Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa

Rhodes University, in Grahamstown South Africa, had invited Friends of the Congo to come share with the delegates at their annual journalism conference about how it uses digital media, commonly called New Media, to expose resource exploitation on the African continent. Who could have thought ten years ago that social media could become a tool for advocacy? I have seen in the past two years the effectiveness of using social networks to spread information about the situation in the Congo. With these new tools in the hand of indigenous people, we all are bearing witness to a new digital revolution where the common medium is now controlled by the people rather than the mainstream media. Due to this fact, I saw myself embark in a new journey to break the silence on the African continent.

So… what is this conference that I attended? The fifth annual Digital Citizen’s Indaba (DCI) [www.dcindaba.com], held on July 7 at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, drew together citizens, advocates, bloggers and activists from around the world to discuss how new media can revolutionize development work and give a voice to the unheard or silenced. This year’s theme, Africa’s Underdevelopment: Digital Citizens Talk Back, explored citizen media and the exploitation of natural resources, disasters, climate change and mega events. The DCI is a project of the Highway Africa Conference [www.highwayafrica.com] which took place on July 5 and 6.

It was a long travel to get to the campus. A 20-hour flight from New York to Port Elizabeth, followed by a 2-hour drive to the town, made me appreciate more the scenery of rural areas. It has been so long since I’ve been to Africa. It was nice to get to see the land of our ancestors once again. I completely forgot that I was in a country that had a huge British influence. I was shocked to see the wheel on the wrong side of the car, and surprised to see the car driving on the wrong side of the road. Then came the discussion with the student helpers, who came to pick us up from the airport, about what side of the road is right. My argument was irrefutable when I stated “driving on the right side of the road is the right way to do it!”

In Grahamstown, when checked in at the hotel, it was with a bit of sadness that I watched the music channel which only played American music for about four hours and when there were South African musicians that came on, their music sounded so Americans that I literally thought that Viacom owned the South African Broadcasting Channel (SABC). Was I in Africa? I came from so far to realize that there is slow death of the African culture as Africa is embracing everything from the outside without keeping its culture. I hope to expand on this matter in a future post, but this experience was quite telling.

Grahamstown, South Africa

The following day, I met two other speakers as we had breakfast together. They were South Africans who gave me a piece of their mind about FIFA and other local issues in South Africa. They both came from Jo’burg. I appreciated their openness in allowing me to see that issues that Americans face are not so different than the ones that South Africans are facing. The pursuit of happiness is a fundamental aspiration for every human being, but sometimes the greed of certain individuals interferes with the lives of millions and put ordinary, hardworking people out in the streets. It was nice to make that connection with them and appreciate the fact they were willing to share their experience.

When I arrived on campus, I really appreciated the hospitality of the student workers and people around campus. I have worked on conferences and know how frustrating it can be. From a pompous speaker who wants his hot water in the bathtub to be a certain temperature in their hotel room, to the students who forgot to go pick up a speaker at the airport as he has been waiting for 3 hours… all of these issues can be very frustrating. But what I noticed from the logistical team of the conference, is the patience and grace it had in dealing with all the issues at hand and the hospitality which has been unmatched during my stay in South Africa.

After participating in a few workshops that day, I returned to my room to prepare for the presentation I had to give the next day. I was asked to give a keynote speech as the person who was supposed to do it had a death in the family and could not join us at the conference. I had lots of ideas of how I should be speaking to the delegate about the topic at hand and Congo. I am always keen in making sure that people understand the historical context of issues to know what to do in changing the present. But the challenge was more so on how to contextualize Africa from a digital media perspective and make the Congo as the emblematic example of what happens in every African country. I was set for a long night with no sleep. But… the all-nighter paid off.

Delivering the keynote speech at the DCI conference for Highway Africa

The next day, I had 15 minute to make my case that the underdevelopment of Africa has its causes, but with tools at hand today we can address the many complex issues Africans face through technology. As I started my presentation, I was so happy to see so many young people in the audience. I have always been enthusiastic about the future of Africa when I see a lot of young Africans discussing African issues or even engaging in solving them. This event revitalized my resolve for a new Africa. By the end of the presentation, I made the critical point that Congo was a very important country for the future of Africa whereby there is no greater issue today in Africa as the situation in the Congo and it requires the participation of all.

