set against the backdrop of the 1998 conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pushing the Elephant tells the story of Rose Mapendo, who was separated during the conflict from her five-year-old daughter, Nangabire. Rose survived the atrocities of those years and was eventually resettled in Phoenix, Arizona, with her other children. Now, after 12 years apart, Rose and her daughter Nangabire are reunited in the US. Through the story of their reunion, we come to understand the excruciating decisions Rose made in order to survive and the complex difficulties Nangabire faces as a refugee in the US-torn between her painful past and a hopeful future." - Human Rights Watch Film Festival
AFTER THE FILM:
Discussion with Directors Beth Davenport and Liz Mandel and other special guests & reception
Co-Presented by Arts Engine and The Human Rights Watch Film Festival
Friday, October 22nd, 7:30 PM
Africa in Pieces/L'Afrique En Morceaux
Dir. Jihan el-Tahri (2001) 100 min.
A chronicle of DR Congo from 1994-2000, filmed at the height of the Second Congo War. With astonishing access to key political and military players in the conflict -- including Kabila, Kagame, Musaveni, and Kabarebe -- El-Tahri has created an essential historical document that remains as relevant today as it was nearly a decade ago. Africa in Pieces served as an important reference in the recently leaked UN mapping report, and it's screening at Congo in Harlem will be the film's first public showing in the US.
After the Movie:
Panel Discussion and Reception
Discussion with filmmaker Jihan El-Tahri, Jason Stearns (Congo researcher/analyst and former coordinator of the UN Group of Experts), and a very special guest to be announced October 8th. Check back for details! Plus reception
Evening co-presented by the New York African Film Festival
Saturday, October 23rd, 2:00 PM/7:00 PM
Child Soldiers and Youth Leadership (2:00 PM)
A panel discussion about the use of child soldiers in the conflict in DR Congo, with a focus on solutions and youth leadership. Confirmed speakers include Ishmael Beah (author A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier) and Jimmie Briggs (author Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go to War), and Kambale Musavuli (student coordinator and spokesperson for Friends of the Congo). Moderated by Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda, founder of Now AfriCAN.
Co-Presented by Now AfriCAN
Katanga Business (7:00 PM)
Dir. Thierry Michel, 2009, 120min.
Set in one of the world's richest mining regions, Katanga Business is a riveting political and economic thriller that exposes some of the key actors in the scramble for Congo's natural wealth. The impoverished residents of Katanga are pitted against a motley collection of individuals and multinationals all vying for a piece of the action, including a Belgian entrepreneur known as "The King of Katanga", a Canadian CEO attempting to save an obsolete, state-run mine from bankruptcy; a Chinese businessman who just signed the mining contract of the century with the Congolese government; and a wealthy provincial governor, praised by the masses, who struggles to keep the situation from imploding.
AFTER THE FILM:
Panel discussion with Peter Rosenblum (Professor of Human Rights Law at Columbia University) and special guests & closing night reception
Link to film website
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