Congolese Women Appeal to the Global CommunityThe Congo is located in the heart of Africa, bordered by nine countries and boasts a land mass comparable to Western Europe, with a population of 65 million people. It is enormously endowed with vast natural wealth ranging from diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, uranium, coltan to timber, tin and fresh water.
Congo is also the place of the deadliest conflict since World Ward II, which has claimed at least 5.4 million lives in the past decade, half of the dead, children 5 years old and younger. Approximately, 45,000 Congolese continue to die each month. The overwhelming majority of the deaths have been a result of treatable causes such as malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition.
One of the most shocking results of the conflict is the rape of hundreds of thousands of Congolese women and children. Children as young as 3 years old and women as old as 70, have been raped and sexually mutilated.
Two types of rapes are occurring in the Congo; the rape of the women and the children and the rape of the land. The two are inextricably linked as the scramble to control Congo’s natural wealth fuels the violence and mass rape.
As a global community of conscience, which stands for human dignity and the belief that it is the responsibility of each of us to protect the vulnerable among us; in this respect, we call for the following:
- Stop the Rapes in the Congo
- Stand in Solidarity with the women and children of the Congo
- Cease the Pillaging of Congo’s mineral wealth
- Appeal for Justice for the Congolese people
- Prevent intervention by Congo's neighbor countries
- Break the Silence in the corporate media about the source of the Congo conflict
- Protect the vulnerable populations in the Congo
- Acknowledge the Congo crisis as a world crisis
- Restore and Repair the lives of the women and children
- Join in Solidarity with women and children who are victims of war throughout the globe
Find out more about women in the Congo and their remarkable battle for human dignity.
Maurice Carney
Executive Director
Friends of the Congo
5 comments:
How does one here in America contribute to the resolution of this problem? There were concrete strategies provided for people to respond to Dafur. I don't have much but I still would like to help.
I find it difficult as an African American to respond to Africa's crises sometimes. I was formerly married to a Nigeria. I know Africans from various regions and I have traveled to Africa a number of times. I also specialized in national development in my graduate program at Howard University, with a focus on Africa. For most of my early adult life I embraced, and continue to embrace the tenants of Pan Africanism. I have met Africans that I love and respect tremendously. I have run into a problem, however, that has posed a dilemma for me. I find that I am no longer able to tolerate the continual rebuff of African Americans that I have repeatedly witnessed from too many African nationals that I have met here and abroad. Africans have been quick to look down their noses at African Americans, and to criticize us for waisting the educational and economic opportunities that are available to them in America(An argument with some validity, but that conveniently ignores the social structure factor). I have also heard Africans characterize African Americans as having a low culture. Some say that we have no culture. I have experienced and witnessed discrimination when trying to do business with or have tried to collaborate with Africans as well. Finally, I've seen Africans attempt to exploit African Americans and our need to connect with our roots when in Africa -- almost making a mockery of our experience. I know my history so I know that my people, regardless of where we call home, have some serious psychological issues related to our enslaved past and continually oppressed condition. I have overlooked all of these things in the past because of this, but I will not continue to do so now. African Americans have had a continual uphill battle since we arrived on the North American continent and we continue to fight -- taking blows, economically and socially, from white Americans and just about every other ethnic group that immigrates to America. We have fought this battle while also advocating for Africa's liberation, despite our own challenges. We have historically political as a group, continually lifted Africa up, serving as powerful political allies. Petitioning our government for example, or volunteering to fight with Ethiopia against Italy, and through numerous African American missionary efforts. Frederick Douglass, Mary McCloud Bethune, Trans-Africa's Randall Robinson, Dr.Leon Sullivan, Mickey Leland, Ron Brown, Asa Hilliard, and Barack Obama are just a few of the African American leaders who have led notable assistance initiatives that have positively impacted Africa. Yet despite our continued support we get no love and appreciation from Africans by and large. We get talked down to and disrespected by the very people who we have labored to support. Yes, there are some ignorant individuals who encourage divisiveness in every group, and on both sides, but by and large, I think that Africans could be more respectful, and should let go of their egos. None of our people are perfect or more special than the other. I have been waiting for years for Africa to pick up the banner and to carry it on behalf of all our people, but I have not witnessed this since the original Pan African movement with Nyere, Nkrumah, Du Bois, Wright, Padmore and others. The outcome was the "so called" liberation of African countries. Here we are on the brink of a new century and where is Africa? Talking about waisted potential and a wasted legacy. Africa is so diverse. There are many things happening at once. Some good thing, some bad. I will acknowledge this first. What is also clear though is that there is too much black on black crime, and it seems to increasing with no end in sight. Africa is a continent on fire with Africans killing other Africans and raping women and children at an alarming rate. We see the most extreme forms of genocide and self-hatred imaginable there. Instead of coming together and maximizing on its tremendous potential, Africans