by Lisa Shannon
FARDC: The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or the Congolese Army (in French, Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo).
FDD: Forces for the Defense of Democracy (in French, Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie), a Burundian militia.
IDP: Internally Displaced Person. Someone who has been forced to leave his or her home. Similar to the term “refugee,” but IDPs have not crossed any international borders.
Interahamwe or FDLR: Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (in French, Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda). A Rwandan Hutu militia linked to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. Also known as the Interahamwe, “those who kill together.”
Kabila, Joseph: President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since January 2001. Son of Laurent Kabila.
Kabila, Laurent: President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1997 until January 2001, when he was assassinated.
Kagame, Paul: President of Rwanda since 2000.
LRA: The Lord’s Resistance Army. Ugandan rebel group based in far north-eastern Congo.
Mai Mai: A Congolese militia, or “local defense force,” known for its members’ use of traditional African medicine. Translates to “Water Water” in Swahili.
Mobutu Sese Seko: Dictatorial president of Congo (then known as Zaire) from 1967 to 1997.
MONUC: United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (in French, Mission de l’Organisation des Nations Unies). United Nations peacekeeping force in Congo.
NGO: Nongovernmental Organization. Nonprofit organization that is not affiliated with any government or political party. Many advance humanitarian causes.
Nkunda, Laurent: Tutsi Congolese general who was head of the CNDP until 2009, when he was captured and arrested by Rwandan troops.
Rasta: A militia comprised of former Interahamwe and Congolese.
RCD: Rally for Congolese Democracy. Rwanda-backed militia that sparked the 1998 “RCD War,” and later morphed into a political party.
UN: United Nations
UNHCR: United Nations High Commission on Refugees.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
HOW DO I BEGIN? Thousands of people have been the lifeblood of this story. My deep appreciation goes out to everyone who has played a part, large or small. These acknowledgments just start to scratch the surface.
Very special thanks to my parents. To my mom, Ann Shannon, an unsung hero for women in the Congo. Run for Congo Women would not have happened without your undying support, unconditional love, dogged work, and lifelong lessons in compassion. And to my father, Stewart Shannon, who never failed to see the beauty underlying even the most terrifying places in the human spirit. Though you died before I could even pick Congo out on a map, you have nonetheless been my silent guide though all of it. What a rare treasure to have had a man of your depth and compassion as my father.
I extend my deep gratitude to Zainab Salbi for founding an organization with such heart and vision, for providing endless encouragement, for being my personal hero, and especially for being among the first in the world to serve Congolese women and to bring their stories to the world’s attention. Deep gratitude also to Oprah Winfrey, Lisa Ling, and Liz Brody for telling the stories no one else would touch, and to Nancy Haught, Michelle Hamilton, Jerome McDonnell, and Megan McMorris for their critically important early press coverage of Run for Congo Women.
Thank you to Alice Walker, for wise words at exactly the right moments, and to Lisa Jackson for being a mentor, a friend, and one of the first grassroots voices for Congo.
Thank you to every Run for Congo Women organizer past and present, including Geni Donnelly, Jen Parsons, Amy Hing, Gisela Ferrer, Monica Ianelli, Marya Garskof, Tracy Ronzio, Tracey Dennis, Lynda Hermsmeyer, Mary Jo Burkhart, Robin Potawsky, Ranny McKay, Stephanie Bond, Shannon Sansoterra, Susan and Laurie Rumker (I can’t wait to see the woman you become!), Becca Loring, Jesse Cox, Kristine Lebow, Ariel Sherman-Cox, Francisca Thelin, Zan Tibbs, Christina Pagetti, Tonya Sargent, Sara Ryan, Holly Gerloff, Monica Hunsberger, Lynda Sacamano, Carrie Kehoe, Nita Evele, and Carrie Crawford. Thanks to Jerry and Kristianyi Jones and Emily Deschanel for their critical early and continued support.
