tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541727653944691452024-03-14T06:19:59.182+01:00Congolese DawnKevin E.G. Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01575065017516530879noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-60740789209504269152009-06-26T13:52:00.001+01:002009-06-26T13:52:54.323+01:00Goodbye Congo<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-OE4PM5kdgk&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-OE4PM5kdgk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>GapAtkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07067946177481096348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-91367617348196159122009-03-13T02:21:00.000+01:002009-04-18T18:16:54.454+01:00The Greatest Silence<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTSapwURXJoPUcN4f7IgaIb8Ni0sp3qZK1IjmkH3mxMEPONdu_m5bYRA8mN-Ao8ruJKwONQU2hdLM6ipw89Qe0jDdYM5ergw6z1BK5jwnwJHjBgjs_WpmOv55Wg70zGOzIkkHSS-C5RU/s1600-h/506x316_greatestsilence01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTSapwURXJoPUcN4f7IgaIb8Ni0sp3qZK1IjmkH3mxMEPONdu_m5bYRA8mN-Ao8ruJKwONQU2hdLM6ipw89Qe0jDdYM5ergw6z1BK5jwnwJHjBgjs_WpmOv55Wg70zGOzIkkHSS-C5RU/s400/506x316_greatestsilence01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312445882785504834" /></a>Last week, I was invited to speak at the Centre for Development and Emergency Practice’s <a href="http://www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/be/research/cendep/hrff.html">Human Rights Film Festival</a>, at Oxford Brookes University, following a screening of <a href="http://thegreatestsilence.org/">‘The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo’</a>. It is a powerful and shocking documentary made two years ago by Lisa F Jackson, who draws on her own experience as a rape victim, and I would highly recommend it although it is far from comfortable viewing. At one point a Congolese doctor describes how he thinks that each patient he sees has the most harrowing story imaginable, until he encounters the next, and the film is similar – each story, told firsthand, brings a fresh horror to what has gone before.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0oGGpulYsZY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0oGGpulYsZY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />It was difficult to find any glimmers of hope following such a distressing film, but I tried to highlight some of the remarkable work that Christian Aid’s partners are able to do, even in the war-torn East, to rebuild lives torn apart by sexual violence. <br /><br />I told the story of Afua, who was abducted by Mai Mai militia in 2002 while out farming in the fields and was gang raped while being held at a military camp. She told Christian Aid’s partners that when the soldiers eventually left the area, she immediately sought out medical help. ” I was physically sick with worry that I had caught AIDS. I was in trouble with my husband. He didn’t want me anymore – he wanted me out of the house and away.”<br /><br />Afua was helped by Madame Albertine, head of Christian Aid partner UMAMA. She arranged medical tests which proved Afua was free from disease and gave counseling, acting as a bridge between Afua and her estranged husband, who had accused Afua of seeking and enjoying sex with her attackers. As ‘The Greatest Silence’ explores, this view of rape victims is common. Afua was eventually reconciled with her husband and children, after Albertine had made it clear to him that his wife had been a victim, targeted because she was vulnerable in the fields where she worked to feed her family. <br /><br />UMAMA also helped Afua with a loan of $100 for a bread oven, allowing her to earn a living without the obviously traumatic need to go back into the fields where she was attacked. She now earns $20 a week, the same amount her husband, a nurse, earns in a month, and is able to pay back $10 each month to pay off UMAMA’s loan. <br /><br />Afua says now that “UMAMA is a good organization. It helped our family to survive and stay together.” While the scars of her attack remain, organisations like UMAMA are, in some way, able to rekindle hope. It brings to mind another partner organisation, Fondation Femme Plus, who are made up of women living with HIV-AIDS and its consequences. They specialise in psychological, social and medical support, as well as promoting income-generating activities for women with HIV-AIDS such as a restaurant, a tailor’s workshop and photography training. Their slogan is “Rendre l’espoir est notre vocation” - Returning hope is our job. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2g6u7U2iiZa37EmZr6PpERrqcb1a9Rpqk8a7etrkQzAERER_qHY2M5xv3zgIZKV8u-QUImlBLupRb4e0J3Km4knWiiaDcSUV6kqHZiioKzq_zQhHoYe1sW4_irZ65ErGN2JOMM2bjAjo/s1600-h/afua.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2g6u7U2iiZa37EmZr6PpERrqcb1a9Rpqk8a7etrkQzAERER_qHY2M5xv3zgIZKV8u-QUImlBLupRb4e0J3Km4knWiiaDcSUV6kqHZiioKzq_zQhHoYe1sW4_irZ65ErGN2JOMM2bjAjo/s320/afua.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312447469183940754" /></a>Kevin E.G. Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01575065017516530879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-34602686092797584832009-03-13T01:58:00.000+01:002009-04-18T18:16:32.972+01:00Theodore Ngoy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFi6WDm4PnzGt1ifw9EDHL_itU79tW1I2z_YXPTMO5BeAY-MbTwUyXbP6dshF-t-wdh85sdnUo4xvvtAR-tYE1xSfiVynY5SdvZaqEGcjoDNyYKq9L-yNsbpCV_MBIPmBpJ0sxZjj7XE/s1600-h/theodorengoy-katanga.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFi6WDm4PnzGt1ifw9EDHL_itU79tW1I2z_YXPTMO5BeAY-MbTwUyXbP6dshF-t-wdh85sdnUo4xvvtAR-tYE1xSfiVynY5SdvZaqEGcjoDNyYKq9L-yNsbpCV_MBIPmBpJ0sxZjj7XE/s320/theodorengoy-katanga.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312452232278694162" /></a>At the following day of the festival, Theodore Ngoy spoke about his belief that Rwanda should be held responsible for backing Laurent Nkunda. He described Nkunda’s recent arrest as a sham, saying that in his Rwandan jail, Nkunda “is not fasting, but feasting!” <br /><br />Ngoy is a Congolese MP, lawyer and pastor, and was a candidate in the presidential election in 2006. He was arrested on charges of insulting the head of state after he criticised Joseph Kabila in the lead-up to a constitutional referendum, but he later escaped and sought custody in the South African embassy. He was visiting Britain when President Kabila’s guards burnt down his home and Church, forcing him to seek political asylum here. <br /><br />He spoke passionately about his belief that the old colonial powers still control much of the Congo’s resources, describing recent Congolese presidents as “guard dogs for the Europeans and Americans”. He argued that Nkunda was only arrested because he had begun to “embarrass” Kagame, and called on other nations to follow the lead of the Netherlands and Sweden in ending financial support for Rwanda. Ngoy’s current project is the establishment of a pressure group, ‘Congo for Justice’, which he hopes will raise awareness of the outside forces he sees as tearing his country apart.Kevin E.G. Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01575065017516530879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-15074654227098782832009-03-02T23:29:00.000+01:002009-03-03T03:05:20.486+01:00One Step At A TimeI am a creature of habit, always have been. Don’t worry, I’m not attempting to stir things up by making large dramatic statements simply for the purpose of being wildly spontaneous, but I have always been someone that harbour's habitual practices. They're small things really, for example I went through a period during university of simply having to have the TV on as I slept. After some time this developed into actually not being able to get to sleep at all without the muffled deep hum of a low volume TV in my ears and the shadows of my socks dancing on the wall to the light of the screen as they dried on the radiator.<br /><br />These routines are simple, without purpose and slightly silly but they still contribute to a portion of my sanity, a way for my brain to maintain it’s ritualistic, periodical and straightforward operation.<br /><br />Since returning from the Congo I have started to look at the BBC news website daily. “So?” I hear you say. Well yes alright, reading the news isn’t odd at all but it can be viewed as such when practiced about 20 times a day. I’m not joking, the first thing I do when I turn on my computer is go straight to the BBC news website and race to the Africa section. There is (I have deduced) a twice daily turnover of stories meaning that in any one 24 hour period you would have a maximum of two, maybe three newly posted stories. You begin to understand then that twenty times a day is at least 18 times too many and the fact that I know this and do it anyway is all the more evidence alluding to my aforementioned, almost compulsive tendency.<br /><br />Anyway, regardless of my mental state this practice has served its purpose. This evening just before going to bed I flicked over to the BBC news African site perfectly prepared to be met by the same headlines I had looked at 30 minutes prior. I was shocked then, to find that the early morning stories had just come online and was even more shocked to find an article of particular striking importance.<br /><br />The article was all about the discovery of early human footprints that had recently been uncovered in Kenya. Now I love geology as much as the next student worker but was truly taken aback, not by the content but at the fact that it was the lead headline. For the first time that I can remember since beginning my sordid regular affair with the Africa news section here was an article that did not hint at my expected ‘unfavourable’ presentation of the continent with which it was now very easy to have empathy for.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KqW8bJS_zog/SaxqGu15GuI/AAAAAAAAAAs/3y4i-jkqrkM/s1600-h/_45516169_bennett1hr.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KqW8bJS_zog/SaxqGu15GuI/AAAAAAAAAAs/3y4i-jkqrkM/s200/_45516169_bennett1hr.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308734724648803042" /></a><br /><br />There was no mention of any kind of suffering, embezzlement, poverty, conflict, corruption, disease, greed, kidnapping, pillaging or death.<br /><br />Having visited the Congo and all the warmth and hope I experienced there I am aware that the news presents a somewhat slanted view of the daily going's on, but without even realising it everyday I have woken up, logged on and tuned in completely expectant of yet another negative report, fully buying into the presented state of affairs that the BBC can decide at any given moment to attribute to the continent on any particular day. And so it was with a very heavy heart that I found myself sat on my bed thousands of miles away from the Congo truly ashamed at my own shock that for just one day there was an article about geology that outweighed all other national activity.<br /><br />May there be many more.<br /><br />JimGapAtkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07067946177481096348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-36375262410938686142009-02-13T17:19:00.000+01:002009-02-13T17:30:07.914+01:00Stability at what cost?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqJ-YKqz3DKIP6VCY9LTtqr2r4PMPVH5uA8Kn4wjntnDaXQlXb_opx3RRW1myiKuPHUthRPsEsNiF_vVLXCUFgKnXI37DdZUu8JJdAiRZ4cf79911_cSCeXMghDLHMEy_l05zjh0aq1w/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqJ-YKqz3DKIP6VCY9LTtqr2r4PMPVH5uA8Kn4wjntnDaXQlXb_opx3RRW1myiKuPHUthRPsEsNiF_vVLXCUFgKnXI37DdZUu8JJdAiRZ4cf79911_cSCeXMghDLHMEy_l05zjh0aq1w/s400/untitled.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302319505333118562" /></a>On Wednesday night, The Royal Commonwealth Society hosted an event entitled “Spotlight on Rwanda”, which brought together panellists including Joel Kibazo, formerly of the Commonwealth Secretariat, and Vincent Gasara, a Rwandan journalist, to debate issues around Rwanda and its central African neighbors, including whether its application to join the Commonwealth should be accepted.<br /><br />However, the exchange which was most indicative of the split in perspectives on Rwanda took place between Alison des Forges, of Human Rights Watch, and Andrew Mitchell MP, the Conservative spokesman on International Development, after Mitchell had declared his pleasure that Rwandan President Paul Kagame and the DRC’s Joseph Kabila had managed to arrange the capture of Laurent Nkunda:<br /><br />DES FORGES: This was not an agreement between two governments; it was a deal done between two men, without involving any of the apparatus of state.<br /><br />MITCHELL: But what’s important is ‘does it work’?<br /><br />DES FORGES: Is it? That’s an interesting statement. Is that really the standard by which governance is judged?<br /><br />Patrick Smith, the editor of Africa Confidential, summed up this argument by pointing out that while Kagame has been widely praised for the economic growth Rwanda has displayed, he has also presided over diminishing political space. He described it as the ‘Singapore Model’, where stability and growth is prioritised over openness and civil society. While the short term benefits of this kind of stability are obvious, especially for a country with Rwanda’s history, the question remains as to whether it can ever move towards a truly open society. Des Forges, who is also an expert witness to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, is still banned from entering the country, and as Smith pointed out, while Rwanda will hold elections soon, no-one is seriously suggesting that anyone other than Kagame can win them.