Archive for the ‘Friends of the Congo’ Category

Posted on October 15, 2011 - by Kambale Musavuli

Live Webcast, Sunday, Oct. 16, 4:30 PM EST, Conflict Minerals: An Exchange Among Experts

Friends of the Congo is partnering with Sahara Reporters to launch Congo Week IV with a live webcast from Congo in Harlem at the Maysles Cinema in Harlem, New York on Sunday, October 16, 2011.

The live webcast will begin at 4:30 p.m. US Eastern Standard Time at www.congoinharlem.org after the screening of Blood in the Mobile directed by Franck Piasecki Poulsen. A rich dialogue and exchange will take place among Congolese and non-Congolese experts. Sekombi Katondolo (producer of Blood in the Mobile and founder/director of Mutaani FM), David Aronson (freelance journalist, blogger, author of NY Times article on Conflict Minerals), Steve Hege (current member of the UN Group of Experts on the Congo), Eric Kajemba (founder and director of Observatoire Gouvernance et Paix), and Mvemba Phizo Dizolele (writer, foreign policy analyst and independent journalist) will discuss the impact of the Dodd-Frank Conflict Minerals provision on the situation in the Congo.

Click here to read recent articles written on Conflict Minerals and the Dodd-Frank Provision.
Click here to find out more about Congo Week and how you can participate in the global movement.

About Congo in Harlem
Congo in Harlem is an annual week-long series of film screenings accompanied by special events, panel discussions, performances, and receptions. Congo in Harlem will provide audiences with more than the traditional movie-going experience — it offers opportunities to discover Congolese culture, learn about the ongoing humanitarian crisis, engage in dialogue, and get involved.

About Sahara Reporters
Sahara Reporters is an online community of international reporters and social advocates dedicated to bringing you commentaries, features, news reports from a Nigerian-African perspective. A unique organization, founded in the spirit of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, comprising of ordinary people with an overriding commitment to seeking the truth and publishing it without fear or favor. Because its core members are unapologetic practitioners of advocacy journalism, Sahara Reporters also serves as an umbrella outlet for objective reporting of verifiable and accurate news and untainted social commentaries for anyone wishing to exercise their freedom of speech in the public interest and common good.

Posted on October 10, 2011 - by Kambale Musavuli

Congo Week IV, October 16 – 22, Join The Global Movement

Dear Friends,

I greet you in the name of many Congolese youth who are seeking to ride the winds of change that blew from the African youth revolution in Soweto in 1976 to the streets of Cairo today, and making its way across the Atlantic to America, symbolized by the Occupy Wall Street movement.

As we embark upon the fourth annual Breaking The Silence: Congo Week, October 16 – 22, 2011, I would like to bring you up-to-date on the global movement in support of the Congo.

Congo Week continues to grow both inside and outside of the Congo as people throughout the globe utilize Congo Week to articulate the challenges and potential that exist in the heart of Africa. Since we launched Congo Week in October 2008, over 60 countries and 300 university campuses and communities have joined us in the global call for justice for the people of Congo. Over 200 Congolese organizations reiterated the global appeal for justice, accountability and an end to the impunity by calling for international action on the recommendations of the United Nations Mapping Exercise Report.

Your role in Breaking the Silence by demanding justice for the people is making a difference. More people are becoming informed, educated and engaged. Your actions, no matter how small, are strengthening the resolve of the youth and others inside the Congo who are waging a courageous fight, day and night to bring about peace, stability and human dignity. Knowing that they have the support of people of goodwill throughout the globe makes a tremendous difference.

The key teaching tool for Congo Week IV is Friends of the Congo’s short documentary, “Crisis in the Congo: Uncovering the Truth.” Since its launch, over 100,000 people have viewed the film on YouTube and over 1,000 people have downloaded it to view or screen in their homes and communities. Youth throughout the Congo are using the film as a teaching tool during Congo Week; we encourage you to do the same by downloading the film here: http://congojustice.org

The youth of the Congo who represent the majority of the people are encouraging you to continue to support our fight for justice and human dignity. In the past year, our youth partners have made great strides in strengthening their capacity in the quest to bring about peace and stability in the Congo. We encourage you to participate in our special contest to support the youth of the Congo and their pursuit for social change. http://congoweek.org/congo-week-fundraiser.html

Key Organizers in Japan, Australia, France, Kenya, South Africa, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, United Kingdom, Canada, The United States and many other countries are joining with our partners inside the Congo to call for justice for the people. Organize or participate in an event or activity for Congo Week on your university campus, in your home, religious institution, community center or any other venue in your community. Should you be in New York during Congo Week, join us for Congo in Harlem – a week of film screenings, performances, panel discussions, exhibitions, tributes and special events highlighting Congolese cultures and its people’s contribution to the global community. http://congoinharlem.org

