Archive for August, 2011

Posted on August 26, 2011 - by Kambale Musavuli

When Walmart Mocks the Suffering of Congolese

This week has been very engaging and busy for me. From earthquake in Manhattan to hurricane watch for the week-end. These natural disasters still do not top the action of Walmart who released on August 9 via the Walmart Youtube Channel a very disturbing commercial for their Back-To-School Campaign.

When I was made aware of this ad by a Congolese sister of mine who happened to have caught it on TV, I became very confused in trying to understand why Walmart would make such ad where they create the image of Congo that the world has been stuck with from Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.”

The commercial implied that Congo is a country where there is a high risk of contracting leprosy as one travels there.

Walmart ad made by the Martin Agency

As a Congolese, I could not let this go and not do something. This is also true for many of my Congolese countrywomen and men who have taken this opportunity not only to let Walmart know that this type of stereotypical ad is unacceptable, but to also say that we as Congolese will not remain silent anymore about how the world is misinformed about the situation in the Congo.

My little contribution to the movement is a letter that was sent today to the Chief Executive Officer of Walmart, Mr Mike Duke, informing him about the Congolese people’s discontent of their ad. Thanks to the tireless advocates who helped in the research and writing of the letter.

Here is what was shared with the CEO of Walmart. You can track the letter by following this link.

August 26, 2011

Mike Duke
Chief Executive Officer
Walmart Home Office
702 SW 8th Street
Bentonville, Arkansas 72716-8611

RE: WALMART BACK-TO-SCHOOL AD “URGENT CARE” BY MARTIN AGENCY

Dear Mr. Mike Duke:

My name is Kambale Musavuli. I am a Congolese Human Rights Activist and Spokesperson of Friends of the Congo. I am writing to lodge a formal complaint against your “Urgent Care” advertisement released August 9th, 2011 on the web and on TV networks, as part of the Walmart Back-to-School campaign. This ad, created by the Martin Agency, constitutes a serious offense to Congolese people in particular and Africans in general.

The ad misinforms viewers and customers alike, encourages prejudicial attitudes toward Africans, and desensitizes its audience to the greatest humanitarian crisis at the dawn of the 21st century, which is grossly under-reported and widely misunderstood.

1. Misinformation: The ad depicts a student researching WebMD on his smart phone as a means to diagnose a friend’s skin condition. In the process, he suggests that the Congo is either a unique or high-risk source for leprosy, and that he has pulled this information from the WebMD website. Research reveals no mention of Congo on WebMD’s leprosy page. The World Health Organization’s site referenced by WebMD states that leprosy in the Congo reached a stage of elimination in 2007. The same page confirms that 100 cases of leprosy occur annually in the US, meaning that one would not have needed to leave the country for exposure. Viewers are wrongly encouraged to associate leprosy and the Congo without any logical basis for the connection.

2. Prejudice: The ad is only 30 seconds in length, making full characterization of any place or people logistically impossible. However, the Congo has long held a space in Western imagination as a symbol of fear and contagion. With this historical and cultural context, referring to the country as shorthand for disease further entrenches prejudicial stereotypes. The ad encourages us to laugh at the idea that a Caucasian, American, middle-class freshman would travel to the Congo. The joke hinges on the improbability of his visit, either because of the boy’s race, nationality, income, or age. Congo’s undesirability as a destination remains a strong overtone throughout. Viewers are encouraged to think of the Congo solely as a place to be avoided and feared.

3. Desensitization: The media has not adequately covered the conflict in the Congo, despite the fact that it has the most human casualties worldwide since World War II. Nearly six million people have died in the last fifteen years of Congo’s conflict, many from disease because of poor living conditions and displacement. Part of the reason why the conflict receives little coverage is the lack of interest by American viewers. By referring to disease in Congo as a joke, the ad encourages viewers to dismiss conditions of struggle and conflict in the country as “normal” and, therefore, unworthy of attention, intensifying an already serious case of inattention and mis-education about Congo in particular and Africa in general. In fact, it plays into the vilest stereotypes about Africa that desensitizes Americans about the place and the people.

