September 2009

SFCG’s joint military-civilian participatory theatre troupe in action in Goma

Country Context

The decision in January 2009 by the governments of the DRC and Rwanda to collaborate in their fight against the Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple (CNDP) and the Forces Démocratiques de Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR) was received with surprise by Congolese and the international community alike. This dramatic political realignment overcame more than a decade of hostility between the two governments, and led to the arrest of dissident General Laurent Nkunda by the Rwandan government.

Although the ensuing Operation Umoja was characterised by an overall humane treatment of civilians, it made little progress toward eradicating the FDLR. The incomplete success of the operation led to the launch of Kimia II a few months later, led by the FARDC with the support of MONUC. The Kimia II operations in South Kivu have led to more than 20,000 civilians being displaced, violations of human rights by Congolese armed forces and dozens of homes burnt down by alleged FDLR. At the same time, raids by the Lords’ Resistance Army have continued to undermine stability in Orientale Province despite cooperation between the Ugandan Army and the FARDC in combating the militia. Meanwhile, the Amani Programme officially ended with a result of having demobilised only about 10% of the targeted members of armed groups.

On the political front, President Joseph Kabila conveyed a strong anti-corruption message in his 30 June Independence Day speech, followed by the controversial dismissal of hundreds of magistrates accused of corruption. The last three months have seen an escalation of tensions between the executive and legislative branches, with accusations of mismanagement being brought against the provincial governors and complaints by presidents of provincial assemblies revolving around the retrocession of funds to local authorities and provincial parliaments according to the Constitution.

In preparation for local elections slated for late 2009, as well as later parliamentary and presidential elections, the Congolese government re-opened the voter registry in Kinshasa in July and August. Registration in provinces beyond Kinshasa, initially planned for August, has been postponed indefinitely. With registration likely to conclude at the end of the year at the earliest, it is possible that local elections planned for 2010 will be delayed.

SFCG hosts Secretary of State Clinton

Secretary Clinton and ex NBA star Dikembe Mutombo attend a town hall meeting with SFCG Country Director Lena Slachmuijlder and COJESKI Provincial Coordinator Yolande Konde

During Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to the DRC in August, SFCG and our local partner COJESKI (Collectif des Jeunes Solidaires du Congo Kinshasa) hosted the Secretary along with former NBA basketball star Dikembe Mutombo at a town hall meeting with 140 university students. In her remarks, Secretary Clinton highlighted the collaboration between Search for Common Ground and COJESKI in implementing a USAIDfunded project, working for good governance by organising town hall meetings in six Congolese cities. These meetings involve university students and elected leaders in discussions on concrete local issues and identifying possible solutions. Secretary Clinton also took note of COJESKI’s important work in holding Congolese authorities accountable.

SFCG’s Country Director Lena Slachmuijlder introduced the Secretary and emphasised the importance of the town hall meetings in the context of the DRC. Working for change needs to start with youth, she said, because “when we are young, we manage to effect change, and we become loyal to this spirit of activism and service for the rest of our lives.”

Yolande Konde, Provincial Coordinator of COJESKI and a law student at the University of Kinshasa, the DRC’s largest university, stated: “Our universities are plagued by corruption, intimidation, tribalism, violence and an absence of values. But, very often, when we try to dialogue with our authorities or our elected leaders, the door is closed on us.” Questions by the students highlighted the sense of desperation and frustration felt by many youth. One question that received applause from the students was: “What if I work hard and manage to become President of this country one day? What assurance do I have that I won’t be eliminated as we have seen happen to previous leaders of our country? Can the United States guarantee that this won’t happen again?” Secretary Clinton replied frankly, confirming that the DRC’s history has been marked by interference and manipulation by foreign powers.

Secretary Clinton emphasised the need to ensure that Congo’s mineral wealth and natural resources improve the lives of ordinary Congolese citizens, who are among the poorest in the world. She added that the exploitation of Congo’s most precious resource – its girls and women – must come to an end.