<br /><br />The panel was united in saying that Kagame has done a remarkable job in building the economy, but the fear is that this sort of focus on short term stability merely pushes political dissidents underground, giving the appearance of a country which is united and growing its economy, while the shrinking political space creates a pressure cooker atmosphere. As governments across the world are currently finding out, whether they are working effectively for their people is ultimately of more concern than whether they are creating structures which allow elites to generate massive wealth.Kevin E.G. Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01575065017516530879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-4809465759264406622009-02-08T19:57:00.001+01:002009-02-08T20:07:11.569+01:00Staff Benda Bilili<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr146/JUPITERandOKWESS/banireSBB3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 198px;" src="http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr146/JUPITERandOKWESS/banireSBB3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> I recently came across a remarkable Congolese band called Staff Benda Bilili. They are street musicians who live in and around the Zoo in Kinshasa, not far from where Christian Aid’s offices are. Most of the bands are paraplegics due to polio, but they have also taken in street kids like Roger Landu, who plays an electric lute he made himself using a tin can. You can see it in action in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORhxwNnMZC8">this video of their interpretation of James Brown’s ‘Sex Machine’.</a> <br /><br />Although their first album will not be released until either later this month or March, the band have been together for a number of years and indeed are involved in a dispute with MONUC after their song ‘Let’s Go and Vote’ was used on radio and TV in the run-up to the 2006 elections to encourage voter registration and turnout. Preview tracks from their album are already up on their <a href="http://www.myspace.com/staffbendabilili">Myspace</a>. <br /><br />This song, recorded live in the grounds of the Zoo, encourages mothers to vaccinate their children against polio:<br /><div><object width="320" height="245"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/k7Eg3PktNAK2BW6OUS&related=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/k7Eg3PktNAK2BW6OUS&related=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="245" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xyue6_staff-benda-bilili-au-zoo-de-kinsha_music">Staff Benda Bilili au zoo de Kinshasa</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/belleKinoise">belleKinoise</a></i></div>Kevin E.G. Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01575065017516530879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-1755066339387891332009-01-21T11:52:00.000+01:002009-01-21T11:53:31.557+01:00HUNO rap<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WpGpFgJhu0A&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WpGpFgJhu0A&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>GapAtkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07067946177481096348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-51048020255941395932009-01-21T05:40:00.000+01:002009-01-21T06:19:53.102+01:00JuxtapositionsI find looking at photographs of the places and people we visited in the Democratic Republic of Congo very odd, as I have now readjusted to the workaday psychogeography of the UK. Using some very clever websites, I tried to juxtapose some of our photographs with some more familiar landscapes:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinegperry/3213941941?v=0"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3442/3213941941_568961c092.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinegperry/3214789606?v=0"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 323px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3332/3214789606_868845c6eb.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinegperry/3214789432?v=0"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 277px; height: 400px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/3214789432_99fbf45bff.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinegperry/3213941773?v=0"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 346px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3309/3213941773_decf218f2a.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinegperry/3213941685?v=0"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3451/3213941685_11b0ff2e46.jpg?v=0" border="0" alt="" /></a>Kevin E.G. Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01575065017516530879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-58684843232875356652009-01-06T13:38:00.000+01:002009-01-06T13:40:49.755+01:00Vorsi Congo Worship<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PFIqZ-UxU8A&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PFIqZ-UxU8A&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>GapAtkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07067946177481096348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-15838850494967473792008-12-23T04:04:00.001+01:002008-12-23T04:04:58.246+01:00Congolese Cooking<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/z98jGqAqcQ0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/z98jGqAqcQ0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Kevin E.G. Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01575065017516530879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-79681030208384541172008-12-18T14:15:00.001+01:002008-12-18T14:25:54.609+01:00Congo Justice Report Launch<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96ObIqXllIKrTsYcnEafd1UaqIBzdyv36GHww-DK5K437kd8-ZnXD3JYg41K2wyvx9_ofSq2x8rc0yehV3f4P-sBtisUMwOdPgxOV9AhEV07GcVc7Z9ehEN3VEJsN6Q4n9Dc1aKk64e0/s1600-h/IMG_0427.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96ObIqXllIKrTsYcnEafd1UaqIBzdyv36GHww-DK5K437kd8-ZnXD3JYg41K2wyvx9_ofSq2x8rc0yehV3f4P-sBtisUMwOdPgxOV9AhEV07GcVc7Z9ehEN3VEJsN6Q4n9Dc1aKk64e0/s400/IMG_0427.