Kristof on Congo
elizmandel
Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times has recently been devoting his column to the horrors of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The protagonists of our own documentary-in-progress, Rose & Nangabire, come from Congo and have been affected by over a decade of war there in innumerable ways. During the course of our creation of the film, we have become invested in seeing peace come to this beleaguered country.
I recently posted a comment to Kristof’s blog post, “The World Capital of Killing,” and I wanted to share what I wrote with you:
Thank you so much for calling attention to the horrors of the Congo. The only way the world will respond is if the situation is not allowed to fade from view. I appreciate your blog post from February 3rd noting that you feature Americans working to ameliorate the situation in order that your column resonate with your American readership. On that note, I would like to call attention to a Congolese-American woman, Rose Mapendo, who is tirelessly working to bring attention to the devastation in her country, as well as to try to find solutions. Rose is the subject of a film that my colleagues and I have been working on for the past three years, Rose & Nangabire (working title).
Rose is Banyamulenge, a Congolese Tutsi. Over a decade ago, her husband was murdered and she was imprisoned with nine of her children in a death camp. In large part due to her resourcefulness, she managed to keep all of her children alive, and was resettled in Phoenix in 2000. She obtained American citizenship 2006. Since arriving here, she has inspired the founding of and become the spokesperson for Mapendo International, which protects and cares for at-risk and forgotten refugees in Africa. Rose engages in grass-roots work with internally displaced persons and refugees who remain in camps throughout Africa, helping women to start businesses through microloans, provided through money she raises through her church in Phoenix and through selling crafts created by Congolese refugees; empowering women to organize and find their political voices; and meeting one-on-one with refugees to offer them solace in their loss and terror by sharing her own story.
She also speaks on the world stage (from the White House to the UNHCR to 2008 peace accords in Congo), addressing the need for peace and reconciliation. Rose firmly believes that forgiveness is the only way to move forward. To hear her speak is transformative. To internalize her message is perhaps the road to salvation for her country. While outsiders such as Lisa are remarkable, for someone to have survived what Rose did and still emerge advocating forgiveness is a model for the world to follow.
Please read his important coverage, and click “Recommend” on my comment, #114 (the direct link to my comment is here).