Goma surveys reveal effectiveness of SFCG tools

SFCG’s Monitoring and Evaluation team surveyed 300 civilians and 100 soldiers in Goma in June to measure the effectiveness of SFCG’s participatory theatre, radio and military-civilian activities. Over four months, SFCG actors have performed 53 performances in front of 39,200 people in five neighbourhoods of Goma. The survey showed that 27% of the population had participated in the theatre performances, and of that percentage, 78% said that they learned how to manage their conflicts without violence and 75% said that they had applied these lessons to the conflicts in their daily lives. The troupe’s work in Goma is also featured in an upcoming documentary called Peace Commandos. Watch the trailer on YouTube >>

SFCG’s radio also reaches an enormous audience. 89% of civilians said that they listen to SFCG programming on local radios, with the top three programs being ‘Jirani ni Ndugu’ (radio drama on conflicts in daily lives), ‘Sisi Watoto’ (program on children’s rights produced by youth reporters) and ‘Tomorrow is a New Day’ or ‘Kesho ni Siku Mpya’ (radio drama on security sector reform and DDR). Amongst military, 94% listen to SFCG programs, with the most popular program being the ‘Tomorrow is a New Day’ radio drama (80%).

The survey also measured the penetration of the SFCG-supported sensitisation sessions run in collaboration with the Congolese army. This included performances by a unique military-civilian participatory theatre troupe which performed in front of units associated with the 8th Military Region, about human rights violations and conflicts within their unit. True to the methodology, which seeks first to mirror back issues and conflicts to the audience, 72% of the surveyed military said that they identified with the conflicts performed, and 96% said that they had been able to apply the lessons learned from the participatory theatre sessions. Asked what was ‘different’ about these sessions as compared to the regular FARDC moralisation military parades, one third of them said that it was ‘concrete’ and ‘practical’ while one out of six said that it touched their conscience, rather than just receiving orders.

The monitoring team undertook a case study to analyse the impact of SFCG’s project supporting the FARDC to combat impunity, protect human rights, and improve military civilian relationships. The team focussed on the Congolese Navy, widely accused of harassing fishermen arriving on the shores of Lake Kivu. Testimonies from the Navy batallion commander, cross-checked with a sample of fishermen, highlighted that harassment of fishermen – in particular stealing fish and demanding free fuel – had dimished over the recent months. This was attributed to the SFCG-sponsored ‘Tomorrow is a New Day’ project which entails FARDC-run sensitisation sessions within their units, radio programs highlighting respect for civilians, and an engagement of military officers to crack down on abuses by soldiers in their units.

Let’s do it by talking about it first

For the last two years, SFCG has collaborated with 29 Focal Points of the national civil society network La Dynamique de la Societe Civile (DYSOCIV) to undertake 348 Town Hall meetings around pertinent local governance issues. As part of the ‘Let’s Do It’ (Tosalel’ango) project, SFCG trained these local civil society leaders in how to frame an issue, such as corruption or budget transparency, and facilitate dialogue between elected leaders, local officials and the population. These Focal Points work in all 26 actual and future provinces, and collaborate with radio stations in their communities to produce a radio program on the same issue as the Town Hall meeting. The project is complemented by a USAID-funded project using the same approach in six cities, focusing on university students, with the local youth network COJESKI. The project encountered many problems at the startup phase, as many civil society leaders are more familiar with siding with the population while denouncing their leaders instead facilitating dialogue. Local officials have also been reticent to participate or share pertinent information during the discussion. But qualitative evidence reveals the importance of dialogue as a first step towards collaborative action towards good governance, as the following examples illustrate:

• In Isiro, a TEP on ‘taxing’ of visitors to the prison was addressed, leading to a public stance and eventual eradication of this practice.
• In Kikwit, a TEP around the doubling of water prices led to a reversal of the decision and a commitment by provincial
authorities to consult with consumers before taking such decisions.
• In Mbuji Mayi, a TEP around power cuts led to a collaborative solution in which the population and the local authorities
agreed to share the 1 million dollar cost of a new generator for the town’s water pump.
• In Goma, a TEP addressed the issue of cyclical violence and the theft of vehicles by university students whenever a student
from the campus dies. The TEP led to a recommendation that the local authorities would facilitate bus access for the students, and the students would commit to peaceful means of handling the funeral ceremonies, with respect for the police and law and order.