This is an historic opportunity for you to be a part of the global movement to bring an end to what is the greatest humanitarian crisis at the dawn of the 21st century and the deadliest conflict since World War Two. Seize the moment and become a part of a noble pursuit for justice and human dignity in the heart of Africa, my home, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kambale Musavuli
Student Coordinator
Friends of the Congo

Remember to post your event on the events calendar:
http://congoweek.org/component/events/

Share the Congo Week promotional video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0AWeWvMkHk

Sign-up for Congo Week!
http://congoweek.org/participation-form.html

Download Congo Week Organizers Tool Kit and Materials:
http://congoweek.org/downloads.html

Support the Congo Week Benefit Concert:
http://www.congoweek.org/congo-week-benefit-concert.html

Participate in the CELL-OUT, on Wednesday October 21, 2011. The CELL-OUT is a digital moment of silence for the people of the Congo and the usage of our cell phones to mobilize support for the people in their pursuit for social change.
http://congoweek.org/the-cell-out.html

Posted on September 13, 2011 - by Kambale Musavuli

Human Rights Advocates Denounce CMU’s Collaboration with President Kagame

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Human Rights Advocates Denounce CMU’s Collaboration with President Kagame

Contacts: Rebecca Cech  (412) 736-9889
Jeffrey Cech (724) 880-4371

The Pittsburgh City Council advised caution in US support of Kagame’s government, but Carnegie Mellon University invites Rwandan president to begin a privileged relationship with the university, ignoring both local concerns and international charges against him.

Wednesday, September 13, 2011 (Pittsburgh, PA) — On Friday, September 16, 2011, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) plans to inaugurate a partnership with President Paul Kagame to develop Rwanda’s leading role as an ICT (Information and Communication Technology) nation. Human Rights Activists have expressed outrage at CMU’s extension of privilege and resources to President Kagame despite his human rights abuses in the DR Congo and serious curtailments of political freedoms in Rwanda.  As Kagame delivers his speech on Friday, advocates will gather beside University Center on Forbes Avenue to denounce CMU’s decision and counter the institution’s public act of support with one of disapproval.

CMU’s red carpet treatment of Kagame is a jarring contrast to the Pittsburgh city proclamation 2011-1897, adopted July 12, 2011 which urges caution in the US relations with the Rwandan government. The Council supports Public Law 109-456, which “gives the Secretary of State the power to withhold U.S. Aid dollars from countries acting to destabilize the Congo.” The Council understands that giving resources to Kagame means underwriting his human rights violations and many abuses of power in Rwanda and the Great Lakes region of Africa.

► In 2008, The Spanish National Court, The Audiencia National (same court that tried Chilean dictator Pinochet), indicted forty Rwandan military officers for terrorism, mass killings, and several counts of genocide against Rwandans, Congolese, and Spanish citizens, following the 1994 genocide. Spanish Judge Fernando Andreu has said he has evidence implicating Rwanda’s current President Paul Kagame, who has immunity from prosecution as a head of State.

► In 2010 Human Rights Watch wrote that “if leaders continue to ignore the darker side of Kagame’s story, they will only compound the problem. Burying the truth about horrific crimes is a very effective way to sow the seeds for future grievances and more violence.”

► The United Nations Mapping Exercise Report of 1 October, 2010 identifies countries “that could be held responsible for serious violations of human rights committed by their national armies during the period under consideration in the DRC, and in particular Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Angola.” Crimes committed by Kagame’s army in the Congo have also qualified as acts of genocide by U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

CMU’s red carpet treatment of Kagame defies these warnings and protests. Advocates are urging CMU to revoke its partnership or to make its relationship with Kagame explicitly conditional on improvements in his human rights record and extensions of political freedoms in Rwanda.  Without these measures, they argue, CMU will earn an almost certain historical stain as one of the institutions that supported the despotic rule of another African strongman.

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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

Posted on June 30, 2011 - by Kambale Musavuli

Cinquante et un ans d’Indépendance – « Le Conflit au Congo : La Vérité Dévoilée »

Ce jeudi 30 juin 2011, le Congo célèbrera le 51ème anniversaire de l’indépendance de la République Démocratique du Congo. Dans l’esprit du 51ème anniversaire, Friends of the Congo organisera la sortie mondiale du film « Le Conflit au Congo : La Vérité Dévoilée ».

Une caractéristique constante des 51 années d’indépendance est l’intervention d’entités extérieures dans les affaires du Congo. « Le Conflit au Congo : la Vérité Dévoilée » explore le rôle joué par les alliés des Etats-Unis et de la Grande-Bretagne, le Rwanda et l’Ouganda dans le déclenchement de la plus grande crise humanitaire du monde à l’aube du 21ème siècle.