The presentation was received well and I was added on a panel discussion on resource exploitation in Africa. This panel was quite interesting because at the end, a gentleman, if I should call him that, working for a mining company (he did not identify himself as working for a mining company but I later found out he did) dismissed claims of the wrong doing of a Canadian mining company by stating that they are doing a lot of great things. I will expand on this in a separate blog post. After that incident, I understood that what we do is very sensitive and is being watched by all the forces against the Congo that now I have to be a bit wiser about how to bring truth to the people. I really am thankful that an employee of a mining company took the time to be disruptive at an event thus exposing the true nature of what they are doing in Congo and giving me now more motivation to write about the actions on that one company in Congo so the world could see how the Congolese continue to be exploited.

Archbishop Tutu after giving the closing speech at the Highway Africa

After the workshop, I continued to attend the different workshops and later that evening, Archbishop Desmond Tutu gave a closing speech of the 4-day conference. His sense of humor is unique. He truly spoke to the heart of people. He reminded all of us how tough it was to fight the Apartheid regime by letting us know that not everyone supported their effort and some actually were ok with Apartheid. He concluded his speech by telling us “Remember where you come from!” I really understood that… as I have seen the many challenges that almost made me forget who I was… because when all is well and done, the only thing that is left in you is who you are. Who you are is defined by where you’re from. With no roots… a tree can’t grow! Strong roots will forever hold the tree through any turmoil.

Thank you Archbishop Tutu for a remarkable speech, and a very special Thank you to Elvira, Jane, and Hailey (Digital Citizen Indaba’s coordinators) at Rhodes University and all the beautiful students there who demonstrated excellent professionalism!

African youth organizers of the conference in Montreal

A few days ago, I had my conviction strengthened as I witnessed how the Congolese youth worked together to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Congo’s independence in Montreal, Canada. I saw how Congolese youth leaders in Montreal organized film screenings and a fundraiser to support a hospital in Congo. I saw how other African youth joined the planning of the events and offered their expertise to make it an excellent week of commemoration from June 29th to Lumumba’s birthday date of July 2nd. This experience was a true testimony that there is a shift taking place right now around the world, especially within the Congolese youth where we now see the urgency of taking control of the destiny of our country, the beautiful Congo.

When I flew back to NYC on July 3rd, the following day I was to be on the plane to Africa. A lot of my past started playing in my head… It has been 11 years since I left Congo, since I left Africa… I remember how it felt leaving friends behind with this sense of guilt that they were still in harm’s way. I remember my involvement in the church while in Congo. I was an altar boy and really enjoyed being involved in the church. I used to wake up at 4 am to get to my church by 4:50 am so I could open the church for people who had the 5 am rosary prayers. Memories of how religious I used to be. I guess America happened to me…

I also remember the day we left… going through South Africa… then arriving in JFK after a hurdle for the connection flight. I go into details about this hurdle experience in my book which will be published in the near future. But what I miss the most about leaving Africa is the sky at night when there is a power outage. So much peace, a wonderful blue sky, a natural silence, an indescribable feeling of happiness… usually spoiled by the return of the power and noise of refrigerators and TVs turning on. I miss Africa.

Not anymore! I am on my to Africa… the day Americans celebrate being independent, I am traveling to still-dependent African nations.

I assumed due to the holiday weekend, there would not be lots of people traveling to the continent. I was wrong. A full plane of people from many backgrounds and ages, all going to the land that birthed us all. A land always full of surprises, with so much pain it has endure, and still producing vibrant people with hopes and aspirations to make a better world. This is what I’ve been experiencing as I am connecting more and more with the Congolese youth on the ground and abroad.

Yet my trips have always unnexpected encounters. Sitting beside me was an American citizen, heading to Zambia, to help with that nation’s census. He actually works for the US Census bureau and he is familiar with the Congo. It was interesting to hear that he was in Congo and left it around the same time my family did too… that was 1998. What also raised my eyebrows was when he told me that his wife worked for the US Center for Disease Control office in Kinshasa, the capital of Congo, and was responsible for monitoring HIV infections in Kinshasa. She arrived in Congo in 1982. I asked a lot of questions about HIV as he has also done data collection for USAID in other African countries. He shared with me that HIV infections data during that time was a flat line compared to an increasing oblique line for new HIV cases in the other countries, which was good for Congo. My reply to that was to find out from him what caused the low HIV infections from the data he collected. His response was “behaviors.” He went on to explain that in other African countries, certain behaviors allowed HIV infections to spread faster than in Congo.