Thank you to my beloved family and friends, especially Lana Veenker, Tammy and Amit (Kai, Lia & Neha) Singh, Julie Shannon-Miller, Aria Shannon, Adriana and Julian Voss-Andreae, Shelley Jacobsen, Rick Jacobsen, Phil Atlakson, Garry Wade, Aileen Adams, Rae and Hack Fuller, Deidre McDerrmitt, Felicity Fenton, Sam Shannon, Dirk Simon, Kristin Leppert, Almine Barton, Tobias Hitsch, Lisa Maeckel, Shannon Meehan, Ashley Muhlherr and Tim. And, of course, to D, for being a refuge.
Thank you to the entire Women for Women International staff (past and present), especially Ricki Weisberg, Patty Pina, Trish Tobin, Alison Wheeler, Erica Tavares, Karen Sherman, and Jennifer Morabito.
My thanks go out to Dr. Richard Brennan of the IRC, Adam Hochschild, Eve Ensler and V-Day, John Prendergast and everyone at The Enough Project and Raise Hope for Congo Campaign, The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Chicago Congo Coalition, Congo Global Action, and Friends of Congo (who were working on Congo ages before I came along).
Thanks to Christine Karumba and the entire Women for Women Congo staff. To Maurice, Serge, Jean Paul, Hortense, and Moses, because I was never really alone in Congo. To Murhabazi Namegabe and BVES, the Panzi Hospital and Dr. Roger, and Eric.
Thank you to my publisher and editor, Krista Lyons, who read the proposal and declared, “Seal Press needs to publish this book.” To my agent, Jill Marsal, for believing in the project and invaluable manuscript feedback, as well as to the Sandra Djikstra Literary Agency, especially Sandra Djikstra and Elise Capron.
Thanks to my writing mentors: Cynthia Whitcomb, Betty Sargent, and Maureen Barron. And special thanks to Blake Snyder, who spent many hours helping me find the elusive through-line, even if it meant looking petty or self-aggrandizing or just plain bad in the interest of an honest story. He passed away before reading this book, and thank you. You’re missed, Blake! To Yusef Komunyakaa, for writing a poem that would still haunt me eighteen years after reading it. To Wesleyan University Press, for permission to reprint it in this book. And to everyone who read and gave me feedback on the book proposal and manuscript.
My thanks go to everyone in Congo who shared their stories with me. To everyone who donated to Generose’s house. To everyone who has ever donated, run, hosted a house party, volunteered, or in any way supported Run for Congo Women.
And to my beloved Congolese sisters.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Associated Foreign Press. “17 Villagers Knifed To Death in Congo.” May 27, 2007, as forwarded via email from “Eric.”
Blumenauer, Rep. Earl. Statement prior to passing of the “Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Protection Act of 2006.” The Congressional Record, 152, no. 133 (December 6, 2006).
Brody, Liz. “I Am Starting To Throw Away My Worries One by One.” O, The Oprah Magazine, December 2006.
CNN. “Logging Decimates African Rainforest.” CNN, April 16, 2007.
Enough Project, The. “Congo Quick Facts.” www.enoughproject.org, 2009.
———. “Key Terms.” www.enoughproject.org, 2009.
———. “Roots of the Crisis.” www.enoughproject.org, 2009.
Enough Project Team, The, with the Grassroots Reconciliation Group. “A Comprehensive Approach To Congo’s Conflict Minerals.” Stragic paper, The Enough Project, April 24, 2009.
Freeley, Rebecca, and Colin Thomas-Jensen. “Past Due: Remove the FDLR from Eastern Congo.” Strategy paper, The Enough Project, June 3, 2008.
Gettleman, Jeffrey. “Congo’s Army Clashing with Militias.” New York Times, October 25, 2007.
Greenpeace International. “Conning the Congo.” Investigative report, Greenpeace International, July 2008.
Hamilton, Michelle. “2006 Heroes of Running.” Runners World, December 2006.
Harkins, George W.
“Letter to the American People,” dated December 1931. Sequoyah Research Center, American Native Press Archives. www.anpa.ualr.edu.
