In the capacity of translator, I happened to be invited by the Jewish World Watch team on mission trip to Congo from 2nd to 12th November 2009. Though I am living in Rwanda now, I am an Eastern Congolese by birth, member of the Banyamulenge (ethnic Tutsi) community established in South Kivu with Bukavu as the Chief city.
Posted by Rev Isaiah M Seyeze, from Rwanda
Dear Janice, Naama, John and Diana,
I am literally wordless when trying to consider the blessing that came to me from working with you all during the last 10 days! I guess you will ponder the meaning of my few expressions. You’ve challenged me and brought a lot to my work, to my ministry as well as to my life. Here are my thoughts about what we experienced together…
OBSERVATION, OPINION AND OPPORTUNITIES
This Jewish World Watch mission to Congo is comparable to the Nehemiah’s tour around the devastated and ruined Jerusalem and its protection wall. Though he was well off, comfortable and qualified for his well paying job in the King’s palace, the citadel of Susa, Nehemiah did by no means considered the purpose of his life to simply stay in that comfort. He, instead, risked to “pray with his feet” (quoting from the Rabbi I learned about from you) and he traveled to Jerusalem to assess the situation by himself. It is what Nehemiah saw that gave him the burden and vision of a new, restored and peaceful Jerusalem. I strongly believe the same for Congo.
What I Observed
The trip was a journey of seeing painful facts but it occasionally gave us possibility of listening to living heroes. While, in the Rwandan genocide memorials you can see dry bones, in homes and hospitals of the eastern Congo you will see bleeding bodies and rotting bones! I will always remember the young man we found agonizing in his sickbed of Heal Africa Goma Hospital, a victim of war, whose “intestines were decaying as a consequence of typhoid” he explained, and had been waiting to find a ‘Good Samaritan’ who would donate a measurement of necessary food that could help his body to be ready for surgery. He had already waited too long! Furthermore, it will hardly go off my mind, the self-accounted story of this young woman whose entire body was fresh white fire scar. “I was raped in the presence of my two children by Interahamwe who also set fire on my house and my head and clothes caught fire when trying to save my children. I spent several weeks in a coma and don’t even know where the only survivor of my two children is!” It is bitterly heart-breaking! None of us could contain his/her tears. Not even myself, while I was translating her story.
These two patients of Heal Africa Hospital are just examples of hundreds of young men and adults who have been disabled and lamentably impoverished by the eastern Congo pandemic of civil restlessness, and hundreds of thousands of women and girls whose genital organs have been irreparably destroyed by FDLR demonized troops still established in the region. The same victimizers, Interahamwe, are known to be the main causers of HIV infection through rapes in the whole region. We’ve been introduced to hundreds of infants born of HIV infected mothers. A large number of those babies had already died because no one had taken the initiative to save those innocent lives- not everyone could get to Heal Africa.
Additionally, we irresistibly were shocked after an effective and profound description of the long ago dead judicial system of Congo by Heal Africa Judicial Clinic Project implementers. The situation is in such a state that not only the Congolese judicial authorities have failed to protect the interests of its citizens, but its corrupt police are also working on the side of sexual abusers and other vandals because of bribery and corrupt scandals. “To some extent, the system is nonexistent” said the presenter. On the other coast of Lake Kivu, similar stories of the displacement of millions of families, of those incapable of initiating and sustaining agricultural programs, of hundreds of young children chronically malnourished, of tens of hundreds of fistula-surgeries operated on women victims of abuses, of cases of rejected wives or/and mothers because they were raped. “These and many other atrocities are much for me to bear while trying to assist our patients” said Dr Mukwege. The communities, through the few voices we were able to listen to, they are crying out for help.
In My Opinion
I guess, after the genocide that fell on Rwandans in 1994, eastern Congo stands as a good sample if someone needs to learn about atrocities. But I don’t mean that atrocities are there to teach us lessons- they are surely undesirable. They should rather awake and compel us all toward quick and human actions for the victims. “I can hardly imagine that 6,000 FDLR forces are the only ones displacing 15 million families, killing close to 6,000,000 people and raping 500,000 women for the last decade and more; there must be other support behind them” sustained Dr Mukwege. And I believe that there is some support of the evil. But the good will not prevail until the humanism which is in all of us has compelled us all to join hands to fight against the evil. Or we are, by omission, part of the negative forces-because there is no no man’s land in between!
Joint action can be initiated from top down or bottom up at a time or both ways at the same time. To radically uproot the culture of impunity and “the law of lawlessness“ that have found their home in DR Congo, the international community and especially developed and influential countries can pressure Congo from the outside. It is perhaps the beginning of the solution toward the end of FDLR since their leaders are being arrested. I just heard it from BBC Great Lakes broadcasting this evening. By means of ways of economical and political embargos if nations care, they could make national leaders and their stakeholders more aware of the necessity of a responsible government, good governance and the rule of law.
It is clear that the DR Congo government has done very little towards the social welfare of the people at least in the East because there is no evidence of their efforts in poverty alleviation and the improvement of infrastructures of health. Insignificant resources have been directed to peace keeping and security enhancement with no impact as far as I know! On the contrary, disunity and open conflicts have characterized both the army and the civilians alike for a decade now. And this state of the matter has made the economy and health worse than ever before.
Opportunities for Partnership
Like Nehemiah who was driven to a vision of restoration, people of faith, Jewish and Christian communities alike, have no excuse to remain inoperative and idle. For, there certainly are people who are trying to put solutions in motion. There are non-profit making and nongovernmental organizations sacrificing and investing in people’s life in DR Congo. There are even local Institutions such as Churches and hospitals where hope is one of the “currencies” that can be traded upon there. Hundreds of thousands of people run to humanitarian organizations for help. But the most interesting thing is that the majority of truly relieved people and truly sustainable programs that show true impact in the lives of people are being implemented by faith-based institutions.
Some examples of successful local institutions are: Communautés des Eglises Pentécotistes en Afrique Centrale (CEPAC) located at Kadutu, the SAYUNI Parish. We have heard stories of restored families, transformed cultural mindset and resurrecting economy of business. We have witnessed microcredit schemes as the most successful approaches stir up social welfare from ashes. Women for Women, Moriah Africa and Heal Africa some of international NGOS are doing so well in that area of Eastern DR Congo. Women leaders in Bukavu have proven to be instrumental in fighting illiteracy, trauma counseling, capacity building, microfinance, psychosocial recovery, cultural change for good (for women rights recognition) and many more social transformation indicators. GASAP, another Local NGO we visited is creating a sure path to unity and reconciliation among local communities from the grass root.
All in all, there is hope for a brighter future for Eastern Congolese if those laboring to birth it travail together. Long live visionary national and international leaders serving in the eastern Congo. Long live the readers of this piece and the vision that you will be impregnated with by walking around Eastern Congo though visiting this web site.
Rev. Isaiah M Seyeze
Tel: +250 788 59 6395
e-mail: indukize@yahoo.fr