The whole time he was talking, I wondered why, out of the many people on the plane, I had to sit beside someone who worked for the census bureau and worked in Congo? He did seem like a friendly guy and we shared a lot about Congo, Africa at large, and the census work in the US. I may meet him again in the future, but for the time being, we both broke the silence.

While on the 20-hour-long flight, I had the opportunity to watch the many different movies available on the plane. I saw the movie “Invictus” listed there. I remembered that a filmmaker friend of mine, Kevin Wilson (producer of The Emmit Till Story and working on a Congo film), told me that it is a must-watch movie. I now understand why. Watching it made me appreciate Nelson Mandela, despite the growing criticism of him in progressive arenas. I could see how difficult it is for a leader to bring people who before hated each other to work together. A memorable quote from that movie that still replays in my head is when Mandela asked François, the captain of the South African Rugby team, “How do you inspire your team to do their best? … How to get them to be better than they think they *can* be?”

This is the challenge we all come to face some day as we work to revitalize the Congolese people to be inspired to see a brighter day in Congo, to strive for excellence and a better future for Congo. It is a tough job but we,  people of goodwill and Congolese together, must be better than we think we can be to meet the challenges we face in the Congo.

That is why I’ve returned to the continent this time: To inspire the African youth to not lose hope and accept the fact that we may not see the fruit of our work, but we must start rebuilding our continent.

That is why Sankofa is the only way to get Africa to rise as a phoenix… it has been written…

That is why I am writing you this from Africa… the mother of us all.

Now that I am here… I can see that the work that must be done will need all of us. Africa is ready. ARE YOU READY!

Neyitiri and Jake Sully. Two of the main characters of Avatar

Avatar, the highest-grossing film of all time, may be more real and current than what the average person may know. The battle of Pandora is taking place right now in the Congo! Since 1996 a war has raged in the Congo to get access to resources vital for modern technology and global investors. Nearly six million Congolese have lost their lives, millions more have been displaced, hundreds of thousands of women have been systematically raped as a strategy of war, mass scale logging is taking place at an alarming rate in the second largest rainforest in the world and an $80 billion plan is being pursued by the World Energy Council to dam the Congo River, ostensibly to provide electricity to Europe while the people are still in the dark. All the while, there is a deafening silence within the international community about the root causes of this fourteen year-old war waged in the heart of Africa.

Ann Hornaday, in her December 18, 2009 article in the Washington Post delves into Avatar’s historical connection with the Congo as she shows how Joseph Conrad’s Marlow is the Avatar corollary of James Cameron’s Jake Sully. In Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, we see the dehumanizing description of Congo natives as “mostly black and naked, [moving] about like ants” and “black shapes” remarkably similar to Cameron’s Avatar label of “fly-bitten savages” and “blue monkeys.”

Using computer-animation and 3-D technology, Cameron takes us into a virtual world, where characters maintain humanness throughout this action-packed film. The three-dimensional experience of Avatar places the audience inside the plot. They witness in real time the resource exploitation of indigenous land at the expense of local populations in the name of profit for corporations and investors. Being sunk into the special effects, ordinary people fail to realize how they are also complicit in the destruction similar to that portrayed in the movie and leave the theater or their couch with a predominant sentiment in their mind: “This is a great movie!” Yet no global outrage, nor action, is seen on the part of the viewers for a worldwide mobilization campaign to stop the real-life, current exploitation of the Congolese people.

This film creates space for a much-needed dialogue about what we are doing to our planet Earth. It illustrates how interconnected humans are and touches on issues from the environment to spirituality. It lays bare the connection between the dehumanization of native people and corporate greed whereby profit takes priority over people. To achieve their aim, corporations create chaos in order to access certain key resources at the expense of the indigenous people. Avatar addresses the most important of wars in the world today, yet it calls for a state of amnesia. Dots are left unconnected between the movie and what is happening right now in the heart of the African continent.

This is also the set of Congo’s plight. Congo is arguably the richest country on the planet in terms of natural resources. It is the storehouse of strategic and precious minerals that are vital to the functioning of modern society. Its minerals are key to the consumer electronics, technology, automotive, aerospace and military industries. Its diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, uranium, iron, tin, tungsten, and coltan (a mineral that is central to the functioning of our cell phones, laptops and other technology and electronic devices) are coveted from China to the United States. Its rainforest, being the second largest in the world after the Amazon, is vital to the fight against climate change as noted by Sun Sentinel, while American companies such as The Blattner Group are cutting the trees down day by day in the name of profit.

