Country were representing:

CONGO

Voices of Refuge
Country Research
Template

Our Names:

1) Rodrigo / Editor
(posted in red)
2) Emilio / A Roll
(posted in blue)
3) Miranda / B Roll
(posted in green)
4) Ika / Editor
(posted in purple)

This note-catcher will be created and shared between last weeks practice
groups and our new final project groups. Many of you might be placed at
the same table, so please take your time to create clean, thorough
research!

Topic
just starting
points!

Government
Rodrigo

Prominent
Religion
Ika

DUE: Friday, 2/19

Sources / URLs

Notes - Visuals - Stats

Add as much detailed information as you can for each topic:
notes, relevant articles, infographics, statistics, video clips, etc.

(at least 2 per topic)

The Democratic Republic of Congo has a very similar

government as the U.S they have a seven year term,
democratically elected president.The current president is
Joseph Kabila whose been the president since 2001. They also
have a Executive branch, Legislative branch, and Judiciary
branch. There are 8 political parties.
People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy.
Movement for the Liberation of the Congo.
Unified Lumumbist Party.
Social Movement for Renewal.
Forces for Renewal.
Congolese Rally for Democracy.
Coalition of Congolese Democrats.
Convention of Christian Democrats.

1)
WEBSITE
http://www.
ambacongous.org/en-us
/aboutcongo
/governmen
t.aspx
2)
WEBSITE
https://www
.cia.gov/libr
ary/publicat
ions/the-wor
ld-factbook/
geos/cg.htm
l

Roman Catholic Christianity is the largest religion in Republic

of the Congo, accounting for 50% of the total population, and
Protestant Christianity is 20%. The other religions within
Congo also include Animism, Traditional African religion and
Islam (mainly Sunni) which is 10% of the religions.

1)
WEBSITE
link

Traditional religions embody such concepts as monotheism,

http://www.
nationsency
clopedia.co
m/Africa/Co

vitalism, spirit, ancestor worship,

witchcraft
, and sorcery &
vary widely among ethnic groups.

ngo-Republi
c-of-the-RO
C-RELIGION
S.html
2)
WEBSITE
link
http://www.
godhatesthe
world.com/d
rcongo/false
religion.htm
l
3)
WEBSITE
link

The civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of

the biggest headaches of the international community.

This section
provides an investigation of the evolution in
social structures in the DRC: during colonialism and
independence, before and after the Cold War.
This shows how a breakdown of social structures and
institutions led to fragile or dysfunctional neopatrimonialism
under President Mobutu; and a social structure after the Cold
War that revolves around violence.

Cultures &
Social Classes
Miranda

olonization changed the existing social structure rooted in

C
the family and kinship. Then followed the neopatrimonial
regime under Mobutu (from 1965-1997) which proved
unsustainable and where the economy deteriorated.
The main languages spoken in the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC) are French, (Ki)swahili, Lingala, Tshiluba and
Kikongo, but there are over 200 languages and dialects
spoken by around 250 ethnic groups.

Over 70% Congolese are Christians, the rest follow African

religions, Islam and other beliefs.
Around 68% work in agriculture, 19% in services and 13%
in the industrial sector.
Many people in rural areas live without electricity; water
sources are mostly unprotected and subject to contamination.
Infections and parasitic diseases claim many lives, with the
mortality rate for children under 5 years being very
concerning.

1)
WEBSITE
http://www.
e-ir.info/201
3/12/08/thebreakdownof-societal-o
rder-in-thedemocraticrepublic-of-c
ongo/
2)
WEBSITE
http://glapd.
com/about/
where-we-ar
e-from/drc-c
ustoms/
3)
WEBSITE
link

Topic

Notes - Visuals - Stats

Sources / URLs

just starting
points!

Add as much detailed information as you can for each topic:

notes, relevant articles, infographics, statistics, video clips, etc.