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281120462219564834" /></a>Women in the Democratic Republic of Congo who have been raped during war are being imprisoned for aborting their resulting pregnancies, and then being left to starve in overcrowded cells. This is just one of the findings of a recent report, ‘Justice, Impunity, and Sexual Violence in Eastern DRC’, which was put together by a group from the UK parliament called the APPG Great Lakes of Africa. At the launch of the report, Jonathan Mance, the British Law Lord who headed the team, said that the time he had spent in the Congo was a “quite shocking experience”. Having recently returned from the DRC myself, I can safely say that Mance’s assertion that “government is little more than a phantom” in the east of the country is mirrored in the west.<br /><br />By taking a close look at the DRC’s budget, however, Mance has put into concrete terms exactly how neglected the justice system is. The country budgets just $6 per prisoner per year, so starving behind bars is common, unless the prisoners can find a way to either bribe a guard, or break out. A lack of funds for new prisons means that overcrowding is endemic, and Mance highlighted one prison in Goma where 600 people were crammed into a facility built for 220. Many of those locked up are imprisoned without trial, due to the lack of effective legal proceedings, and while damage awards for military crimes totaling $1.5 million have been awarded, not a single penny has ever been paid. The entire budget for damage awards is just $5,000. Mance urged that the most important step was to “support, or rather, introduce the rule of law” as “justice is one of the pillars of a democratic state” and essential to “rid the DRC of the threat of random or targeted sexual violence.”<br /><br />Also at the launch, Marie-Claire Faray, from Common Cause UK, a group which gives a platform to Congolese women, spoke passionately about the way that “war has shattered the lives of women”. She said that women in the Congo who have been the victims of sexual violence “live a non-existence, they are wreckages. Like vegetables, in so much sadness.” She highlighted the link between poor governance and the continuing violent attacks on women when she described them as “a consequence of a state which is not working” and asked “how can we implement protection for women when we are living in a state of anarchy?” “We have a human catastrophe happening before our eyes”, she said, and the only solution is that “power needs to go back to the people”.<br /><br />Later, at an event to mark ten years of the APPG, former MP Oona King, who established the group, added her voice to those expressing their concern for the region, remarking wryly that while people in the UK might complain about public services, in the Congo there are “18 million people with no access to any services”. Both events demonstrated that while intervening in the internal politics of foreign countries is a difficult and controversial area, sometimes a different perspective can be essential in identifying problems and suggesting solutions.<br /><em><br />This article was originally published by <a href="http://www.ctrlaltshift.co.uk/#/Magazine/article/425">Ctrl.Alt.Shift</a></em>Kevin E.G. Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01575065017516530879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-12760495122378000642008-12-18T14:10:00.000+01:002008-12-18T14:11:14.525+01:00Congolese Fishing<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/t64T1_SShjg&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/t64T1_SShjg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Kevin E.G. Perryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01575065017516530879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-27594232038010274712008-11-26T17:15:00.000+01:002008-11-26T17:18:53.165+01:00Meet NadineJust over 2 weeks ago I was in the DR Congo with the rest of the Christian Aid gap year volunteers, visiting some of our partners there. We got to meet a lot of incredibly inspiring people, people who do an awful lot of good with limited resources. One of those partners we meet was Vorsi Congo, a community organization that works through the church to combat AIDS. <br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmsy/3050857906/" title="Vorsi Congo by emmaboyd, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/3050857906_4c4643b073_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Vorsi Congo" /></a><br /><br />They travel across the whole country, training religious leaders, who in turn get their religious communities talking about the issues, often for the first time. Rodger, the technical director, estimated that across the 11 provinces of the DRC, their message has reached about 8million people. They try to break down the stigma surrounding HIV using mediums such as song & drama. <br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmsy/3050039019/" title="Vorsi Congo by emmaboyd, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/3050039019_2c676f27ff_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Vorsi Congo" /></a><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>“Before, if you were HIV positive, no-one wanted to sit in the same pew as you at church. Now people are more happy to sit with them & even take communion with them.” <br />[Rodger]</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><br />I meet Nadine when we visited Vorsi Congo. She is the pastor of a church, and also is a woman living with HIV.<br /><br /><p align="center"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmsy/3057825435/" title="Vorsi Congo by emmaboyd, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3243/3057825435_78df6b43b4_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Vorsi Congo" /></a><br /><br />At one point as she shared her story with us, she said, “If I hadn’t have worked with Vorsi Congo, I’d be buried.” It really is a matter of life and death for people. The level of stigma surrounding HIV is still massive, and though Nadine is doing well, there are many people who have been shunned by their families and their churches when they find out they are HIV+. <br /><br />We use this phrase a lot at Christian Aid, about <strong>‘living positively with HIV’</strong>, and it’s only after meeting Nadine that I’m starting to understand what that really means. Nadine doesn’t sit around feeling sorry for herself, but instead she’s throwing herself into being a part of the solution. She’s using her story and her position in the church to help educate people. <br /><br />To <font color="red">find out more</font> about the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, visit our <a href="http://www.christianaid.org/issues/hiv/index.aspx">website here</a>. <br />To <font color="red">support our DR Congo crisis appeal </font>, <a href="http://www.christianaidscotland.org/emergencies/current/congo/index.aspx">click here</a>.Emma Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15555515577421841471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-87231114198326690742008-11-19T16:17:00.000+01:002008-11-19T16:28:33.839+01:00A personal privilege...I was speaking about DRC at the Queen's University International Prayer Meeting yesterday; presenting stories from our trip along with some prayer points. It was great to get to pray with these students about the trip in general, but the prayer of one of the girls really stood out:<br /><br /><strong><em>"Lord, I thank you that we can pray not only for the Congo as a whole, but also for these individual people: their lives, their hopes and fears."