Fatshimetrie, August 5, 2024 – In the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a vibrant call for community engagement resonates stronger than ever. As genocide tears apart the lands and souls of this wounded country, a day of reflection was held in Kinshasa, on the sidelines of the National Day of Tribute to Victims. The powerful words of Julienne Kandolo Safi, coordinator of the Mixed Technical Cell for Positive Masculinity (CTM+), resonate like a cry from the heart: “Only community engagement can transform this situation. That is why we invite everyone to involve everyone in the community in this fight, so that we can put an end to these atrocities.” The urgent call for the mobilization of all resonates with overwhelming force. The chilling figures of millions of lives lost to a senseless war remind us of the urgency to act, to no longer remain spectators of unbearable violence. Carlin Vese, sociologist and expert in community development, highlights the complicity of silence: “To remain silent in the face of genocide is to be complicit. We must not remain indifferent to the use of rape as a weapon of war. We must no longer sit back and watch the number of victims and survivors of sexual violence multiply”. It is time to break this complicit silence, to make the voices of the victims resonate, to make the echo of their suffering vibrate in our consciences.
Positive masculinity and femininity are emerging as the essential pillars of transformation in the east of the country. Faced with a humanitarian crisis of unimaginable magnitude, it is becoming imperative to redouble our efforts to ensure that peace and dignity regain their place at the heart of each Congolese community. The fight against intolerance and violence must be waged relentlessly, with determination and solidarity.
This day of reflection paved the way for the development of awareness-raising strategies, aimed at fully involving each individual in the fight against genocide in the DRC. The call for community engagement resonates like a hymn to hope, an invitation to rise up together, united and in solidarity, to put an end to this spiral of violence and destruction.
Together, by cultivating compassion, solidarity and justice, it is still possible to change the course of history and offer a brighter future to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is time to act, to stand up for peace and human dignity, to reaffirm our community commitment as citizens of the world, bearers of the same ideal of respect and fraternity.