(at least 2 per topic)

1)
WEBSITE
The Republic of Congo continues to be a poorly diversified
http://www.
commodity producer, heavily dependent on oil. Economic
heritage.org
growth has been erratic due to changes in the volume of oil
/index/count
production. Extensive state controls persist in major
ry/republicc
economic sectors, and the government restricts foreign
ongo
investment to a few handpicked partners. And with a GDP
growth rate of 3.4% Annual Rate. This makes it hard for single
2)
WEBSITE
mothers because

http://www.
africanecon
omicoutloo
k.org/en/co
untry-notes/
central-afri
ca/congo/

Economy
(GDP / Exports)
Emilio

Current
Conflicts
Ika

WEBSITE
The Democratic Republic of Congo is slowly recovering from a 1)
www.bbc.com
conflict known as Africa's first world war. This has led to the
/news/worlda
loss of around five million lives between 1994 and 2003. This
frica1110858
problem is still around in many eastern areas - they are still
9
plagued by violence as various rebel groups continue to
operate there.

There have been a number of devastating reasons of conflicts,

including fights over basic resources such as water, access
and control over rich minerals and other resources as well
opinions towards politics. This has been fueled and supported
by various national and international corporations and other

2)
WEBSITE
http://www.
globalissues
.org/article/
87/the-demo
cratic-repub

regimes which have an interest in the outcome of the conflict.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, is characterized by
ongoing conflict, poor or non-existent infrastructure, all of
which make access to refugees and other populations of
concern quite difficult. They are forced to live on the roads,
and or in horrible conditions in refugee camps nearby.

lic-of-congo
3)
WEBSITES
http://www.
unhcr.org/p
ages/49e45c
366.html
4)
WEBSITES
http://www.
unrefugees.
org.au/emer
gencies/cur
rent-emerg
encies/drc-(
congo)-crisi
s

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has suffered years of

internal conflict, with the civilian population extremely
vulnerable. -Emergency Response

Due

Specifics on
Refugee Crisis
Miranda

mainly to the conflict in the eastern part of the country,

approximately 430,000 refugees from the DRC remain in
neighbouring countries, particularly Burundi, Rwanda,
Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.
There are some 2.7 million internally displaced people
(IDPs) within the country in 2014 due to ongoing armed
conflict in the east.
In 2015, refugees from the CAR will benefit from protection
and multi-sectoral assistance in camps and host communities,
with access permits. To reduce dependency on food aid,
particular attention will be placed on promoting self-reliance
and livelihoods activities.
Congolese in countries of asylum, then focuses on the

cultural orientation they are provided overseas, and the

questions and concerns they raise in orientation class.
The Resettlement Support Center (RSC) Africa is responsible
for the processing of refugees throughout Sub-Saharan Africa
for possible admission to the United States.

1)
WEBSITE
http://www.
unhcr.org/p
ages/49e45c
366.html
2)
WEBSITE
http://www.
culturalorie
ntation.net/
providing-or
ientation/ov
erseas/prog
rams/rsc-afr
ica/congoles
e-highlight

The 10 main causes of death in the Dem. Rep. of Congo are

1. Malaria: 14%
2. Diarrheal Diseases: 11%
3. Protein-Energy Malnutrition: 9%
4. Lower Respiratory Infections: 8%
5. HIV: 6%
6. Cancer: 5%
7. Ischemic Heart Disease: 4%
8. Stroke: 4%
9. Preterm Birth Complications: 3%
10.Meningitis: 3%
Life expectancy:
Males: 51
Females: 54

Health
Rodrigo

Under age 15: 45%

Over age 60: 5%
16-59: 50%

1)
WEBSITE
http://www.
who.int/cou
ntries/cod/e
n/
2)
WEBSITE
http://www.
cdc.gov/glob
alhealth/cou
ntries/drc/

Gender
Differences
Emilio

Congo
Country
History
Miranda

In Congo, women are largely responsible for agricultural

production and completely responsible for all domestic work
including water fetching, firewood gathering, food
processing and preparation. In spite of the critical role they
play in sustaining their communities, women are often
treated as inferior and are largely excluded from community
decision-making unlike the men. Men fish in large rivers with
nets and catapults and women fish in small rivers and se
small like nets and use their bare hands to capture the
smaller fish.