Le film replace le Congo dans un contexte historique, social et politique. D’éminents experts, praticiens, activistes et intellectuels nous livrent des analyses et des prescriptions auxquelles la population Congolaise n’a que très difficilement accès. Beaucoup d’analystes abordent souvent le Congo en dehors des enjeux géostratégiques qui empêchent les Congolais de déterminer pleinement leurs propres affaires.

Parmi les intervenants, on compte d’éminentes figures telles qu’Adam Hochschild, auteur de « Les fantômes du Roi Léopold », Anneke Van Woudenberg, chercheuse en chef à Human Rights Watch, et Howard French, ancien reporter du New York Times et auteur de « A Continent for the Taking ».

Ce film est un appel aux consciences et à l’action.

Le film est disponible au téléchargement et à la distribution. Cliquez ici pour télécharger ce film.
http://congojustice.org/download-video/

Apprenez-en plus sur nous en visitant les liens suivants:

Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/CrisisInThecongo

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/CrisisInTheCongo

Twitter
http://twitter.com/CongoCrisis

Posted on March 14, 2011 - by Kambale Musavuli

Break The Silence Speakers Tour 2011 in a City Near You

Dear Students and Supporters

Friends of the Congo has embarked upon its third annual Break The Silence Speakers Tour, which runs from February through July 2011. We began the tour in the San Francisco Bay Area with Congolese filmmaker and founder of Yole Africa Petna Ndaliko. He screened Jazz Mama, a film that captures women standing strong in their communities even as they denounce the rape and the violence they experience.

The central purpose of the Speakers tour of Congolese youth, women, scholars and activists is to articulate the challenge of the Congo in our own voices and mobilize support on behalf of our countrymen and women inside Congo.

As the cases of Tunisia and Egypt have clearly demonstrated, irrespective of the enormous challenges faced by the people, it is up to the courageous men and women on the ground to bring about positive and lasting change.

During the Speakers tour we are calling on our supporters to take two actions:
1. Challenge the foreign policy of their leaders to assure that it is not supporting strongmen like we see in Egypt.
2. Provide support to people on the ground fighting day and night to take control of their country and determine their own future

This year the Speakers tour will take us throughout the United States, Canada, Central America, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

I appeal to you to seize this historic moment and become a part of change in the Congo and Central Africa as Congolese strive to take control of their affairs as North Africans are doing in Tunisia and Egypt.

Join the global movement and sign-up now to invite Friends of the Congo to your university campus, religious institution or local community.

Kambale Musavuli
Student Coordinator and Spokesperson
Friends of the Congo

Posted on October 16, 2010 - by Kambale Musavuli

Congo Week III, A Global Call for Justice in the Congo

Thank you for all your continued support as we embark upon the third annual Breaking The Silence: Congo Week, October 17 – 23, 2010.

Congo Week continues to grow rapidly inside and outside of the Congo as people around the globe utilize the occasion to articulate the challenges and potential that exists in the heart of Africa.

Since Friends of the Congo launched Congo Week in October 2008, over 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 include:

• Congo in Harlem Film, Performance and Lecture Series, NY
• Marathon Run by the International Criminal Court Staff, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• DC Green Festival, Washington, DC
• Caravan from Kenya to South Kivu for the International Women’s March, Nairobi
• Commemoration Ceremony of the Lives Lost in the Congo War, Kisangani
• Salaam Kivu Film Festival, Goma
• Congolese National Ballet Performance, Kinshasa

Your participation in Breaking the Silence by calling for justice is making a difference. More people are becoming aware and engaged. Your actions, no matter how small, strengthen the resolve of our partners inside the Congo who fight day and night for peaceful and lasting change. Knowing that they have support throughout the world makes a tremendous difference.

The youth of the Congo, who represent the majority of the people, are encouraging you to continue to support the fight for justice and human dignity for the people of the Congo.

Click here or the below image to view

an appeal message from the Congolese youth.

Key Organizers in Japan, Australia, Netherlands, Kenya, South Africa, Angola, Sweden, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and many other countries are joining with our partners inside the Congo to call for justice. In the wake of a recently published United Nations Mapping Exercise Report about the mass atrocities committed in the Congo, your participation and support is even more critical. Over 200 Congolese organizations have issued the call for justice NOW!

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.

Organize an event or activity for Congo Week on campus, in your home, religious institution, community center or any other local venue in your community. This year we have a special initiative. We are asking each organizing school or community to raise at least $100 to support the Friends of Congo global campaign. Organizers who raise the most funds will receive 10 autographed copies of Congolese superstar Kanda Bongo Man‘s latest album, “Non-Stop Feeling.”

Join us in Breaking the Silence and calling for justice in solidarity with the people of Congo.

Kambale Musavuli
Student Coordinator
Friends of the Congo