</em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br />This just made me realise that, although it is a privilege to have even been to the Congo and seen a glimpse of the country and its culture, the real privilege is that we got to meet such amazing people and talk to them about things that mattered to them. These people aren't just "people from the Congo" or even "people from 'Partner X' in Kinshasa". They are Nana from Project Photo, who told us about the stigma surrounding HIV in her family; Santa from the university in Kinshasa who confided in us that she can't trust her male lecturers; Neil who is part of the VORSI Congo choir and spoke to us about their work. They are real people. And I think its important for us to remember this as well, as we go out and tell their stories - to remember that they aren't just a name in our notebook or a face in a photograph.<br /><br />How privileged we are to have met them! Though we can speak of the Congo as one whole, massive country, its these individual lives that make it, and that made our trip. I hope I never forget them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-28005646348957868412008-11-16T19:59:00.000+01:002008-11-16T20:10:48.962+01:00West vs EastI recieved my first injection of western culture when we landed in Heathrow...things were orderly, people swanning around in their smart suits, clean toilets e.t.c. but just like an injection, I felt the pain when we arrived. The pain of seeing the two extremes...the western developed world vs the Eastern developing world. I felt like I had just experienced two worlds in the space of 24 hours. Arriving into a world where our priorities all seem upside down, a time when buying is at it's peak at Christmas. The reverse culture shock was alot worse than the culture shock I experienced when I first landed in Kinshasa.<br /><br />I have been back in the UK for a week now and I still don't feel that I have quite accepted the culture we live in. But I don't think that is a bad thing. I don't want to find myself becoming so comfortable in it that I forget about the people we met in the DRC. But I reassure myself that these people have had such a deep impact on me, that this won't be possible. Flicking on my TV to see the DRC as a main headline just fuelled my passion even further to get out and start yelling the message of desperation but yet hope of the DRC to the UK.<br /><br />I keep coming back to the phrase one of the students said to us when we were out there 'we are living for a better tomorrow', and I want to have my role in making it a better tommorrow for them.Becky turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801615291186124918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-7584419640613371972008-11-13T10:48:00.000+01:002008-11-13T10:50:38.694+01:00Heavenly beings and neon lightsLife changing I was told and I didn’t know what to make of that. I was almost waiting for the life changing moment I had been told about. I got off the plane, nope my life felt pretty much the same, I got in the minibus still having the same life I did a few moments ago and so it went on. In fact it went on so long I was starting to think I may have missed the life changing moment and what a bummer that would have been. I had been waiting literally my whole life for this moment, and then I go and miss it. I started to get frustrated. These life changing moments should be obvious, I thought, there should be an angel present just before it happens holding a flashing sign saying ‘your life changing moment is just about to occur, please prepare yourself’, just so people don’t miss these moments. I had two weeks in the DRC and didn’t have my angel flashing sign moment. Then I came home. Still no angel and no flashing sign, but I’ve realised life isn’t like that (at least not for me). We’ve posted on this blog about what we did, who we visited and what we saw while in the DRC and it was incredible, sometimes shocking but there isn’t one life changing moment for me to pick out. There were days I laughed with people and days I cried with people and the variety in the trip was brilliant. Two weeks isn’t a massive amount of time but we filled it with an amazing amount of stuff. Now I’m back in the UK it’s all starting to sink in, or perhaps a better way of putting that would be to say now I’m not in the DRC I’m starting to realise how incredible the two weeks were and how much it has given me to think about. It will take a while for me to work out the impact of the trip on me and maybe a while longer before I can communicate that properly but it’s good to get started on that process. I feel passionate about the DRC, the Congolese people and the work Christian Aid does there. I would encourage everyone reading this to not limit their knowledge of the country to what’s on this blog but to take this as a starting point to discover and understand more about what makes the DRC and its people so incredible. Maybe I’m not the best person to judge if the trip has changed me as a person, others could probably judge it better. I don’t think I ever will get my angel and the flashing sign but that doesn’t mean my life hasn’t changed, it’s just more subtle than heavenly beings and neon lights, and I rather like the fact that it is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-63083246140498176172008-11-08T14:57:00.000+01:002008-11-11T22:19:18.352+01:00Paradise found?As I sit here on a cold morning in a country cottage in the heart of middle <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">England</span>, it is surreal to know that 36 hours ago I was in the Kinshasa, the bustling <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">capital</span> city of the country which is dominating our headlines with images of war and an ever growing refugee crisis. My mind is full of contrasting images; lush tropical rain <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Forrest</span> and the polluted congested roads of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Kinshasa</span>, my luxurious home and the thousands of abandoned villages.