The First Congo War: October 1996 - May 1997

-The post-Mobutu phase of the Congos history cannot be
understood without factoring in neighboring countries, and
the 1994 Rwandan genocide was the spark that lit the
regional fire. In the Rwandan genocide, Hutu-power groups
(called the
Interahamwe
and the
Impuzamugambi
) led mass
killings of Tutsis and pro-peace Hutus, murdering 800,000
people in approximately 100 days.
-During and after the genocide, an estimated 2 million
refugees, mostly Hutu, poured over Rwandas western border
into the Congo.
-The refugee camps in eastern Congo served as de facto army
bases for the exiled Hutu power groups and Army for the
Liberation of Rwanda, or ALiR, genocidaires. They terrorized
and robbed the local population with impunity until October
1996, when eastern Congolese Banyamulenge (Tutsi) led an
uprising to force the Rwandans out of the Congo, sparking the

1) Website

http://cong
owomen.o
rg/essays/t
he-democr
atic-republ
ic-of-congo
-the-cultur
e-of-wome
n/

1)Webiste
http://www
.bbc.com/n
ews/worldafrica-1328
6306
2) Website
http://www
.enoughpr
oject.org/bl
ogs/congo-f
irst-and-se
cond-wars1996-2003
3) Webiste
http://www
.unhcr.org/
pages/49e4
5c366.html

First Congo War.

Second Congo War/ The Great War of Africa:

August 1998 - July 2003
-Despite the new government, the eastern Congo
continued to
be an unstable war zone
. Kabila turned on his former backers
(Rwanda and Uganda) and allowed Hutu armies to regroup in
eastern Congo. This resulted in a Rwandan/Ugandan joint
invasion in 1998. Neighboring countries came to Kabilas
rescue and temporarily halted the Rwandan and Ugandan
troops. The five-year conflict pitted Congolese government
forces, supported by Angola, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, against
rebels and soldiers backed by Uganda and Rwanda.
-In July 1999, the seven countries involved signed the Lusaka
Peace Accord and 5,000 U.N. peacekeepers (the United
Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or
MONUC) were sent to monitor the situation.
-In January 2001, President Kabila was assassinated by his
bodyguard, and his son, Joseph Kabila, took over.
2014
June - Congolese and Rwandan troops clash on the
border of their two countries
2015
January - Dozens killed in protests against proposed
electoral law changes which the opposition said were
designed to allow President Kabila to remain in power.
There are some 2.7 million internally displaced people
(IDPs) within the country in 2014 due to ongoing armed
conflict in the east.

Infrastructure
Rodrigo

The DRC is currently facing one of the biggest infrastructure crisis

in Africa, since the civil war in Congo the already-in-bad shape
infrastructure was worsen and not taken care of because of the
ongoing civil war. Also the low population, river crossings, and
vast forestland makes it difficult for the Congo to have
infrastructure. Another infrastructure urgency in the Congo is its
power plants, the ability to expand them and also to refurbish the
current ones. Another problem is the road and railways, there in
major disrepair and the Congo would need to spend around 5b
which is 75% of their 2006 GDP a year to fix them to other
countries level, but that amount of money has been cut from 5 to
2 billion.

1)
WEBSITE
http://www
.infrastruct
ureafrica.o
rg/library/
doc/807/de
mocratic-r
epublic-co
ngo-countr
y-report
2) WEBSITE
http://elibr
ary.worldb
ank.org/doi
/abs/10.159
6/1813-945
0-5602

The DRC military is currently active against rebel groups

while dealing with internal issues as well.Congos military is being rebuilt as part of the peace process
which followed the end of the Second Congo War in July 2003.

Military
Ika

All fighting forces within the Congo have unlawfully

recruited boys and girls and have used them in hostilities ,
and as but not only, fighters. (Some of these children are no
more than 7-8 years of age.)