repeatedly let European, and now Asian people come in an exploit their natural resources. They will kill each other in a heart beat over a diamond or some oil without blinking, at the ultimate advantage of foreigners who do not have their best interests in mind. While other nations and continents develop, many African leaders generally do not have enough self-respect and love for their people, to demand respect and reciprocity so that they too can develop, educate provide jobs for its children, and be on par with the rest of the world. African leaders appear more willing to waste their limited resources and money to fight and to kill each other rather than to talk and resolve their problems for the good of the continent and of the race. Too many African males also appear to be so power-hungry and not to respect each other's leadership enough to allow their countries to heal. Instead one group will form and grab power, then another group will form and attack and overthrowing what ever existing governing structure is in place. In cases like Somolia, the people will not accept anyone's leadership, so they have no central government. Each man and woman for him or herself, working in small fiedoms or gangs. When I speak to my African colleagues about the various outbreaks of violence to get their insight and a better understanding of events, they oddly deny them, stating that the media is inaccurate and only seeks to portray Africa negatively. They seldom have a counter story or report though. When I raised questions about the film footage of the holocaust in Dafur that has been documented or taped by the Organization for African Unity, I just get angry silence. Some are so caught up in their egos and thus their refusal to admit to another person of African descent, particularly a lowly African American, that these problems exist, that there is limited discussion and understanding on our side. There are fewer vehicles through which we can work collaboratively to address our common problems as well. And, I do mean common problems. The African American community could benefit from the creativity and ingenuity of the African community as well. It is the only way that people of African ancestry are going to make it in this new world order.
Wow! You have raised some excellent points. I will be really brief in responding.
1. The continent is replete with folks who want to work with African Americans and other people of African ancestry. They usually lack the means to make sustainable connections with us but they do exist.
2. African states are weak. They have been weakened by hundreds of years of slavery and colonialism. The bulk of the leaders on the African continent are clients of the West, basically thugs who were put in power with the help of the West to serve the wests interests, while those leaders who have the best interest of their people at heart are either isolated or liquidated. The key for us is to provide support to those leaders.
3. Because of the power of the US and other Western countries and the weakness of African nations, western powers can often easily identify thugs and power hungry folks and provide them with the support that will make the difference in getting them in power and keeping them there. South Africa is a classic example, look at how the US backed the South African government while leaders such as Nelson Mandela languished in jail for 27 years. Imagine if South Africans had the benefit of Nelson Mandela's leadership for those 27 years; where would South Africa be today among nations of the world? It took the South Africans fighting for their freedom combined with support from the outside. Many Mandelas exist in Africa but are languishing in jails or are exiled by governments that get support from the US through our tax dollars.
4. Congo is a classic example of why Africa is the way it is today. The Congolese elected Patrice Lumumba in 1960, who clearly stated he aimed to serve the interests of his people, within months of taking office he was assassinated by the US and other European nations. Then the dictator Mobutu was installed to brutalize the Congolese people for almost 40 years. Whenever the people rose up to remove Mobutu, the US and other Western nations sent in war planes and soldiers to suppress the people, therefore the Congolese had to fight against BOTH the thug that was put to oversee them and the slave master that had his back.
I can go on with similar examples throughout the continent where thugs and thieves (which exist in every society) have been unleashed on the people with the full financial and military backing of powerful nations who use our tax dollars to fuel conflict in Africa.
A solution is for us to do TWO things: 1. Expose and shine a light on what is going on so people can be aware and educated enough to demand better from our own governments so that they change their destructive policies toward Africa where they have supported nothing but thugs and thieves.
2. We need to support those leaders who truly have the interests of the people at heart - they do exist. Imagine if we did not support Mandela and the ANC, what dramatized it for us was the fact that a White government was oppressing black folks but the same thing happens in other countries, we are just blinded because black folks are doing it to black folks -- yes greedy, power-hungry black folks do exist like in any other race and they will kill and maim to get their way.
In short, resist our governments' destructive policies and support positive forces on the continent and we can claim both small and large victories we are not condemned to poverty, war and mayhem forever. As Dr. King said the arc of history bends toward justice, we just need to quicken that bend with our sustained support to our brothers and sisters on the continent. Justice is what Africa needs not charity. once the people get justice, they will take care of themselves just fine and also use their enormous natural wealth to support some of our efforts in the Diaspora.
Email is if you are interested in doing something to make a difference: info@friendsofthecongo.org
Sad commentary!
EXCELLENT INSIGHTS!
Looks like you are an expert in this field, you really got some great points there, thanks.
- Robson
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