Page 11 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 25
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Leadership
enslaved, beaten, butchered, their ancestors who were killed, resources which includes 3.2
raped, dehumanized, and maimed and dehumanized by trillion cubic feet of natural
traumatized by the wicked the king of Belgium because gas. Congo has oil, diamond,
rule of imperial Belgium and of their natural resources? I am coltan, copper, platinum, gold,
its wicked king Leopold II. speaking of no less than ten uranium, tin, cobalt, a huge
Congolese children’s legs and million Congolese killed by forest cover, 106270 square
hands were cut off if their fathers the Belgian authority under the kilometers of arable land for
or mothers refused to work rule of Leopold II and all for agriculture, wildlife, you name
like slaves for the enforcers of the greed and insatiable quest it. It is the uranium from Congo
King Leopold who claimed for for the riches of the Congolese that was used in the atomic
himself Congo as his personal people. bombs dropped on Japan in
property. 1945 by the US. Today, its
When will the people of Congo massive coltan reserves are used
Even after the horrors that get justice for the killing of their to make everyday electronic
Belgium carried out in Congo beloved first prime minister devices like cell phones for the
till the present day, no words Patrice Lumumba by America’s global market.
of apologies or reparation have CIA and the other high-profile
been extended to the Congolese killings that have been going This means that while the
people by Belgium. But on in Congo? When will Congo people of the world and even
instead, in this present day of and its resources be free for use in Africa are standing in those
democracy and the global noise by the people of Congo? When long queues waiting for Apple
about human rights, the killing, will they be allowed to live in and the other phone makers to
the raping, and the pillaging peace to enjoy their natural open their shops to allow their
continued even by those who resources and be enriched by customers to come buy their
say they are the creators and them? Who profits from the new phones and other products,
protectors of democracy and crisis, killings, and disorder in millions of Congolese children,
human rights in the world. Congo DRC? Let’s talk about men and women are also
this when we get back. queuing in the cold mines, not to
The killings, the rapes, the get new phones, but to receive
dehumanization, the pillaging Welcome back. My name is the peanuts that they are paid
of natural resources, and Chioma Phillips and it is good in those mines that could only
the destruction of families; to have you join us today to talk make sense in horror movies.
communities and people are about this very disturbing topic.
still going on as we speak but So, Congo makes the world rich
the international community Without mincing words, Congo but the sad reality is that, with
seems to be very quiet about it is one of the richest nations on all the wealth of Congo, Congo
all. earth in natural resources. DRC is considered one of the poorest
Our question is, when will the as a nation sits on an estimated nations in the world with 63%
people of Congo get justice for $24 trillion worth of natural of the people living under the
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