Archive for the ‘The Journey’ Category

Posted on July 24, 2010 - by Kambale Musavuli

Rhodes University Breaks The Silence

Where do I start? Writing about this experience is quite a challenge. The number one place that topped all the schools I have visited is St Michael’s College in Vermont. I also enjoyed the wonderful students at the University of San Francisco given that they actually have a class on Congo. I must also say that the students at St Lawrence brought tears in my eyes when they sang STAND UP to move the students on their campus to get engaged with Congo advocacy. Now, I have just been to a college campus in Africa and must add Rhodes University on the list of schools to remember.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Posted on July 5, 2010 - by Kambale Musavuli

Sankofa 2010: Prelude To The Return Home

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!

Posted on February 8, 2010 - by Kambale Musavuli

Congolese songwriter Simon Kashama releases his song “Yambi Yambi”

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”.

Posted on February 3, 2010 - by Kambale Musavuli

University of Chicago has shattered the silence!

On January 17th, 2010, Friends of the Congo launched the  2010 Break The Silence Speakers Tour at The University of Chicago. Student leaders and community organizers organized a panel discussion called “Complicit Destruction: Money, Mines and Militarization in the Democratic Republic of Congo” with panelist Maurice Carney (Co-Founder and Executive Director of Friends of the Congo), Dr. Justine Nzeba (Former regional director for Central Africa, American Friends Service Committee and Editorial board member of The Great Lakes Research Journal), Emilie Ngo-Nguidjol Community activist and founder of AFRICaide, Gilbert Mulamba (Community activist and documentarian of “The Street Children of Kinshasa”, and myself.  The moderator was a Ugandan journalist in exile, Kisuule Magala Katende . Kisuule also reports regularly on Voice of “ear to the Ground” on Chicago Public Radio.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Posted on January 26, 2010 - by Kambale Musavuli

Chicago Public Radio Breaks The Silence

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.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Posted on January 23, 2010 - by Kambale Musavuli

Congolese Artist Katya Katondolo Emmanuel Breaks The Silence

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!

Posted on January 15, 2010 - by Kambale Musavuli

Voices from Congo

Many supporters have asked us if they could sign a petition to support the Congo

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

Posted on January 10, 2010 - by Kambale Musavuli

Video Message to Vancouver Supporter

Posted on January 8, 2010 - by Kambale Musavuli

Good Bye Greensboro, Hello New York!

Today was a big day for me. A few months ago, I decided to move to New York after I realized how much I could be doing just living there. In 2009, I was in New York City a dozen times and every time I left the city, I saw more and more people join the movement from the contacts I have made in NYC. When an opportunity presented itself that I could move to NYC and transfer to a college there, I took it. I applied for a program in the Fall of 2010 in a very good school and I look forward to attend it. In months to come, I will disclose the name of the school.

When I woke up this morning, I knew that it was my last day in Greensboro. As I continued to pack around 4 am, I kept thinking about the past 11 years of me living in this city. I thought of the many people I have met while working and at school. I could see one of my mentors and also professor, Dr. Gilbert Casterlow, who insisted that Excellence was not just a term for a group of people but that this was a way of life for any human being. I thought of the going-away party my friend Victor organized for me in December so I could say goodbye to all my peers and friends who helped create the Break the Silence movement. I was so glad that I had one more opportunity to talk to them and remind them that Congo Week could not have existed without them. With teary eyes, I was happy they understood that they built a global movement for the Congo which none of them have visited as of yet, but still believed that injustice in Congo was a threat to justice on North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, or in Greensboro.

I can never forget that my African-American friends whom I call Africans born in America, in a historically black university, NC A&T SU, as they heard about the situation in Congo built a global movement in support of the Congolese and have been there for me when I was sad, frustrated, down, to comfort me. My brothers Amari, Wes and Orrin who stood beside me for years while we went to the third floor of the library reading Afrocentric books, the brothers and the sisters of the History Club who without any hesitation have kept the fire of Congo Week burning on campus… the African students Association who allowed me to introduce the Sudan and Congo cause to the organization… Ms. Shauna Irwin who, as an administrator, helped me so much in my leadership skills as I learned how to submit organizational reports, network with other student organizations, and always do due diligence… Dr. Maria Palmer who has been my second mother and pushed me to make sure that my grade didn’t drop and gave me a powerful book “Three Cups of Tea” to help me in my work… the many great friends and professors such as Professor Bryon Turman who really helped me in my English class to understand the poem “Gingerbread Man” from an historical perspective… Ms. Arthea Perry who have continued to support me, Congo and Africa at large in her teaching and out of the classroom… Dr. Judy Rashid who, as the dean of student always had ears to listen to my concerns and also pushed me for excellence…  the Greek organizations such as the Alphas, Deltas, AKAs, Sigmas, who have been quite supportive of the movement… the Student Government Association who also supported the Congo movement or any African cultural events I brought to them for help… This will always be part of the history I write to always make sure that people remember the great friends I had while living in North Carolina.

To all the wonderful people at A&T, there are just so many names to mention… Taylor, Martamique, Ngozi, Eve, Alvin, Rodney, Carlyle, Karen, Akintunde, Sade, Mayana, Aaron, …  and so many other names  to say… THANK YOU for being such great friends. I know each one of you understand I appreciate you.

