Democratic Republic of the Congo

Comic Books

One of SFCG DRC’s flagship tools is the comic book. In our work with the Congolese military, SFCG developed a comic that features an unscrupulous officer named Captain January. A testament to the popularity and impact of the comic book is that the name of Captain January has entered the military vernacular, with soldiers using it as a way to warn and criticize colleagues who harass civilians. Another SFCG comic book is the long running “Mopila” series. The title character is a humoristic taxi driver who takes it upon himself to address problems in his society. Among other subjects, Mopila has tackled police corruption and brutality, and helped his young niece when she was sexually harassed by her teacher. Mopila on the Road to the Police Station is available here. Mopila on the Avenue of Love, focusing on the subject of sexual violence in schools, can be found here.

Over 500,000 comic books have already been distributed, and SFCG is flooded with requests for more. The comic book is popular and effective, because it transmits information in an engaging and accessible way. It is suitable for youth and adults, and deals with issues that people face on a daily basis. Lastly, the comic book can be read and reread, with people even using at as a guide for approaching some of the problems in their society. The comic book remains an indispensable part of the SFCG “toolkit”.

Image Boxes

Similar to our comic books, SFCG also produces image boxes that are used as educational tools. Fun and effective, the image box has been a mainstay of our work with the Congolese military and police force among others. Below is a slideshow depicting the images used in a project that encourages respect for women.

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