This geopolitical and geostrategic battle to control Congo’s vast mineral wealth is devastating for the entire continent of Africa. Bordered by nine African countries, Congo straddles the equator and is the fulcrum on which the entire continent swings. Whatever happens in the Congo affect the entire continent. As foreign governments and multinationals fight to exploit Congo’s resources, a second Congolese holocaust in just over a century is taking place. Because of these resources, the Congolese people have faced distinct challenges since its modern founding in 1885 at the Berlin Conference when Congo was given to King Leopold II of Belgium as his own personal property. A similar challenge transpired in the late 1800s when an estimated 10 to 15 million Congolese lost their lives due to the world’s appetite for rubber and ivory. The difference in present-day Congo is that it is primarily US allies Rwanda and Uganda who are carrying out the depopulation and control over Congolese land and resources.

The central question in the Congo, as in Avatar, is who is going to control the resources and for whose benefit? The answer to this question is evident in the very conflict that is the Congo: in the unsafe natural gas exploitation in Lake Kivu by American company Contour Global, mass displacement and environmental degradation of local indigenous people by Freeport McMoran, odious mining contracts by American companies such as OM Group, or the illegal logging and massive exploitation of plantation workers by The Blattner Group to name a few.

In the midst of all of this exploitation, there is a trait worth mentioning that demonstrate the resiliency and self-determination of the Congolese people. For more than 400 years, the Congolese have been fighting for sovereignty over their land. They have lost many leaders such as Kimpa Vita, who was burned at the stake at age 21 with her infant son; she was accused of heresy by the Portuguese given she had organized the people in the Kongo kingdom to fight for the sovereignty of the land. Another notable freedom fighter is Simon Kimbangu, who spent more years in prison fighting Belgian colonialism than Nelson Mandela did while fighting apartheid. Congo also saw the rise of Lumpungu II, who spoke out about sovereignty of the land and was hanged in front of his people by Belgian colonial officials. Congo’s first democratically elected prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, can never be forgotten as he fought to retain Congo’s resources for the benefit of the Congolese people in particular and Africa in general. As a result of Lumumba’s stance, he was assassinated within months of taking office by Belgium in cahoots with the United States, other western nations and local elites.

The Congolese youth have initiated a worldwide mobilization campaign in partnership with other young people around the world. The Jake Sullies of the Congo who have helped in the awakening of national consciousness for centuries have fortunately been Congolese. And though they have nearly all been brutally assassinated, the Congolese fight to control their own resources and determine their own affairs has not yet died. The spirit that lives in the Congolese youth who continue to rise up for change of their nation is immortal. As self-determination in the rebuilding of their country runs through their veins, their ancestors’ history becomes a reminder of the struggle now waged for centuries.

Frantz Fanon says that each generation must find its destiny, and when found, either betray it or fulfill it. Congolese youth of today are fulfilling that destiny by breaking the silence both inside their country and globally. Just as in Pandora, the battle of Congo is the battle of humanity, especially given Congo’s importance in the fight against climate change, its large fresh water reserves, and mineral resources that are key to modern society. Being true agents of change, the youth are organizing events, winning the hearts and minds of people in their respective communities by sharing their personal stories and mobilizing support for Congolese on the ground. Youth groups inside Congo are organizing film festivals in eastern Congo where the conflict is more acute. Others are also doing their part in the education of young Congolese through history teach-ins.

Today, in the Congo, there is a new breed of Avatars. The Congolese youth are playing that role, as they are scattered around the world in countries fueling the war in their home country. Their mission is different than that of Jake Sully’s. Theirs is to win the hearts and minds of the citizens of these nations to pressure their country’s government and corporations to stop the plunder of Congo’s resources. With that diplomatic mission, we bear witness to a global movement in support of Congolese people energized by their youth in a quest to bring peace and stability to their home.

Ordinary people throughout the globe can play a critical role in bringing about change in the Congo. We all benefit from Congo’s wealth and have a responsibility to make sure we are not benefiting at the expense of the people. What is taking place in the Congo as we speak is a scar on the conscience of humanity. Congo’s problem is a worldwide problem, hence it demands a global response. The global movement in support of the Congo is as important today as the free South Africa movement was yesterday. We all must get involved by demanding that our leaders make Congo a priority, hold our corporations accountable and support Congolese institutions fighting for peace, justice and human dignity.

