Congo Appeal to Young People

Hello students, friends and comrades fighting for peace, justice and human dignity,

My name is Kambale Musavuli. I am the student coordinator for Congo Week. I want to share with you a very exciting development among students worldwide. It is called "BREAK THE SILENCE CONGO WEEK," October 19 - 25, 2008. But first, I want to share with you a bit about my beautiful home, the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire.

The Congo is a beautiful land of enormous wealth, straddling the Equator, right in the heart of Africa. It is known for its amazing rainforest, the second largest after the Amazon. It is also known for its resources, a gift from the Creator. It has the potential to be the Jewel of Africa with all the blessings it has from the Congo River, which can provide electricity to the whole continent of Africa. Its people are friendly, welcoming, and lovely. The children are just so joyful and always ready to learn. The people have one of the rarest entrepreneurial spirit. The Congolese are also a very resilient people through all the pain and suffering they have endured since the 1600s.

As a student, I see an opportunity for other students to work with the people of the Congo in our quest to regain sovereignty over our land. I see that higher education provides a stage for leaders of tomorrow to learn about my home, and establish a sustainable network that will provide the Congolese with genuine global partnership.

Students all over the world have the opportunity to engage in the most pressing issue of our lifetime. You can learn about the challenge of the Congo, which is both internal and external, and develop creative ways to work with the people of the Congo to resolve the conflict that has caused untold suffering. To achieve this goal, I am appealing to you to work with us to BREAK THE SILENCE around what is happening in my country.

In October 2008, students from the US, Canada, England, Belgium, Germany, France, Brazil, Jamaica, Norway, Korea, Ghana, Mali, South Africa, Columbia, and many other countries will organize events (films, lectures, demonstrations, and more) on their respective campuses dealing with the Congo situation. We are calling it "Break the Silence" Congo Week where we expect at least 100 countries and 1,000 university campuses to participate in a week of activities in solidarity with the students of the Congo.

The purpose of the Break the Silence Congo Week is to raise awareness about the devastating situation in the Congo and mobilize support on behalf of the people of the Congo. The key organizers are students from North Carolina A&T , UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Greensboro, University of Maryland, Howard University, Bowie University, and Cornell University.

Why the Congo?
As you may know, the Congo is the GREATEST humanitarian crisis in the world today where nearly 6 million people have died since 1996; half of them children 5 yrs old or younger and hundreds of thousands of women have been raped all as a result of the scramble for Congo's wealth.

The United Nations said it is the deadliest conflict in the world since World War Two. However, hardly anything is said about it in the media or even among activists. Each month 45,000 people continue to die in the Congo. Figuratively, Darfur happens in the Congo every 5 1/2 months. Can you imagine 45,000 people dying every month and hardly a peep from anyone in the age of the Internet? This is literally what has happened and continues to happen in the Congo. There is a media white-out about Congo and no worldwide resolution to end the conflict and carnage taking place in this precious land.

I hope you will join me and other students throughout the globe in Breaking the Silence in the following manner:

1. Organize an event or a series of events during Congo Week. We can provide support with speakers, movies, and other materials.

2. Connect us with people in your network who may be interested in participating in this effort.

3. Help us reach out to universities and communities in your area or throughout the globe to participate. Our goal is to reach 1,000 campuses and 100 countries to participate in Congo Week.

4. Encourage your professors to teach a class on the Congo or request that you write your term paper on the Congo.

5. Participate in the CELL-OUT, a six-hour cell phone usage boycott, to raise awareness about the conflict in the Congo. Visit congoweek.org or call us at 1-888-584-6510.

6. For US residents, Contact your congressman to support bills in Congress on the Congo. Go here to find out more about the bills and contact your congresspersons.

7. Support groups in the Congo that are helping children get out of the mines and get back into schools.

8. Make suggestions as to how we can make the event a grand success.

Please forward this appeal to your colleagues, family, friends and loved ones throughout the globe and encourage them to join us in solidarity with the people of the Congo.

For more information call 1-888-584-6510 or e-mail support@congoweek.org

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Kambale Musavuli