Haught, Nancy. “Hearing the Cries, and Running to Help.” The Oregonian, August 26, 2005.
Hochschild, Adam. King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa. New York: Mariner Books, 1999.
Human Rights Watch. “DR Congo: Militia Leader Guilty in Landmark Trial.” March 10, 2009. www.hrw.org.
International Crisis Group. “Mortality in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: An Ongoing Crisis.” Special report, released January 2008. www.theirc.org.
———. “Congo: Ex-Rebels in Army Are Accused of Now Looting, Raping, and Killing,” The Associated Press, New York Times, May 19, 2009.
———. “Congo Violence Reaches Endangered Mountain Gorillas.” New York Times, November 18, 2008.
———. “In Congo, a Little Fighting Brings a Lot of Fear.” New York Times, November 3, 2008.
———. “Mai Mai Fighters Third Piece in Congo’s Violent Puzzle.” New York Times, November 21, 2008.
———. “Rape Epidemic Raises Trauma of Congo War.” New York Times, October 7, 2007.
———. “Rape Victims’ Words Help Jolt Congo into Change.” New York Times, October 18, 2008.
———. “Rwanda Stirs Deadly Brew of Troubles in Congo.” New York Times, December 4, 2008.
Keane, Fergal. Season of Blood: A Rwandan Journey. London: Viking, 1995.
Kigali Memorial Centre. “Francine Murengezi Ingabire.” www.kigalimemorialcentre.org.
Komunyakaa, Yusef. “You and I Are Disappearing,” in Dien Cai Dau. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1988.
Koppel, Ted. “Heart of Darkness.” ABC News Nightline, DVD release date September 18, 2006. Originally aired 2002.
Kristof, Nicholas. “Crisis in the Congo.” New York Times, October 29, 2008.
Lacey, Marc. “War Is Still a Way of Life for Congo Rebels.” New York Times, November 21, 2002.
McMorris, Megan. “The Accidental Activist.” Fitness Magazine, March 2007.
Munch, Edvard. “When we stood close. . . .” in Munch In His Own Words. Edited by Poul Erik Tojner. New York: Prestel, 2003.
O, The Oprah Magazine, “Postcards from the Edge.” February 2005.
Omaar, Rakiya. “The Leadership of Rwandan Armed Groups Abroad with a Focus on the FDLR and RUD/URUNANA.” The Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission, December 2008.
Polgreen, Lydia. “Congo’s Death Rate Unchanged Since War Ended.” New York Times, January 23, 2008.
———. “Congo’s Riches Looted by Renegade Troops.” New York Times, November 16, 2008.
———. “Fighting in Congo Rekindles Ethnic Hatreds.” New York Times, January 10, 2008.
———. “A Massacre in Congo, Despite Nearby Support.” New York Times, December 11, 2008.
———. “Militias in Congo Tied to Government and Rwanda.” New York Times, December 13, 2008.
———. “Resolving Crisis in Congo Hinges on Foreign Forces.” New York Times, December 19, 2007.
———. “Rwanda’s Shadow, From Darfur to Congo.” New York Times, July 23, 2006.
———. “War’s Chaos Steals Congo’s Young by the Millions.” New York Times, July 30, 2006.
Powell, Alvin, with Michael Van Rooyen and Jocelyn Kelly. “Rape of the Congo: Making Sense of Sexual Violence in Central Africa.” Harvard Public Health Review, Spring 2009.
Ruxin, Josh. “Calm in Kigali, Horror in Congo.” New York Times, October 20, 2008.
———. “A Solvable Problem.” New York Times, October 24, 2007.
———. “Peace in Congo?” New York Times, February 9, 2009.
Timberg, Craig. “For Congo’s Mothers, Unceasing Loss.” Washington Post, February 12, 2005.
Vidal, John. “Sold Down the River.” The Guardian, September 22, 2007.
———. “World Bank Accused of Razing Congo Forests.” The Guardian, October 4, 2007.