As Fanon presciently noted, “Let us be sure never to forget it; the fate of all of us is at stake in the Congo.”

Who cares about Africa? Much less, who cares about the Congo? I have more important things to think about. Like my car that I need to replace. I’ve been eyeing this beautiful white 2008 Saturn that would be perfect. Don’t forget the trip to the Bahamas I’ve been planning for over a year. I can already feel the white sand rubbing between my toes as the sun reflects off the clear blue water. Wait, I almost forgot. How about that fifty-two inch black flat screen I’ve been dreaming about since I saw it at Best Buy. Yeah, that needs to find its way to my living room asap. So you should understand and agree, who cares about the Congo! I care more about my sister’s fabulous wedding this summer, than the hundreds of thousands of women publically and brutally raped in front of their helpless husbands, crying children and defenseless villages.  

Only being twenty-two and living the good life, why should I care about a fourteen year war that has killed six million people? That is more than the whole population of the state of Maryland?  No seriously I have more important responsibilities. I have rent and bills to pay on a budget. Can you believe the Congolese people have the nerve to complain that there are no jobs and are living in severe poverty, while we in the West are in a recession!  OMG!!! Then they have the audacity to make a fuss about starving. While I’m living on Ramon noodles this week since I did steak and shrimp the other night. If anyone is starving, that would be me! I mean I’ve never seen thousands of children die from hunger like those in the Congo, but I’ve lost two pounds on my restricted diet. Frankly, the Congolese scarcity and conflict is not my problem. It stopped being my problem a long time ago.

I’m living in the land of abundance now. I’m no longer Congolese. I am an American.  Let the Congolese people I left years ago help themselves even if forty-five thousand people die a month. Like I’ve said earlier, I have more pressing issues to worry about. Why the Congolese government is so unashamedly corrupt is the Congolese people’s problem. Why its top politicians are multimillionaire despite the fact that eighty percent of the population is living on less than thirty cents a day is a little puzzling, but I make twenty one dollars and thirty cents an hour so that really doesn’t affect me.  It really shouldn’t affect me. I don’t want it to affect me, but it does.

I try to look away from the broken hearted orphans telling their stories of how their parent’s throat was slit in front of them and their childhood taken. I try to ignore the embittered tears that fall from a nine year old boy eyes as he tells of how he wasn’t able to protect his brother from the Mai Mai bullets. I try. I’ve tried. I’ve quit trying.

You see there’s an inner conflict that I can no longer ignore. Actually, I gave up ignoring it a long time ago. I gave up silently turning my eyes to the atrocity occurring in the Congo. An ongoing war that has been more deadly than World War II is difficult to overlook. Especially since my family and I were victims of Congo’s government corruption.  As political refugees my family was miraculously able to come to the United States. Furthermore, it was by the grace of God that my father is still alive. He was imprisoned many times for being outspoken of the inhumane corrupt government. My family and I constantly were on the move. In fear of the secret police we never stayed in one location for too long. My father was so passionate about liberating Congo, that he named his newborn (me) after the man he believed in, the great hero Patrice Lumumba. I was only a baby, but the eternal memories within my family of suffering, extreme hunger, and feelings of helplessness still remain.

That is why I can’t ignore what is happening in my country. Though I have been in the United States for twenty years, the Congo is still my home. No matter how Americanized I become. I used to feel so helpless to hear of a war that has slaughtered more mothers, brothers, and innocent children, than the massacres in Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Rwanda combined. I no longer feel helpless. I’m taking a stand. The saying goes, “If you stand for nothing you fall for everything.”  I’m no longer going to allow my innocent sisters and brothers to silently fall. Congo is not someone else’s problem but it is mine and yours. It is my duty as a human being to speak for those that have been silenced. So I am now speaking.

So who care about Africa, much less the Congo?

I do!

I care about Congo!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpU3Ot-NFpo

Congolese songwriter Simon Kashama and his dynamic 10-piece band deliver powerfully emotive sounds and transportive rhythms that evoke a sense of joy and hope that encourages positive global change.  See and hear Kashama’s musical composition “Yambi Yambi”.

