The audience sat silently as Kambale Musavuli revealed the shocking realities that the people of the Congo have to face everyday. All eyes were on him as he described vivid details of rapes, massacres and refugee life.

“Every Congolese person that you meet knows at least one person who has died,” Musavuli said.

The Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs brought Musavuli to campus to talk about issues in the Congo and offer his reflections on Ping Chong’s play, “Cry for Peace: Voices from the Congo,” which is currently being performed at the Syracuse Stage. Chong is an American contemporary theater director, choreographer and video and installation artist.

Musavuli spoke to students from the Maxwell School on Thursday. He is a national spokesman for Friends of the Congo, an organization that raises awareness about the conflict in the Congo.

Musavuli talked about his journey to the United States, rape as a tool of terror and what students can do to help the cause.

“I think that his theme was to be informed and be informed accurately about what is going on. You can read about it in newspapers, but we need to actually get some concrete details. Now that we have a voice in the United States, we can help them,” said Kabi Muhu, a public administration major.

Musavuli said that over the past 16 years, 2.5 million Congolese children under 5 have been killed in the conflict. It has decimated the population. One out of every 10 Congolese people has died.

Rape has been a tool used by rebels in the war, and Musavuli discussed this issue in detail. He said it is used to control and terrorize the population. He feels that this form of violence against women has not been properly dealt with. Instead of using the acronym “SGBV,” which stands for Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, he suggested it would be more powerful to use the word “rape.”

Musavuli also discussed the effect the United States could have in the Congo. He believes that the United States needs to and could play a larger role in stopping the violence. Recently, the United States froze $200,000 in aid to Rwanda, where many of the rebel groups come from. After this, other countries followed and started to freeze aid to Rwanda. Britain froze $26 million, and Musavuli said although the United States could have done more, this action had a huge effect.

He encouraged students to contact representatives about the conflict and hold them accountable if they do not act.

Veronique Lee, a graduate international relations major, emphatically agreed with him.

“I think by attending things like this and by word of mouth, that’s one of the primary forms of communication,” Lee said. “I could say I went to this great talk and this guy is so awesome. Read some of his works he’s published, watch some of the interviews he’s been in and tell other people about it. That way, if it resonates with them, they will take further action and call their congressmen or senator.”

Published on September 17, 2012 at 2:19 am