<br /><br />The last two weeks, without any exaggeration have probably been the most informative and life changing two weeks of my adult life so far. I could write for hours on exactly what we did but I'd like to say share a few thoughts.<br /><br />I think that I have learnt what 'development' as a concept away from its theoretical explanation, looks like in reality. Development is not pouring food aid into a country and sticking a plaster over its wounds. It is not building a school for a rural village, who lets face are generally more capable of construction. Whilst these are sometimes necessary, real development needs to come from the country itself. Christian Aid are always talking about 'partnership', which although I always thought sounded like a nice idea, I am ashamed to say was slightly dubious about. However, I have seen first hand how it is investing in 'partnerships' with local people who know what they need and how to do it which can develop <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">communities</span> and change lives. In our short visit to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">DRC</span>, we saw time and time again, how just a small amount of money from Christian Aid could provide the resources for a community to start training people in a new skills which would the be multiplied when they taught other. Our partner <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">PDI</span>, focus on training people in more efficient and sustainable ways of farming. They have set up some training centres where <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">people</span> can come on courses ranging from just one day to a couple of months, they then go back to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">their</span> communities and train others. Similarly, in the area of HIV, our partner <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Vorsi</span> Congo, focuses on training <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">religious</span> leaders on HIV awareness to not only combat the spreading of the virus but also the huge stigma <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">attached</span> to it. They realise that by training the local church leader or Imam, they can reach whole <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">communities</span> because of the importance of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">religion</span> in society. They estimate that through the country they have educated literally millions of people through this programme. It is still a drop in the ocean but it is far more effective than a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">government</span> sponsored <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">pamphlet</span> that no-one respects let alone no-one can read or. May be this is true meaning of Christian Aids strap line, 'You add. We multiply.'<br /><br />I also understood the importance of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">accountable</span> governance work which is being done. We visited an organisation called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">RECIC</span> which helps educate people on their rights and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">responsibilities</span> as a citizen and to work together as <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">communities</span> to hold the authorities to account. We don't get party <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">political</span>, but we do support politics. As long as people are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">intimidated</span> by a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">policeman</span> with a gun <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">demanded</span> money for a fine which the population is completely ignorant of then corruption will never cease. And if corruption doesn't cease the country will never be able to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">function</span>. It was so exciting to visit one of the groups that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">RECIC</span> has <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">been</span> supporting, we could see how their community had really been changed by standing up to the authorities and demanding <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">their</span> rights.<br /><br /><br />And yet, despite all this success and sense of hope, underlying it lies the reality that the projects we saw are not going to change the country whilst there is still war. Organisations like Christian Aid cannot bring peace but simply aid those who are suffering in the mean time. But when peace eventually comes, which I believe it will, hopefully there will be a society which is strong enough to develop and be the paradise it was made to be.Suzannah Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735021213073848880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-49567296808887598872008-11-06T11:48:00.000+01:002008-11-06T11:52:55.352+01:00Au revoir, DRC...Well, not quite yet. Right now we're still all in the office, but we have already been to Air France and checked in for our flight tonight (and left our bags there, so they have to get to the airport, then to Paris and on to London... place your bets...)<br /><br />We're doing a photo exhibition this afternoon for around 70 guests (including possibly the British Ambassador) and have each been asked to choose2 photos to display. However, although we have each chosen 2 photos that mean something to us individually, weve just been looking through all the pictures for it and every single one brings back memories. It really has ben unforgettable!<br /><br />That's all for now - I should let someone else get on the computer! May post tomorrow when I'm back in Norn Iron!<br /><br />Rach xUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-76804951575084030642008-10-31T17:06:00.000+01:002008-10-31T17:15:58.313+01:00The Chief, The Chicken And The Challenge!Talking dogs, women that morph into insects and phallic roots that taste like feet are a staple it seems, of a traditional Congolese evening. I am not talking about the witchcraft and mystery that so many westerner’s associate with the ‘Dark Continent’ but a jovial experience of sharing stories, songs, traditional food and good company even through a common language barrier we now found ourselves in.