Gilbert Mulamba (Congolese filmmaker), Dr. Justine Nzeba (Congolese scholar), myself (Congolese activist), Emilie Ngo-Nguidjol (Cameroonian activist), Maurice Carney (Co-Founder and Executive Director of Friends of the Congo),

This event was sponsored by the Chicago Society and the African and Caribbean Students’ Association with Global Voices and the University of Chicago International House.

One special person to thank is sister Mackenzie. She is the lead Congo student organizer at the university of Chicago. I met her through a phone call back in the Fall 2009 as she wanted to engage us in the event she wanted to organize so she could educate her peers about the Congo. Little did I know at the time how excellent her organizational skill was.

I have been blessed to tour the United States and go to many communities to speak about Congo. All the organizers I have met have gone out of their comfort zone to have a successful event, but what has set Mackenzie apart to the point I am writing about her is her dedication, her follow-ups with speakers, her planning of the event and request for feedback along the way, and her engagement in bringing other student groups to help out with the event. I have never had an event where until I was flying out of the city after the event, the organizer was still texting me details of the ride back to the airport to make sure I was in without any problem. It seems as if she was working 24/7 on the event. All this stellar planning was done by an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago who, when she heard of Congo Week II, wanted to break the silence in a big way… and I know she has…

Mackenzie… YOU ARE A G! Thank you to you and your team on campus for putting together this wonderful event.

Mackenzie Cramblit, student organizer at the University of Chicago

The trip to Chicago was an interesting one. Before I flew there, I was invited to speak at American University in DC by a sister from Uganda literally the night before, January 26. It was good to speak with her about the political state of her country and see her desire, just as any Congolese, to break the silence about the situation of women and the devastation taking place in Congo. In our conversation, we both agreed that in order for Africa to develop, Congo must be free. This only inspires me to reach out to all people of goodwill to join the global movement in support of the Congolese.

As I left American University, time was winding down for the 6 am flight to Chicago. Thoughts of my family start filling in. My uncle, Tonton Jean, just died on January 17 in Congo in circumstances that is still unclear to us. At the same time, my father was admitted to an hospital on January 24 as he fainted since he was feeling weak. He decided to start a hunger-strike the night of January 15 due to the fact he hasn’t been paid since 2008 by his office in Congo. He returned in Congo in 2005 hoping that he could make changes and help with the Congolese electoral commission. What he didn’t realize back then was that civil servants do not get regular remuneration of their work.

My father and I have a love and hate relationship. Unfortunately, my parents are divorced and hopefully some day I will be able to have a closure with that since this was painful for me growing up in America. When I received info about him doing a hunger-strike in Congo, too many things came to mind. His action was commendable but how could I share it with the world when I still haven’t let go of the pain of the past? Should I not share the info with people in the fear that the current government goes after him? Should I share it with my network and risk that people take it the wrong way as me promoting my father? Too many things came to mind… but I decided to share the info with key people in my network. I haven’t received update on his health. My brother did share with me before I flew to Chicago that he was being released from the hospital that day. I hope all is well with him… and may be my journey in breaking the silence will help me come to closure with my relationship with my father.

When we, Maurice Carney (Executive Director of Friends of the Congo) and I, flew to Chicago, I met a young lady who was moving to Puerto Rico. Kavi was her name. She was so happy and left everything behind spontaneously to move to Puerto Rico. She shared with me she was there a month ago and after looking at her life and seeing the cost of living there, she decided to move there in a two-bedroom house on the beach which cost her only $600. She spoke to me about her life and was very friendly. I actually did not speak much to her as I was still thinking about my mother coping with the death of her brother and me not being there.

When we landed in Atlanta for our connecting flight, for some strange reasons, we sat beside each other as she was a gate away from our departure gate. She smiled and we spoke some more. She wanted to know what I do for a living. That question has been asked to me many times. But what could I tell a young lady who decided to move to Puerto Rico to start a new life? Should I tell her about Congo? Of course I did… and just as many people I have met in buses, trains, and airplanes, she had no idea that 6 million people have died in the Congo unnecessarily. She pledged to break the silence when she settles in Puerto Rico and connect us with a university there. Let’s hope it happens and I will definitely blog about it more in the future if we make it to Puerto Rico to share that there is no such thing as coincidences.