Winfrey, Oprah. “Ricky Martin Travels To Meet Tsunami Orphans.” The Oprah Winfrey Show, January 24, 2005.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LISA J . SHANNON is founder of Run for Congo Women, which began with her lone thirty-mile trail run and quickly blossomed into a global, volunteer-driven grassroots effort to raise funds and awareness for women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She previously owned a photography production company, where she served as art director and producer. Shannon lives in Portland, Oregon.
INDEX
A
Adrien
Alejandro, Major
André
Angola
animal casualties
Asende
B
Banyamulenge
Baraka trip
Battle of Solferino, The
Beatrice
Bonjour
border crossing
Brownback, Sam
Bukavu, Congo; See also Orchid Safari Club
bullies
Bureau pour le Volontariat au Service de l’Enfance et de la Santé (BVES)
Burundi
C
carbon stores
CARE
Caritas
Cecile
Chantal
Chihamba
child mortality
child refugees
child-soldier rehabilitation center
child soldiers
Choctaw Nation
Christine
Christophe
Claude
coltan mining
Congolese Army
corruption
D
Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
departure from the Congo
Dr. Roger
E
Eric
F
father’s death
FDD
First Annual New York Run for Congo Women
fistula
Fitina
Fitness
Friends of Congo
Furaha
G
gang rape
Generose
genocide memorials
gold mining
gorilla preservation
grassroots activism
H
Harkins, George
HIV
Hochschild, Adam
Hortense: Baraka tripcharacteristics; sister visits; Walker visit; Walungu visit
Hutus
I
Interahamwe: abductions; attack on Generose; child recruits; ethnic violence; Kaniola attacks; military conflicts; refugee camps
International Medical Corp
International Rescue Committee
Isabelle
J
Jackson, Lisa
Jean Paul
Johnson, Teisha
Joseph
Jules
Junior
K
Kabila, Joseph
Kabila, Laurent
Kahuzi Biega National Park
Kaniola
Kaycee, Major
Khan, Colonel
Kigali Genocide Memorial Center
Kigali, Rwanda
King Leopold’s Ghost (Hochschild)
Komunyakaa, Yusef
L
Leopold (King of Belgium)
letter from Generose
Ling, Lisa
Luc
Lucien
M
Mai Mai: Baraka trip; children; killing ideology; and René; sexual violence
malnourished children
Mama Annie
Marie
Marie (sister)
mass graves
Maurice: Baraka trip; farewells; guide and translator; Kaniola visit; peanut purchase; real estate shopping trip; return visit; sister visits; Walungu visit
mineral resources
mining activities
missing
people
Mobutu Sese Seko
Morel, E. D.
mortality rates
Moses
mother-daughter relationship
Munch, Edward
N
Nadine
Namegabe, Murhabazi
Namibia
National Congress for the Defense of People (CNDP)
Nina
Nkunda, Laurent
Noella
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
North Kivu Province
note from father
Nsemeru
Nshobole
O
Obama, Barack
Oprah
Orchid Safari Club
Oregonian
O, The Oprah Magazine
P
Pai Pai
Pakistani Army officer
Panzi Hospital
Pascal
peanut girl
Philips, Patty
photography business
Polgreen, Lydia
Prathiba
Pygmy village visit
R
Rahema
Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD)
Rasta
real estate shopping trip
Red Cross
refugee camps
refugee children
René
return visit
Ricki
Rumi
Run for Congo Women events
Runner’s World
running events
Rwanda: background information; military conflicts
S
Salbi, Zainab
salt
Samson, Trevor
Save the Children
Second Annual Portland Run for Congo Women
Serge
sexual violence: gang rape; Mai Mai
Sifa
sister visits
South Kivu Province
speaking engagements
speech to rape victims
sponsorship program
stock photography
Sumana
T
tantalum; See coltan mining
tax collection operations
Ted: birthday trip; breakup of relationship; business partnership; family visits; flashlights; long distance call