While no one is meant to treat advertisements as public service announcements, they nevertheless function as strong public messages. Ads have power, and this one constitutes a particularly aggressive form of ignorance. It is questionable to benefit as a corporation from the sale of technological products like smart phones while suggesting publicly that the poor living conditions in Congo are an unrelated misfortune, especially when metals found in the phone may play a role in fueling the conflict in the Congo.

I am just one of thousands of supporters, Americans and Congolese, demanding that Walmart takes responsibility for its negative impact with this ad. At minimum Walmart should:

1. Remove the “Urgent Care” ad from all forms of media circulation (TV networks, web, etc.),
2. Issue a press release delivering a public apology to the Congolese people about the ad, and
3. Educate and sensitize a.) your staff (especially the Marketing Department who approved the release of this ad) and b.) your customers by providing teaching materials that explain the situation in the Congo and what Walmart is doing to practice responsible sourcing as it relates to the Congo’s mineral resources.

Through your reparative actions, I ask you to fulfill your 2010 statement that Walmart “will make the absolute most of our opportunity and capacity to lead as a retailer, as a company, and as people who truly care about serving and helping other people around the world.” Thousands of people eagerly await your response and evidence of this commitment.

Sincerely,

Kambale Musavuli

Spokesperson
Friends of the Congo

Note:

Link to learn more about the Congo
http://www.congojustice.org

Link to Walmart ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUyxzgmoyuQ

Link to response from the Congolese community
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSejKW9OJjE

Link to Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CongoAdProtest/

Posted on August 11, 2011 - by Kambale Musavuli

Friends of the Congo’s Visit to Los Angeles An Overwhelming Success

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Sync News
Timothy Shumaker
818.508.7645
msn@mediasyncnews.com

Friends of the Congo’s Visit to Los Angeles: An Overwhelming Success

Hollywood, CA – August 11, 2011 – “Angelino’s responded with an enthusiastic show of support in response to the screening of the film “Crisis In The Congo: Uncovering The Truth” said Kambale Musavuli, International Spokesperson for Friends of the Congo.

The Washington D.C. staff of Friends of the Congo reported that they were impressed by the tremendous outpouring of empathy and support from the people of Southern California.

Sojourner Truth hosted by Margaret Prescod of KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles has just completed a week long broadcast of an interview with Kambale Musavuli infused with selected segments of the film. Interested parties can listen to KPFK archives Sojourner Truth with Margaret Prescod  (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4).

Dominique Diprima of Stevie Wonder’s radio station, KJLH, Charlene Muhammad of KPFK and Jamaal Gorree of Inner Light Radio have all provided a media platform for Friends of the Congo to speak to the Southern California community.

“Over 50,000 have watched the film on You Tube and the film is well on its way to being viral,” Musavuli opined.

Former TV host, Joe Rogan, of the popular show FEAR FACTOR called the film “an eye opening video on what’s going on in the Congo.”

“The film ‘Crisis In The Congo: Uncovering the Truth’ was screened before 200 young South Africans who were so moved that they vowed to join in the effort to bring peace and stability to the Congo. The film is also being shown in the Democratic Republic of Congo via Tele 7. Several Congolese newspapers, blogs and online news sites have written about the film and have encouraged Congolese leaders and politicians to see the film,” stated Musavuli.

There are ongoing calls for the screening of “Crisis In The Congo: Uncovering The Truth” in additional cities such as San Francisco, Berkeley, Chicago and there are other screenings scheduled in San Diego, New York, St. Louis, Houston, Dallas and other cities around the world. Friends of the Congo is encouraging communities throughout the globe to screen the film, which can be easily downloaded from the CongoJustice.org website. The film has been translated into English, Spanish, French, Japanese and soon German.

The Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Kenya has screened the film and made copies to share with its network to encourage others to watch the film and do screenings.

“As an increasing number of people throughout the globe watch the film, they are being moved to act and help bring an end to the unnecessary suffering in the heart of Africa. People ask how can the world stand by and let such atrocities continue while we benefit from the Congo’s rich resources? People are responding to Friends of the Congo’s call to conscience and action,” stated Maurice Carney, Executive Director of Friends of the Congo, Washington D.C.

For further information contact http://www.friendsofthecongo.org or phone 202.584.6512