4-29-13
P10
Unfortunately, since I could not attend the Voices of
Refugees discussion, I needed to complete a movie/video review. The video which
I chose to watch was a documentary on Children of the Congo and their struggle
for survival based on geographic hindrances and internal persecution.
After surviving an era of ethnic conflict and rebellious
upheaval, African children face another internal struggle which adds to their
undying struggle for peace and sovereignty: accusations of black magic?
With many different issues arising in the Congo, it is only
natural look to alternative measures in order to solve it the myriad of
tribulations which have been inflicted upon the population. With over 80% of
people unemployed and most people living on $0.30 or less, 50,000 children are
left famished, neglected, and forced to fend for themselves. These conditions
are further exacerbated with unsafe food and drinking water. In order to eat
and house themselves, children are often forced to become panhandlers and sex
slaves. Political, social, and economic trouble complicates the issue with the
owness transferred to the parents to send their children to school. At the end
of the day, most children are found wandering the streets, alone and hopeless.
To make matters worse, the elders of the Congo population
have succumbed to alternative/odd measures to explain and even fix the
exacerbated conflict in their hometown. The elders have resorted to blaming the
children for all of the problems prevalent in Africa; the elders claim that children
black magic and conjuring spells which ultimately lead to the imminent
destruction of civilized society. According to the video, 70% of children are
accused of being witches. Several exorcisms and satanic rituals have been
performed on children in order to get rid of the “demons” which compel these
children to conjure and practice black magic.
This truth reveals much about the culture of the Congo and
people in general-
(1)
People are quick to blame – when things go awry
or destruction is imminent, people immediately look for an explanation. They
will search for this explanation in the heavens, stating apostrophes to people
not there, and asking why calamity has been localized to their region. Eventually, people will blame anything/anyone
who has no fight or reason to dispute.
In the case, the children are the easiest target in society. With no one
to stick up for them, and with their already stricken life experience, it is
only natural that the children are blamed for all of the problems in the Congo.
Although this is inhumane and illogical, people will have a natural tendency to
blame the innocent because of vulnerability and innocuousness.
(2)
When explanation is offered – people try to
immediately remedy the situation with desperate measures rather than thinking
about the issue logically. The elders perform exorcisms on the children in
order to relieve them of the burdens which they purportedly create. It is from this behavior which stems a new
theory: that almost all levelheadedness and logical thinking become subservient
when catastrophe strikes.
Overall, Children of
Congo: From War to Witches was an enlightening video about the strife
children face in the Congo before and after being displaced by civil war. More
than anything, it revealed much about the nature of conflict and community reactions
to burdensome problems. I have hear blaming God, abandoning their religions,
and even committing self-harm because of such strife; however, I have never
heard of parents ultimately blaming their children for the problems of the
world. I always considered it rare to find the parents and the life of their
offspring at the pits of warfare with one another. I have been taught (from
society, from family members, from friends) that our connections and
relationships should strengthen if we—as a collective community—were faced with
a certain challenge. Just an additive in
the long line of interesting perspectives on the matter…
Peace & Blessings!
Jaser
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