When militia members captured Honorata, a Congolese schoolteacher, and made her a sex slave, their first words terrified her.

“We are happy now that the food has arrived,” they said.

What happened to Honorata is not uncommon in the Democratic Republic of the  Congo, said human rights activist John Prendergast as he told her story during his talk at Hendricks Chapel on Monday night. In his speech, Prendergast sought to bring awareness of the brutal war crimes being committed in the Congo.

Prendergast proposed working toward three central goals: a comprehensive peace process, corporate and government transparency, and accountability for war crimes.

Prendergast read a quote from Honorata in which she said, “Rape is a disease that is devastating the Congo. It can only stop when the war ends.”

The Congolese war is “the deadliest war in the world that no one has ever heard of,” Prendergast said, and violence against women is used as a means to instill fear in communities to maintain control over the Congo’s valuable resources.

The corrupt Congolese militia, in addition to those from neighboring countries, has committed brutal acts against the nation’s citizens, leaving millions dead or fleeing their homes, Prendergast said.

For more than 25 years, Prendergast has been working to promote peace within the Congo. He told the audience how he created the Enough Project to launch various campaigns to spread information and reduce violence. For example, he collaborated with actor George Clooney to start the Satellite Sentinel Project, which uses satellite imagery with the hope of preventing human rights abuse.

Prendergast also stressed the importance of student involvement. The student population is one of the most powerful demographics, he said.

He mentioned one particular student organization, Conflict-Free Campus Initiative, which urges universities to be more conscious of which companies they buy products from in order to lessen support for those that take advantage of Congolese resources.

Approximately half of the lecture’s audience consisted of Congolese refugees who live in the Syracuse area. They provided Prendergast with a mixture of gratitude and critique.

One refugee, who asked to be referred to as Professor Campbell, told Prendergast he believed the lecture was “partial” and lacked sufficient background information on the war.

Other refugees in attendance also vented their frustrations, seemingly in search for more answers than Prendergast could give.

When asked about the mixed feedback from the refugees, Prendergast said he enjoyed hearing their thoughts and understood where they were coming from.

“The refugees are desperate for someone to care about their country. It can seem as if the world has forgotten about them,” he said.

Justine Leininger, a junior international relations major, said what resonated most with her was when one of the Congolese refugees stood up and said, “The Congo is rich, but its people are poor.”

“I think that was an important part of the dialogue,” Leininger said. “Now, I’d like to get more involved with the refugee community here in Syracuse. Events like this are a good way to raise awareness.”

Kelsey Modica, a sophomore international relations major, agreed that the lecture led to an important discussion.

Said Modica: “I wasn’t expecting the Congolese community to attend. It was inspiring and beneficial to hear their stories.”

Published on April 9, 2013 at 1:42 am

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