Travelogue from DR Congo: Day 1
We boarded the flight to Rwanda having spent a night in a gorgeous old colonial hotel in Nairobi. Felt such anticipation as we flew over Lake Victoria and watched the landscape beneath us with its deep reds transforming into luscious green and mountainous peaks. Rwanda is so full of history and so far from home. A country that has been ravaged by war and yet once landing we were met by a sea of smiling faces and stunning landscape. The only reminder of genocide on our four-hour drive to the border of Congo was the banners stretching across the road as a memorial to those who were so brutally murdered.
I don't really know what I expected the Democratic Republic of Congo to be like. Rwanda felt peaceful, but upon crossing the border, the violence which I have read so much about became apparent. The people weren't hostile, but we were greeted by a truckload of army guys with rocket launchers on their laps. And our head of security, Martin Gilmour, who has almost definitely seen it all. I'm traveling with my best friend Tori, Margeret Aguirre from the International Medical Corps and David Serota our cinematographer. We get a security briefing before leaving the border: don't go anywhere alone, be smart, body language is important, a smile goes a long way.. .and if we get a gun out in our faces, to remain calm and let Martin do the talking. The country feels so different to Rwanda... bustling markets, smoke, chickens and goats running freely, men and women holding hands, and I smile at the universal language of love.
Our hotel is set upon Lake Kivu. It is so utterly beautiful here that it is hard to remember that the backdrop upon which this country is set, is a very dark one. Only 2 days ago, and approximately 40 miles north of where we are, a thousand people or so have been displaced, a few killed and their homes burned to the ground. We are invited to the IMC guest house for dinner with Fernand, a west African, whose work in humanitarian services has been so fantastic that he is now head of all of the IMC programs in North Kivu. He is immediately so warm and affectionate towards us... hugs and smiles, peanuts , Pringles and beautiful South African wine and then we sit down for dinner. Fernand is away from his wife and three boys. He has been here for 2 weeks now and I asked him how it was going. He said that he and his wife ate together and that was their ritual, that they would sit down and eat no matter what, and that since he's been away it's been hard to find an appetite. It was such a simple insight, but so moving. It spoke volumes to me and made me think about the differences in our cultures, and just how much we could learn if we could step out of the arrogance which sometimes seems to consume us in the west. It was a wonderful evening... chicken and chips, beef, peas... the peanuts we ate were still warm from roasting all day in the heat of the sun. Martin told us war stories (I proceeded to have the most dramatic and violent dreams!) and he played us a song by Baz Luhrman around the table which I haven't heard for years and is packed with invaluable advice...it's called "Sunscreen"... look it up and listen! We finally went to bed. I could hear people jumping into the lake and swimming under the stars and ironically I felt peaceful.
Sienna Miller is working with International Medical Corps, TakePart.com, and Children Mending Hearts to raise awareness of the long-running conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and its devastating impact on women and children.
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As someone who loves Africa, it was great to read your report, Sienna.
Was blown away by your acting in The Edge of Love. Loved the movie. Great cast.
I'm from Congo precisely Kinshasa the capital city and the war is and was driven by foreign companies arming small militias to gain control of the vastly rich Easter Congo.
The way she talks about Congo is like there is violence every parts of the country when we know that it's mostly in the eastern parts near the Rwandan border.
I speak as a son of Congo and Africa we're going to make it Jah bless.
Of course nothing about the coltan, which multinationals are stealing from the country.
Until outsiders begin to investigate and understand the origins of conflicts in Africa, they will never change anything in the Continent! Foreign nations with special interests in oil, gold, diamonds and other mineral resources have failed the continent miserably. Right now, China has entered Africa with promises to rebuild infrastructure, economy, etc and plundering of resources immediatel
However, most of all, "AFRICANS DO NOT NEED 'AID' BUT 'TRADE'."
"Confessions Of AN Economic Hit Man" should be mandatory reading...
http://www
Or at minimum view video interviews with the author...
http://vid
http://www
Africans need to end corruption!
That's hilarious, given what's going on in this country right now. You can't be serious.
You need to look at the links in my post above yours and you'll see the source of their corruption.
I agree they need to end it, but it came from the west purposely.
Lovely report, Sienna, with vivid imagery. Africa is so exotic but dangerous. I've wanted to visit, but these wars and genocides they have sound so merciless. Thanks for helping the needy children.
nice report! As an African i appreciate d fact that you spoke positively about our culture and scenery, Africa has it's problems but it's a beautiful continent. looking forward to your next report:)
Thanks to Sienna for bringing attention to the situation in this region. The uncomfortable truth here is that a genocide like the one in 1994 could happen again. The militarization of this beautiful part of Africa is a sad reality.
See William Bradley's Profile
A terrific report, on something I know shockingly little about.
Like to hear more ...
There will always be conflict in Africa as long as the national borders remain as they are.
Until new borders are drawn along tribal lines, not even Sienna Miller will be able to bring peace to the former Zaire.
Thank You for this comment!
A dear friend of mine is a Yoruba man from Nigeria. He spoke often about the harm done to the African continent by European colonizers' mindless division of countries across tribal/cul
European colonizers left almost all areas of Africa -- centainly the Congo -- over sixty years ago! That means that those hitting sixty were not part of that experience.
Excuses, blame and justifications will never move Africa forward.
It is long past due for change in Africa. It starts with the people, now.
To move forward, we have to take complete responsibility for the situation in which we find ourselves. It is time for Africans to take full responsibility for their role in Africa's plight and move forward, with renewed action and change.
Congolese war and other African wars are mostly driven and supported by outsiders.
I mean the war in Eastern Congo was funded by natural resources like Coltan, Gold, Tin and other precious metals.
Yes there are conflicts about land and border conflicts just like any other parts of the world but the problem have been aggravated by corrupt politicians who sell their country to foreigners.
I'm a Congolese, so feel free to ask your questions.
Great that you are highlighting the plight of things in DR Congo-- the forgotten continent & country. Siena seems to be a bit soft on her reporting-- glad she met a nice expat but let's not sugar coat the reality. It would be more interesting if she were not being cossetted by an entourage from IMC, photographers, etc. Try walking in the footsteps of the people there, eating what they eat, not having South African wine, etc.
Air America had this posted a week ago > Late to the game HuffPo > Sienna did and interview with Ron Reagan too > http://air
I found all three days of Sienna's travelogue at http://air
Thank-you for talking about this! Just because it's not in the mainstream news doesn't mean that region has healed
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