September 18 — Film and discussion about rape and war in Congo

When: Thursday September 18, 7:00 PM Where: Earth House, Lockerbie United Methodist Church 237 N East St, Indianapolis, IN

September 18 — Film and discussion about rape and war in CongoIn spring’s Indianapolis International Film Festival, “The Greatest Silence: Rape in Congo” won Provocate’s Erik Parker Social Justice Award. Now another film, “Fighting the Silence: Sexual Violence against Women,” shows a different perspective on this social trauma.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s seven year war was the deadliest ever recorded in Africa. During that time, more than 80.000 women and girls were raped. Only now that the country is formally at peace are the consequences of the brutality becoming truly visible. Rape is slowly seeping into everyday life.

“Fighting the Silence” tells the story of ordinary Congolese women and men that are struggling to change their society: one that prefers to blame victims rather than prosecute rapists. Rape survivors and their families speak out openly about the suffering they endured because their culture considers women second class citizens and rape a taboo. They give voice to thousands of other survivors and their families who have chosen to hide their grief and remain silent for fear of being rejected by their families and community.

Girls and women survivors tell of the brutality they experienced. Married couples openly talk about the pain they endure. Husbands talk of the pressures that led them to abandon their wives and why they agreed to take them back. A father explains why he has given up on his daughter’s future and how he wishes he could afford to take her rapist to court. Soldiers and policemen share their (shocking) views about why rape continues to flourish despite the war having officially ended four years ago

Leading a discussion of the film will be Valerie Masumbuko, a native of Burundi and currently working with several governments in Europe on issues of women’s vicitimization. Cabinet Attaché Valerie Masumbuko is highly regarded in matters of Burundian and international peace and conflict transformation organizations and movements concerned with women’s rights and raising global awareness of violence against women and children—particularly in her native Africa. Masumbuko is visiting Indiana to screen the film “Fighting the Silence” and lead discussions on breaking the silence to shed light on how third world women are considered second class citizens and how this classification and treatment further victimizes them and increases their suffering at the hands of rapists and others four years after the war was officially declared as being over.