In a historic moment, Belgium has elected its first black mayor, Congolese politician, Pierre Kompany, the father of Vincent Kompany, Manchester City’s Captain. Pierre (71), a Mechanical Engineer who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and came to Belgium in 1975 as a refugee.
Congolese photographer Robert Nzaou Kissolo is known for documenting life from a unique perspective. His hair politics series, done in 2016, and his current Congo delicacies series are peculiar, avant-garde and breathtaking all at once.
Congolese gynaecologist Dr Denis Mukwege is known as “Doctor Miracle” for his ability to surgically repair the horrific damage inflicted on sexually abused victims in a country described by a top UN official as “the rape capital of the world”.
Popular illustrator Nicholle Kobi is known for her representation of black women in all their variations in an online space that rarely features them and a country that shuns them. Her work is inspired by the simple manifesto “Carefree Yet Refined”.
Joseph Kabila will finally step down and will not contest in the upcoming presidential elections in December. His party has however nominated Kabila loyalist, former Interior Minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadari as its presidential nominee.
Belgium renamed the former Square du Bastion to Patrice Lumumba Square but did not discuss reparations or repatriation of the wealth stolen from Congo. The insensitive and insincere apologies by former colonial powers are indeed an insult to those colonized.
Wider access to technology has increased possibilities to share stories via digital means.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s general elections are scheduled for 23 December 2018. The government has announced that the country is opting out of financial support from donors and the international community to fund elections.
African women all over the world are doing great things. Today we meet Laëtitia Kandolo, a Congolese stylist who has worked with some of the biggest names and brands in the world. Laëtitia has styled Rihanna, and worked with Kanye West among other lists of celebrities.
The Catholic Church has revealed that more than 3,300 people have been killed in the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kasai region since last October. The UN also gave details of “harrowing reports” of killings, mutilation and entire villages destroyed in Kasai. The humanitarian and human rights situation has continued to deteriorate and the civilian population in the Kasai is in a precarious state following reports of “ethnic hatred, resulting in extremely grave, widespread and apparently planned attacks,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein told the Council. There has been reports of fighting between the Congolese security forces and militia members. The Congolese authorities have rejected a proposal by the UN Human Rights Council to send in an investigation team to look into the violence that has killed hundreds of civilians.
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