Orientation has been over for a while now. Aaron, Grachet, Elodie, and Michelle, are living in Goma where they will be for the next two years. I've spent the last few weeks reading books and working on my french. I'm going to try and pass on some of the small understanding of the Congo and Central Africa that I've gained.
It's hard for me to judge where exactly the Congo is politically right now. The president of the Congo, Joseph Kabila has been in power since 2001, 10 days after his father, Laurant Kabila, was assassinated. The Congo was in the midst of a massive war at this time, involving 9 different African countries. Kabila worked with the international community to create some amount of stability and set up "democratic elections." He was elected president in 2006 and again in 2011. His second five year term is about to come to a close, meaning there is technically supposed to be an election this year. There have been various efforts to stall, and there is a lot of doubt as to whether or not the election will actually happen. The constitution clearly states that a president can only serve two terms and that elections must happen this year. Of course, this constitution was written with a lot of help from the international community. Who knows whether or not it will be respected. I'm not sure what will happen this November, but it's hard for me to imagine Kabila giving up power willingly. From what I've learned so far, this is pretty normal in Africa.
I've recently read two books that have been very helpful in understanding Congolese and African Politics. One of the books is called The Sacrifice of Africa: A Political Theology for Africa. This book is written by Emmanuel Katongole, a Ugandan catholic priest. He writes about the history of colonialism that haunts Africa today, and the way that stories propel this despair. He also talks about the need for imagination and vision in creating a better for Africa, calling on the church to provide this vision. The other book is called "Dancing in the Glory of Monsters," and it's written by Jason K. Sterns. This book chronicles the recent history of War and Violence in the Congo. It's a great read for anyone trying to understand the modern Congo and central Africa in General. The title comes from a quote by the late former president Laurant Kabila, who said something along the lines of, "I saw you all dancing in the glory of the monster." The monster Kabila is referring to is Mobutuism, the culture of greed and corruption propelled by the former Congolese president/dictator, Joseph-Desire Mobutu. To truly comprehend the meaning of Kabila's statement, it's important to understand the colonial history that created the current Congo state.
The Congo Free State was created on June 1, 1885. The name was a lie, created by the man who schemed his way into personal ownership of the Congo, King Leopold II of Belgium. Claiming to be acting in the interest of humanitarianism, Leopold spent the next 23 years draining the Congo for every bit of wealth that he could squeeze out of it. In his wake, he left nothing but horror. An estimated 10 million people died. 100 years later, the Congo is a new place, but King Leopold's Ghost still seems to haunt the Congolese people. Various governments have come and gone, but the same system of ruling through fear and greed has remained. This is the culture that Kabila refers to in his statement. The monster is a culture of greed and fear, propelled by a king thousands of miles away on a quest for power and wealth.
In a recent interview with Pierre Englebert, Sterns discusses this problem. Englebert recently released an article talking about decentralization in the Congo. This has been an idea in African politics since the 1990's. The hope is that by giving more power to the provinces, Africans might find more accountability in their local governments. Decentralization was a major part of the plan in 2006, when the new government and the new constitution were created. Unfortunately, central leaders in the Congo were generally uninterested in giving up power, and the system of decentralization didn't end up working very well. Englebert concludes in his paper that decentralization probably hurt the Congo more then it helped. The interview gave me the impression that the actual structure of the government is not as important as the integrity of the government. He then went on to acknowledge the culture of greed and corruption in the Congo. He made an important distinction, which is that he is not making an attack on the character of the Congolese as individuals. It's not easy to be a person of integrity anywhere, but in the Congo it is especially difficult because corruption is so rampant. Some say it's impossible to survive in the Congo without being a little corrupt.
As I've come to understand the trend of African leaders refusing to give up power, I've asked myself, why is this so much easier in the United States? The answer as far as I can tell is fairly simple; George Washington set the precedent that after two terms, a president steps down and hands over power to whoever is chosen. Thanks George Washington. I wonder if he knew that almost 250 years later, that precedent would still be followed. This takes us back to Emmanuel Katongole, and one of the essential points of his book. He writes, "who we are, and who we are capable of becoming, depends very much on the stories we tell, the stories we listen to, and the stories we live." In this case, the story of George Washington and his presidency has shaped our country for generations. Unfortunately, the Congo has also been shaped by the many stories of colonialism. I hope for the future of the Congo that this story can be changed. I also hope that all the people reading this remember the power of their actions and words. The stories we tell with our lives create the future. Let us pray that it is a good one.
That probably all sounds pretty grim, but there is a lot of good stuff that happens here too. The DRC is a magical country with a strange feeling of beauty, and a lot of really good music. I'm continually impressed by what I hear on the radio. This is probably the most popular song in the country right now. Everyone always gets excited when they hear it. The word that he says a lot in the chorus is a Lingala word that means "it didn't go it." People like to shout this word whenever a player misses a goal in a soccer game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fYV6ul5Mrc
That's all for now. I'm starting an orientation with PPR tomorrow. I'm a little nervous, but I think it will go well. I hope everyone is doing well.
