I attended the Crisis in the Congo
film screening and discussion. I particularly liked the message of the
discussion that centered on the important role that professors, students,
activists and ordinary people can play in effecting positive change in the
Congo. The talk featured Kambale Musavuli, a student coordinator and national
spokesperson for “Friends of Congo”.
I think Musavuli could have focused
more on the role of women in international politics and the potential to
address the ensuing violence by opening more positions for women in military,
aid and trade negotiations. Women are considerably marginalized in the world of
international politics, which is heavily gendered (Enloe, 1990). The power of
local elites depends on their relation to metropolitan powers in the
post-colonial capitalism in the Congo. Thus, uncomfortably suspended between
local and global culture lies hegemonic masculinity of neocolonial societies
(Connell, 2000). I think this plays a major role in the Congolese relationship
with the U.S. and other western powers, which influences the continued
violence.
The opening film was quite graphic.
Usually I don’t particularly like shock-value cinematography that simply uses
dead bodies or starving children like props, but the film used these images in
a meaningful and evocative way. I think for many people living in
privileged societies, such as the United States, it can be easy to forget that
there are still incredibly violent and torturous wars going on throughout the
world. These images provoked a sense of urgency that is necessary. It reminded
me of the power point Ann Jones showed us. The beautiful photographs of nature
and the women’s dreams, intermixed with images of domestic violence and
torture. In the same way the film juxtaposes the beautiful images of the Congo,
with immense natural resources, with the heart-wrenching images of dead
families.
As we have been discussing in the
Davies Forum, institutionalized hierarchies of oppression are extremely
difficult to not only challenge, but to simply get people to consciously
recognize their existence. The film explored the role the United States and
other allies, such as Uganda and Rwanda, played in triggering an extensive
humanitarian crisis. France, Belgium and the U.S. have killed millions of
Congolese, mainly due to foreign intervention in an effort to gain control of
Congo’s extensive mineral wealth. Musavuli stressed the importance of
recognizing the role of these western powers in the ensuing violence. I think
this particular stress on recognition of privilege and power translates to
feminist activism as well. If we could get people to actively reflect on and
discover the ways in which gender hierarchies and oppression play a role in
their everyday lives that would make the prospects for change much greater.
I particularly liked Musavuli’s
promotion of community building through collaboration of Congolese youth, human
rights activists and international actors. Sometimes aid projects have the tendency
to simply ignore the needs or input of local populations and impose western
ideals onto a certain society. He briefly mentioned that women could be part of
this group, but I feel that their roles could be much more prominent than a
simple side note. Promoting the same ideals as the projects Ann Jones worked with in Thailand
and Cote D’Ivoire, women should have access to the tools to promote and
articulate the issues within their own communities. Although I recognize the
predominant need to end the violence, I believe women can develop a strong
voice in conjunction with establishing peace. One does not negate the other, in
the name of efficiency and time management.
--Erika
--Erika
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