16 02 12 Message From FOTC Spokesperson, Kambale Musavuli

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Congo: Elections,
Democracy and The Diaspora Awakening
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is at a critical
juncture in its tenuous march towards peace and stability. The Kabila regime
suffers from a severe crisis of legitimacy and the future of the democratic
project hangs in the balance. Stability will be fleeting without legitimacy.
What is at stake in the Congo is not merely a single election result but respect
for the will of a people and the future of democracy in the heart of Africa. Read
more>>

Friends of the Congo Highlights & Past Events


December 6, 2011
United States
Senate Congressional Briefing

The African Great Lakes Advocacy
Coalition (Africa Faith and Justice Network, African Great Lakes Action Network,
Friends of the Congo, Foreign Policy in Focus) organized a briefing for members
of the United States Senate to address the United Nations Mapping Exercise
Report and the November 28th Presidential and Legislative elections in the
Congo. Read
more>>

October 16 – 22, 2011
Breaking the Silence Congo Week IV

Friends of the Congo and its global supporters organized its
fourth annual “Breaking the Silence Congo Week” from October 16 – 22, 2011. FOTC
would like to thank all the students and communities that participated in Congo
Week IV. Your support has been truly heartfelt. Highlights in Congo Week
included Congo in Harlem Film Festival, a concert in Kisangani, a film festival
and forum in Goma, post-elections conflict resolution workshops in Kinshasa, and
a benefit concert at the University of Maryland in the United States. As in
previous years, students from Australia to Ireland, Kenya to South Africa, Ghana
to England, Congo to Canada and throughout the United States participated in
Congo Week.

Winners of Congo Week Fundraising  Contest:
Congratulations
to the African Students for Progressive Action Committee (ASPAC) of the
University of Maryland, College Park who won the 2011 Congo Week fundraising
contest by raising $1,500 during Congo Week. The students organized a benefit
concert to raise funds for the Congo Connect Youth Initiative.


Highlights of Other FOTC Events
View other events
including the June 30th independence day celebrations, the launch of Friends of
the Congo film, Crisis in the Congo, the Mother’s Day Fundraiser to support
women in the Congo, as well as the March Congressional Briefing for the United
States House of Congress on the United Nations Mapping Exercise Report. More>>

Crisis in the Congo Crisis in the Congo: Uncovering The Truth
explores the role that the United States and its allies, Rwanda
and Uganda, have played in triggering the greatest humanitarian crisis at the
dawn of the 21st century.

The film is a short version of a feature
length production to be released in the near future. It locates the Congo crisis
in a historical, social and political context. It unveils analysis and
prescriptions by leading experts, practitioners, activists and intellectuals
that are not normally available to the general public.

The film is a call to conscience and action. Join thousands of
others throughout the globe by hosting a screening of “ Crisis in the Congo:
Uncovering the Truth. ” Hosting a screening (in your home, religious
institution, school, community center, club, etc.) is  simple:  Download
the film here  or send us your mailing address at  info@congojustice.org  to receive a copy
of the DVD via mail.  Also, download
the below screening kit and share it with your guests.

Kristin Reidy and Clayton Howatt raised over $2,000 for the youth of the
Congo!  It is the second year in a row that they have held fundraisers to
support the education of Congolese youth who have dedicated their lives to not
only completing their education but also transforming their country. Kristin
says "that even if you don't have a lot of money you can do little things."
 Kristin and her family and friends have not only raised money but they have
also advocated for policy change. They signed petitions calling on their
Congressional Representative to support the full implementation of Public
Law 109-456. Kristin says that they had "a specific one [petition] for Keith
Ellison just explaining that we are concerned citizens."

Kristin says she is motivated by her two baby daughters and that
she wants them to know that she stood up in the face of injustices. She says
"I don't ever want them to look at me when they see documentaries about the
Congo and ask why we didn't do anything. I want them to know that their parents
tried."

Join the global movement and become an extraordinary friend
of the Congo like Kristin. Click
here to learn how you can host a fundraiser for change in the Congo.

Some other extraordinary friends hosting fundraisers include:

Brooke Sparling , Lansing, Michigan
Kwame Kenyatta ,
Councilmember, Detroit City Council
Summer Sheridan, Harlem, New York

Marita Golden, Prince Georges, Maryland