<br /><br />It was hard therefore, as I sat grinning with the chief or ‘Papa’ of ‘Kinkosi’ under a star littered sky and discussed the movements of the smoke in the wind from our glowing fire with much gesticulation and repetition, not to attach a friendly face to every one of the thousands of people fleeing their homes and livelihoods a thousand miles away on the other side of the country that we had learned of less than one hour ago.<br /><br />Beer in hand and legs outstretched the words “thousands fleeing their homes” hung upon my conscience. I stared up at the night’s sky and tried to get my head around the many miles of political legislation and moral conflicts that needed tackling before bringing about real change in this war torn state.<br /><br />Before leaving from London a leading manager for Christian Aid posed the question “Is the two week trip essential to your Gap year experience?” He asked this question in relation to the responsibility that Christian Aid has to reduce its carbon emissions for the year, not an invalid question at all but not one that I am going to answer here.<br />Congo needs help. I didn’t know quite how much up until now. If carbon was a currency I may have paid over the odds but the rewards will prove to outweigh the price as more and more people learn of the modest lifestyles that most Congolese people aspire for but so many are denied.<br /><br />Tonight over ten thousand people in the DRC are huddled together in fear not knowing what their future holds. Two hours flight to the west I will be in a heavily secure compound thinking about the hospitality and love that these people have shown me. I think the gap year has started.<br /><br />JimGapAtkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07067946177481096348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-75862155804493914992008-10-31T16:44:00.000+01:002008-10-31T17:44:34.157+01:00Welcome to the JungleThats what those tribal leaders will be saying to us come Sunday night, because thats where we're going.<br /><br />I've had 5 or so days in Congo's version of the big smoke, the capital city, Kinchasa has near enough the same population as London, and to be honest if you took out all the factors that make life difficult here I'd say the people are not a million miles from the ones that we meet on a daily basis in england.<br /><br />I'm not going to dwell on that "theyre just like us" vibe, and in many ways i would say we could learn a lot from them, resilliance, togetherness and warmth are all values that we could benefit from learning a few of these traits, but the point is when you get past all that they still use mobile phones, watch TV and chase girls.<br /><br />The other day i was digging shit out of an open sewer, well i was present, i avoided the digging using the excuse of wanting to talk to the locals, but i was present for the digging. Shovelling shit is a shit job but in England if you're a plumber it pays damn well, over here though people are doing it for their community, so when the floods come they dont have shit floating around the streets. It's a grim image but its also a grim reality that I experienced. I had boots on and I also had a mask, but there were school kids just running around like it was a playground it didnt phase them.<br /><br />You might think these people I'm talking about would be uneducated helpless people but one thing I've noticed is theres such a high University rate in the Congo these kids are educated well, theres just no hope of getting a job when you graduate.<br /><br /><br />im in a rush, theres gunfire an stuff outside but stay locked on and look out for the next peice.... peace.<br /><br />BenChristian Aid Volunteerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01886589378335279134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-53321047809048144872008-10-31T14:49:00.000+01:002008-10-31T15:27:37.357+01:00From rags to richesSeven days, 33 degree heat, 4 villages, landslides, invasive geckos and consistent rude awakenings = 1 trip to remember. Bear in mind we are only half way through this experience, I have had a pretty substantial taste of the Congo. It's the people, the culture and their mentality that has opened my eyes, and in more ways than one. <br /><br />On first glance, it is hard to see kids bare foot and walking 6km to school, mothers strapping their babies on back selling plantain attached to their heads, countless young men sitting on the side of roads contemplating over what to do next...poverty and strife comes in many forms...<br /><br />But please let’s not be patronising.<br /><br />Two nights ago the tiny village of Nkandu welcomes us with tradish Congolese food, dancing, fables around a fireplace with shooting stars in the sky...call me soppy, but it was pretty freakin great. Such sentiments and warmth has been recurring aspects in Congo. The majority has infectious smiles; they love their country, their people, those who want it work hard, they don't complain, they have astounding faith and welcome us outsiders with open arms and a plate of foo foo. <br /><br />The package looks damaged, but the inside is golden.<br /><br />I wouldn’t even dare look down on these people, as some evoke such happiness and belief than seems too much of an effort back home. Do I envy their aura? I guess I do a little. Do they envy my smoking, drinking, clubbing lifestyle? It seems not so much.<br /><br />Of course this is just my perception, but the Congolese folk have humbled my preconceptions of being another Westerner with all the right answers. We obviously have a lot to learn too.<br /><br />As Felix, our amazing Congolese translator said:<br /><br />“In your eyes of course we look poor. But in our hearts we are richer than you can imagine.”<br /><br /><em>Dwain Lucktung</em>Christian Aid Volunteerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01886589378335279134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-41323509532421775452008-10-31T14:42:00.000+01:002008-10-31T14:58:03.716+01:00Words and just one or two sentences...It feels a little hot and a little too hard to put together sentences about this intense week so far! As the week has gone on I've written down a 3 words that have summed up my day. So, since most people have covered the ins and outs I'm just gonna give you a snipit of my thoughts of what we have been up to - hopefully this can sum up the experience so far and give you a little insight into how this trip so far has been for me...