1)
WEBSITE
http://www
.globalfire
power.com
/country-m
ilitary-stre
ngth-detail.
asp?countr
y_id=demo
cratic-repu
blic-of-thecongo

On October 4, 2012, the government of the DRC and the

United Nations officially committed to ending the recruitment 2)
WEBSITE
and use of children by Congolese armed forces and security
http://relief
services by signing an Action Plan.
web.int/sit

GeneralBoscoNtaganda:
Ntagandas fighters took children
by force at school, from their homes, farms, or from the
roadside as they tried to flee on foot or on motorbike taxis. A
number of those forcibly recruited were given quick military
training, but the majority were immediately forced to porter
weapons and ammunition to frontline positions. Many were
put in military uniforms or partial uniforms. -
Congo's
Military Story

es/reliefwe
b.int/files/r
esources/C
157333FCA
91F573C12
56C130033
E448-chilso
ld.htm
3)
WEBSITE
http://www
.child-soldi
ers.org/cou

ntry_reade
r.php?id=3

Instructions for the Script

DUE: Thursday, 2/25
Overview:
For the
Expository RSA
video, youll have to plan a little differently. Unlike the piece you made for The
Washington Post videos, this piece wont be bringing to life the experience of several people, but rather
explaining the complex origin story of an entire country. It is crucial here, that a clear script be written
with the B Roll animation in mind. Think about the awesome connection between audio + video in the
Syrian Crisis video
we watched as a class, then start drafting ideas for your script.
Note:
1. Each person will have a speaking role
this time around, so outline carefully!
2. The script should be written with accompanying visuals in mind.
Think like a viewer!
3. An appropriately paced and clear recording of the script should be
between 1-2 minutes.
Formatting Requirements:
BOLD
certain small segments for emphasis
Underline words
that may be the start of a
new scene
Color
Code

sections

for each author

Italicize
words that need extra enunciated
carefully
Insert
</pause/>
between sentences that
require a break

Script Brainstorm
Below:
type out all notes, key points and ideas for your informative script. Feel free to add relevant
visuals or anything else that may help you plan, but keep it organized and neat (this document will serve
as part of our process exhibition at Festival).

Script Rough Draft

Recording Time:

3minutes

Congo is located on the lower west end of Africa, bordering Uganda and Rwanda.
</pause/>
Because of the hostile countries Congo shares its border with,
</pause/>
it has been involved in the
conflicts that have taken place in Rwanda and Uganda. There has been two major wars within this
country in the past two decades.
The first Congo war took place from 1996-1997
, and was sparked by the Rwandan Genocide
</pause/>
that left over
800 million people dead
because of the Hutu & Tutsi conflicts.
-During this war,
thousands
of Hutu tribe-members
poured over the Congo borders
seeking
refuge and suitable land that would later be used as army camps.
-When the Tutsi soldiers forced the Hutu tribe-members out of Congo,
</pause/>
it created
problems for the country,
</
pause
/>
sparking their first war.
During the second Congo war that took place from 1998-2003, Congo was seen as an
unstable
warzone.
</pause/>
Which led to
2.7 million refugees displaced
and looking for asylum. This
war was sparked by the Rwanda and Uganda joint invasion that caused conflict on the countrys
borders. To this day, there are still clashes between the Rwandan \and Congolese troops.
As many people have left the country of Congo,
</pause/>
this has resulted in a loss of manpower
within the military. Children are taken
by force
at school,
</pause/
>
from their homes,
</pause/
>
farms, or from the roadside as they tried to flee on foot.
This war is known as the greatest use of
rape as a weapon. A student, 17, whose name is not given for safety
reasons, told Human Rights
Watch:

There were so many of them. They came at 1:30 p.m. We were almost done with the school day.
The fighters asked us to exit the room and then they took us behind the school building. They tied
my hands with a rope.
</pause/
>
All of us were tied up. Then they marched us to the
hill.
</pause/
>
They told us we would fight for Bosco
. They informed us that we would
liberate our country by giving our support to him. We must support him so that our Congo would
not be taken by others.
Some children told Human Rights Watch that Ntagandas fighters forced them to walk in front,
carrying weapons and ammunition to the frontline, so that the children would be the first to be
ambushed or shot at.

This has been an ongoing issue, but efforts have been made in order to try to stop it.
In October
2012,
the government of Congo and the UN officially committed to ending the recruitment in
use of children in the armed forces by signing an action plan.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo, has also made efforts to protect civilians
during the recent clashes,
</pause/>
including establishing safe zones,
</pause/>
conducting
regular patrols,
</pause/>
sending protection assessment teams, and urging military operations to
take place away from population centers. The UN says it has not yet been requested to assist in
Ntagandas arrest by Congolese authorities, leaving Congo as a dangerous place to live for children
and the people of this country.