Abundant resources leaves Congo war-torn, exploited
Ryan McCullough
Mass rapes, a lack of government, and an abundance of resources are a couple factors leading to the strife in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.On display in the library is a photo-journalism exhibit that shows the horrors and the carnage of the situation.
Walking through the exhibit, one sees a mix of men holding huge fire arms and women suffering the pains of constantly being on guard.
One picture shows a child riding a bicycle with an automatic weapon slung around his neck. There are 7,000 children soldiers in the DRC states the photo caption.
Another photo shows a man with an amputated leg. For every 10,000 residents there is one physician states the photo caption.
“Not everybody knows about this . that girls, women, all these grandmas get raped ten times a day just to go out and get firewood or a drink of water. That’s not right . You shouldn’t have to live like that,” said Jenna Eden, an MCC student.
One picture stuck with Jenna even after leaving the exhibit.
“The one with the mother when her arm was chopped off, how the soldiers ate her arm afterwards. That just grossed me out,” she said.
On March 2, Joseph Kimbuende, an instructor from Phoenix College and Ben Meklele, MCC English instructor, spoke about the history that has led to the current situation in the DRC.
“What is happening now in the Congo is not happening in isolation,” Dr. Kimbuende said.
The exhibit ends March 11.