Reiterating my former school motto “Explore, Discover, Become!”, I can truly say I have explore the possibilities at A&T, discover my passion while I was a student there, and become a man ready to take on the world! THANK YOU NC A&T SU for all you have done for me.

I was sad this morning about leaving everything behind, especially my family who has been there for me. I will miss my mother who really stood beside me and came to my events. I will also miss my brother and sister whom I knew I could always count on for anything I needed. Yet I was excited about the new challenge… the new life which was going to start in a few hours.

Last night, I went to see a great Congo supporter, Shannon, who have decided to use her talent and know-how to help us in our efforts of reaching more communities around the world. In November 2009 if I am not mistaken, I did a presentation on Congo at her home and had a chance to meet her son. He is a talented young man who loves film and he is aspiring to be the greatest filmmaker of all time. As I spent a few hours with Shannon’s family  yesterday and while I was speaking to her son about the advices I was given by elders about life, I realize how important mentorship is. He is so talented that he self-learned how to use Adobe Premiere, a video editing program, in three days. He will be doing Lacrosse this semester in his high school. He reminded me so much of myself when I was in high school and I can see already from the energy he has that he will be a very successful filmmaker. I will definitely help him in any way I can to make sure he gets in a great college. I recommended him to apply to Columbia University even if he can’t afford it. I believe Columbia will be able to give him a scholarship so he could get a great education and have access to best film equipments.

Afterward, I went to see another friend of mine who did not make it to the going away party in December. This guy, Raheem, is a young man who really have impressed me. He went to Ghana for a study abroad program and came back speaking Twi, a Ghanaian language, fluently and even better than Ghanaians. I remember an instance where he was speaking to a Ghanaian student on campus and the student asked him how he knew the word because usually he would use the English term rather than the Twi term. He earned himself respect for appreciating the African culture and embracing it to the extent that he spoke it very well. He is also a wonderful singer and songwriter and as I asked him to use his talent to break the silence on Congo, he wrote a song title “A song for Congo” in which he expressed the struggle of the Congolese people.

We had a very great conversation about the challenge of us, accepting who we are, and going forward with our passion trusting that everything will be alright. He did insist on me, or should I say us, to always remain true to ourselves.

But what is that truth for me?

I am moving to New York City… to take the Congo cause to new heights… and use that city as the platform to reach out to the entire world much easier. I heard the call… I know my mission… I believe and trust that the ancestors are on our side to make sure their stories are heard around the world… and I know more people will be inspired not to be afraid to believe in change in Congo.

What does New York City have in store for me? We shall find out in days to come. For now, I am stationed in Washington DC for a few days to meet with some key organizers in the area and catch up with letters mailed to me in our DC office.

I had a pleasant surprise when I arrived in Washington, DC. 5th graders in Congo sent me an international mail. They sent me an autograph copy of the book they published during Congo Week in October 2009. That wasn’t all. They also mailed funds they raised to support our work of mobilizing people around the world.

I should write this again to clarify. 5th graders in Congo mailed funds to support our work and an autograph copy of the book they wrote during Congo Week. This is so inspirational to see children in Congo breaking the silence and joining the movement by being part of the solution for peace in Congo.

My sincere gratitude goes to their teacher, Ms. Terea, who instill in them the desire to break the silence and helped them along the way to understand that their actions inside the Congo  will help in bringing change in that beautiful country.

To Imani, Ngangneh, Farah, Johané, Soren, Shezlin, Alexandre, Chandni, Wani, Sam, Karen, Danyella, Antillia, Amara, Dujaya, Dan, Stéphanie, Maya, Daniel, Sitara, Saara, Hari, Esther, and anyone I might have left out… I am very grateful for the energy you have set forth on your campus. When I was your age, though I was active, I did not have an opportunity to make a worldwide impact as you have done. Your actions have made your school write an article about your advocacy, encourage a teacher from your school to move to North Kivu to help in teaching other young kids just like you there, expose the reality of the war in Congo through a play you wrote and gave your parents an opportunity to discuss more about how to bring an end to the war in Congo… and I should add… you have motivated me and gave me the fuel of continuing the work we are doing knowing that the actions we take should never be taken for granted.

Thank you my 5th grade comrades and I look forward to working with you to liberate the Congo so that kids just like you don’t have to die in the war. Your action is a true testimony of the prophetic words of Patrice Lumumba when he said “We are not alone. Africa, Asia and free and liberated people from every corner of the world will always be found at the side of the Congolese.” Today, I know each one of you Congolese and international students are all at our side in our struggle to bring change in Congo.

Moving to New York will have its ups and down, but I truly believe that each one of those challenges will be overcome. Now that I am beginning a new chapter in this journey, I have completely removed all fears that may stop me from reaching my potentials. This brings me to a quote from Marianne Williamson’s book “A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles” which I have used so much while I was president of the African Students Association on the campus of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Marianne Williamson says: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.’ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

For a Free and Liberated Congo, or Die Trying… this is what has kept me motivated…

I have freed my mind… I am liberated from any fear I used to have… and I believe deep in my heart Congo will be at peace in my lifetime!

Are you breaking the silence? I know more than 35 countries and 200 university campuses and communities around the world and I are!

Posted on January 8, 2010 - by Kambale Musavuli

Video log 2: January 8th 2010

Leaving Greensboro for New York City.