IRC's 'Women in Congo: Visionaries not victims'

IRC's 'Women in Congo: Visionaries not victims'

I can not imagine a better first submission for this blog than this presentation by the International Rescue Committee. With full acknowledgement that the goal of the video may very well be to persuade future funders, I think it gives great insight and perspective into the situation in the Kivus, in addition to demonstrating the exemplary work the IRC is doing there.  Aisha Bain, IRC's Women's Protection and Empowerment Advocacy Officer and the main speaker throughout the presentation, not only addresses the atrocities occurring in the region, but makes a point to highlight what she calls 'beauty' there as well.  I appreciate Ms. Bain's recount of her time in the DRC because, while she acknowledges the conflict there as 'chronic, complex and deep-rooted,' the first thing she recalls are the Congolese people.  She speaks about their 'incredible strength, their courage, their generosity, their resilience and their humanity.'  These are attributes often overlooked when discussing the conflict in the DRC, and I commend Ms. Bain for addressing these characteristics first.  Of course, she goes on to describe a supremely dismal situation, highlighting the challenges that face women specifically: sexual and physical violence faced looking for firewood; staving off their needs to provide for their family (ie. having only one set of clothes which they must wash and put on wet, which then can lead to infection); standing in a river all day for lack of resources during menstruation; survival sex as a means to feed their families; and early and forced marriages to name but a few.

Ms. Bain describes violence against women and girls as "severe, wide-spread, and well-documented," and makes a point to emphasize that this is not just sexual violence they face, it comes in many forms.  In particular, she stresses that the violence women face is not only as media portrays it, coming from armed groups, but can often be at the hands of people they know.  This is a growing theme in the literature on violence against women, especially in conflict zones, and presents important implications for national and international policy addressing violence against women.  Rather than ending the conversation there, which is what most reports do, Ms. Bain continues it by sharing photos.  However, the photos she shares are not those of sadness and despair, but of women who have known the misery of conflict and still find reason to celebrate.  I think this statement she shared by one Congolese woman is poignant: 'I don't wake up in the morning and call myself a victim.'  The assertions continued: 'I am a teacher,' 'I am a farmer,' 'I am a mother and a wife.'  I think these statements encompass what I hope to portray in this blog, that women in the DRC are first and foremost capable individuals and agents for change.  

In fact, now is a perfect time to discuss why I will be using the term 'agency' rather than 'empowerment.'  Though I understand the well-meaning behind the term empowerment, I think there is an implication that without outside assistance, the person in question is powerless.  Though I'm sure this is not the intention of those who use it, it seems to be inherent in the term, and I do not think that is the case.  I think these women that Ms. Bain introduces us to are the perfect example of how an outside organization can effectively demonstrate and make public the power these women have.  The IRC is showcasing their power, not bestowing it upon them.  This is why, throughout this blog, you will hear me use the term agency far more than I use empowerment.  For me, agency implies that the women's power and ability is inherent, regardless of whether outsiders are there to witness or capitalize on it.  Though the IRC uses the term empowerment, I understand their definition of it through work such as this, and to me that is synonymous with agency.  

Who, What, Where and Why

I want to start this blog with full disclosure.  I am a strong believer that the only life experience I can ever truly know is my own.  I am not claiming to know what it is like to be a woman in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  That is not what this blog is about.  Through this blog, I am trying to create a greater understanding, appreciation and dialogue surrounding the challenges women in the DRC appear to be facing, as it is described in the literature.  The ultimate objective of this project is to honor the agency of Congolese women, and to substantiate a more compassionate and responsible connection to their well-being.

I am a native Californian with blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin-tone.  Why am I telling you this?   I am a well aware that I am not from the DRC, and friends who've been there have told me I'd stick out like a sore thumb.  I haven't spent time in the DRC and, in my lifetime, I have only  met a handful of native Congolese.  So you must be asking yourself--much like I asked myself--what business have I got authoring a blog entitled: 'On Strength and Courage: Women in the DRC.' 

I've been studying the DRC since the sophomore year of my undergraduate studies.  I recently came across a paper I wrote nearly ten years ago during that time.  It was on coltan extraction from the eastern provinces of the DRC, and I remember writing it with great conviction.  From that point on, the DRC became the focus of nearly every academic piece I've written, right up to my masters thesis.  I felt that everyone around me saw the protracted conflict in the DRC as some unsolvable enigma, something that had an inevitability about it.  I didn't see that, and I still don't.  I think, like many of the supposed 'insolvable' conflicts of our time, the situation is resulting from a complex web of interests and decisions, which must be untangled and worked through with clear and honest communication.  I also think that in addition to the sorrow that permeates the dialogue, there's a great deal of hope and resilience which often gets over-looked for the sake of flashy headlines.  The diverse range of experiences for women in the DRC deserve a platform to be heard, and that's what I hope to do with this blog.