Chicago was the next stop after my talk with Kavi. When I arrived, I could not believe how cold it was. My joke of the day was that “if hell had winter, Chicago will be the practice place for it!” What made the cold worse was that there was a cold wind flowing. I even wondered about who the first settlers of Chicago were because it would have felt centuries ago that Chicago was not livable with that weather. Thanks to Haitian architect Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, he was able to design the city in such a way that today I am able to come to the city… but he did not stop the cold for freezing me to death.

Now in Chicago, all we had to do is wait for the transportation to take us to the hotel and get ready for the event that evening. Snow start falling and I wondered if people will actually make it to the event. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, I crashed on the bed as I was very tired since I did not sleep the night before. When I woke up, it was about 4 hours before the event. Maurice informed me that Gilbert Mulamba, the Congolese filmmaker of “Street Children of Kinshasa” was also in the same hotel and wanted to meet before we left for the event. I was so happy to see him again. Last time we were in an event together was at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he had a great presentation about his film.

Filmmaker Gilbert Mulamba and Kambale

We talked for a while and shared some updates. He officially met Maurice even though they have been in contact virtually by phone and emails. It was great to just talk about actions and solutions to the problems our country face. At 5:30 pm, our transportation to the university arrived. It was still snowing and I was a bit worried about the attendance of the event. Will people in Chicago come out in the snow on a very cold Wednesday night to hear Congolese on a panel speak about solutions for peace in their country? The answer was the pleasant surprise of that evening.

Mackenzie, our superstar, was waiting for us at the door as we arrived. First time meeting her and I loved her energy. The other co-panelist, Maman Jusitne, was there too. We all got acquainted and moved to the room where the event was taking place. American musical artist, Janet Bean, who wrote a song for the Congolese women was there too. She bought me a charger for my camera as I lost it a few weeks ago in NYC. Every time I see her, I don’t know how to thank her for using her talent to break the silence. She is a strong supporter of Congo and always ready to lay a hand in helping get the word out. She worked with the students on the university of Chicago’s campus in planning the event and also helped us in getting on the Chicago Public Radio.

International House at the University of Chicago

After all the panelists arrived, we started the event. In a room of 150 people, we broke the silence. I appreciated my co-panelists as we complemented each other in our presentations. The whole time during the event I was telling my self “The prophecy is happening. I am living it!” How can I share it with Congolese on the ground? People from many background took time in an inclement weather to hear what Congolese had to say is the best way to help them in their quest for peace in Congo.

During the audience questions segment of the event, I was so happy to see the Sullivans attend the event. Tom and Jan Sullivan are two other great supporters of the Congo. I met them about 2 years ago as they hosted me when I visited Chicago to meet then Senator Obama. It is through them that I learned about William Sheppard, Lucy Gantt Sheppard, and Maria Fearing, three Africans born in America usually called African-Americans who went to the Congo 100 years ago to help in the education sector and were strong advocate for Congo to denounce the oppression of Leopold II of Belgium on the Congolese back then. It has been quite a while since I have seen them but we have kept in touch via phone and emails the most. Also a few facebook friends attended the event. It was nice to see that the information on the Break the Silence tour launch did reach people in Chicago.

The most moving element of the event was when I realized that the president and vice president of the Congolese community of Chicago, including other Congolese from Chicago, also attended the event in support of the effort. For those who have interacted with Congolese, they know that once you have two of them in the room, the talks can go on and on… I was so happy to connect with the community, especially the youth of the Congo as I know now more than ever that we are the solution and the future of the Congo.

In sum, Chi’ town was lovely… the students were fantastic… the audience engaging… and the weather too cold for this Congolese who keeps breaking the silence.

I love Chicago…. most importantly… I love the students at the University of Chicago for putting together this historic event, which in fact fulfills Lumumba’s prophecy that millions around the world will always support the Congo. Stay tuned for more to come!

Chicago has shattered the silence… what will your city do?

Chicago Public Radio program “World View with Jerome McDonnell” interviewed Kambale on January 26, the day before the event at the University of Chicago, to discuss the situation in the Congo and policy prescriptions for lasting peace in the heart of the African continent.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=c05sWHfVMg4

Emma Katya Katondolo, a digital media specialist and artist from the group Maisha Soul from Yolé Africa, has just released a video single for Maison Maman Immaculée, an orphanage in North Kivu which does a lot of great work for the orphans in the East of Congo. Very moving video!

This petition  comes directly from the people of the Congo. Show your support and act solidarity with the women, men and children of the Congo!

Click here to sign petition and support Congolese voices

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2BWiQK9Edo