<br /><br />Exciting, smelly, eye-opening, awe inspriring, close to home, hard to get my head around, belly ache laughs, beautiful, struggle, very-Christian-Aid!, unexpected, long anticipated, tiring, long chats, speechless, struggle, hope, joy, cold air con, mind boggling supermarket.<br /><br />One thing that I can get my head around is how much the ups and downs of this trip have been so much more digestable as we've experienced them together. Lets just hope that we do this real justice on our return. I've got a pretty good feeling we will...<br /><br /><em>Hannah Mah</em>Christian Aid Volunteerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01886589378335279134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-78690620452384579572008-10-31T14:30:00.001+01:002008-10-31T14:50:39.111+01:00No peace, No developmentIt's ironic to think I am writing this blog entry sat in the safety of the Christian Aid office in an air conditioned room in the relatively stable capital of Kinshasa, when I know that 1000 miles away there is conflict and unrest in the town of Goma in the East of the country. I guess hearing about the situation worsening over the past few days has focused my mind on the question of 'How can the DRC develop further without there being total peace?'<br /><br />Over the last four days, we have visited a number of Christian Aid's partners, including Humanitarian Nouvelle, which works with street children to restore family relationships with the aim of reuniting these children with their familys; RECIC, which focuses alot on accountable governance and community action projects, three HIV projects; and CONAFED, which focuses on gender equality.<br /><br />I have learnt so much from these development projects including what does 'development' actually mean? I have met so many amazing Congolese people who have really inspired me. This trip so far has hugely fuelled my passion for development work. I burn with anger to see people living in conditions like these. I have been to other developing countries where there has been more a divide between the rich and poor, but what has really struck me in the DRC is that whereever you look, there is a great need.<br /><br />I could go on and on about the different things I've learnt, but what has struck me recently with the news of the situation in Goma, and has been stressed by so many of the Congolese people I have met is that to have development, you firstly need peace. Pedi (a student from the University) said 'without peace, we cannot stand up and without development in the DRC, Africa won't stand up, we need peace.' He also said 'there is a social war happening in the East of our country, but there is also the economic war of our country. You can tell your government to give peace to our country.' This need for peace was also stressed by Jacques, the head of the Christian Aid office here in DRC when he said 'for development, we need peace, which means we need democracy.'Becky turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03801615291186124918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-25837108466511775022008-10-31T14:14:00.001+01:002008-10-31T14:34:24.948+01:00Questions & AnswersAs I type from the office in Kinshasa this morning, I´ve been reflecting on the past few days spent in Bas Congo. I´m a pretty adaptable person, which is perhaps one of the reasons I adore traveling so much, and yet sometimes by its very nature that works against me. We sat around the campfire in the jungle just two nights ago, amazed by the intensity and the vast expanse of sky and stars above us. I felt so at home in that situation, so comfortable in it; then it dawns upon me... I´m in the middle of the Congolese jungle! Not something that I can say everyday.<br /><br />It´s been an incredible experience so far; yet one fraught with personal tensions. I find myself looking around at some of the sights and feeling so superior; feeling like I know better, that the farmers should grow two fields instead of one, have two cows instead of one, etc. I´m having my own perceptions challenged again as to how much we in the west impose consumerism and greed upon the African nations. Is bigger always better?<br /><br />One of the other things I´m finding is that this trip is a lesson in learning to ask the right questions. Often we find ourselves asking the same question 3 or 4 times, with slightly different phrasing, to get the answer to the question we really wanted to ask. A part of that is issues with translation, but I also wonder if it is somehow indicitave of the way in which we ´waste´words. We don´t spend much time ensuring that our words convey meaning; we speak without thinking. How much trouble has our carelessness with words got us into at school, at work, etc?<br /><br />Perhaps the real question is, how much is enough?Emma Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15555515577421841471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-554172765394469145.post-19070660728288825302008-10-31T12:27:00.000+01:002008-10-31T15:29:40.031+01:00Anyone know what a genogramme is?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLS0NZJ_LBqzceS4V5vJu9D2b898pOG9ajSkT7VwblVYhOc4md-mM5W_adOA2-D_LcrUwl6j7fIcEjwM_tT1yLoYKJZfbDkZ_IXtrd9_lSKE8aDvl1asulE_b60LZdqkmQ5rbiJwX-Mb7O/s1600-h/Photo+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLS0NZJ_LBqzceS4V5vJu9D2b898pOG9ajSkT7VwblVYhOc4md-mM5W_adOA2-D_LcrUwl6j7fIcEjwM_tT1yLoYKJZfbDkZ_IXtrd9_lSKE8aDvl1asulE_b60LZdqkmQ5rbiJwX-Mb7O/s320/Photo+002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263324887615976082" /></a><br />Yesterday we visited Humanite Nouvelle - a relatively small organisation working with street children. They mainly work with boys living on the street - often as a result of breakdown in the family, but they also work with some girls (identified by the church as being extremely vulnerable to prostitution). The girls are given training in sewing so that they can set themselves up in business. We all had shirts made (see photo) and now look like an African barbershop quartet!). <br />The work with the boys is painstakingly slow - they are often hardened by being on the streets for a long time, or from being abused by their family (sometimes because they're accused of being possessed). Emile, the programme manager for HUNO, is an inspirational man (see man crouching in photo) who works with each boy over several days drawing a family tree (genogramme) in order to establish who he should approach to try to find the boy a family member to live with. Over the last few months Emile has reconciled 4 families. Not a huge number I know - but priceless.<br /><br /><em>Daniel</em>Christian Aid Volunteerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01886589378335279134noreply@blogger.com0