A Nobel Peace Prize winner as President of the Congo?
Guest post by Volker Seitz about the the gynecologist Denis Mukwege
Sexual violence is the worst form of humiliation. It is part of everyday life in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the east of the country it has been systematically used as a weapon of war since 1996. Denis Mukwege, who has operated on thousands of injured women who had been raped, now wants to run in the up-coming elections.
By Volker Seitz
Nobody knows the number of abused women, especially in the province of North Kivu. "Certainly, it is true that long before the war, men in Congo treated women as inferior creatures, forbidden to grow marketable crops such as coffee or cotton - forbidden even to eat nutritious foods such as eggs or chicken." (Ann Jones, PhD, historian and literary scholar, Emergency Gender Advisor to the UN Congo: Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik Kongo: Krieg gegen Frauen, March 2009, page 100-108)
Gynaecologist
Dr. Denis Mukwege (born on 1 March 1955 in Bukavu in the former Belgian Congo) is a Congolese gynaecologist who has operated on over 50,000 girls and women since 1999. He studied in Burundi and France. He tirelessly points out the horrors of his home country. In a speech to the United Nations in New York in 2012, Mukwege called for sexualized violence to be condemned as an act of war and for rape to be prosecuted as a crime against humanity. He made enemies in Congo because of his clear words. After the speech in New York, his colleague Joseph Bizimana was murdered. Dr. Mukwege is the founder and surgeon of the Panzi Hospital in his home town of Bukavu in eastern Congo. The hospital employs 12 doctors and 30 nurses. Mukwege is considered a specialist in the treatment of injuries caused by targeted abdominal injuries. He has brought his country's problem to international attention. In 2012, he survived an assassination attempt.
Little has changed in the fundamental situation of women since his hospital was founded in 1999. Brutal violence against women is seen as normal in large parts of Congo's society, because even government troops and police officers believe that they are above the law. The UN has described the Congo as the most dangerous country for women. Cultural factors (violence against women in the family), corruption and political influence on the judiciary prevent convictions for sexual violence. Many women therefore do not dare to report the perpetrators. They have no trust in the authorities.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Mukwege has been honored with the Clinton Global Citizen Award and the United Nations Human Rights Prize. He also received the Olof Palme Prize (2008), the King Baudouin Prize for Development in Africa (2011), the German Media Prize (2012) and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought (2014). In 2013, he was awarded the Alternative Nobel Prize for his services to women survivors of sexual violence in war and his courage in naming those responsible. In 2018, Mukwege's commitment to the victims of sexualized violence was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize.
Presidential candidate
Dr. Mukwege is a possible candidate for the presidential elections in his country in December 2023. He has called on the population to mobilize. He said: "If you are ready, I am ready (to run)." Why this popular, independent and critical doctor wants to take up the fight against political power structures may be clear from the apt summary of misguided African presidents. It is very likely that Dr. Mukwege is familiar with this outburst of anger at African autocrats (the words on political culture come from the former Chairman of the Supreme Court of Kenya, Willy Mutunga):
"His face is on the banknotes, his photo hangs in every office, his ministers wear little gold clips with his photo on the lapels of their tailored striped suits. Streets, soccer stadiums, hospitals and universities bear his name. He carries a traditional ivory cane with silver engravings and a carved walking stick or fly swatter, or sits on a stool reserved for traditional chiefs. He insists on being called Doctor, or Big Elephant, or Farmer Number One, or Nice Old Man, or National Wonder, or the Most Popular President in the World. Every statement he makes appears on the front page of the newspapers. He replaces ministers without warning, paralyzing policy decisions as he removes aspirants to his throne... He falsifies elections. He disempowers the judiciary, suppresses the free press and undermines academic freedom. He supports the church. Remarks by the "Great Man" become law. He demands thunderous applause from parliamentarians when he commissions far-reaching constitutional amendments. He blesses his home region with highways, schools, hospitals, irrigation programs and a presidential palace. He places members of his ethnic group in the civil service... His opponents are persecuted by the ruling party's youth brigade, imprisoned or driven into exile, they are humiliated, tortured or killed."
Quoted in "Grenzüberschreitungen" by Helmut Orbon, self-published, 2022
Hope for the maltreated "Democratic Republic" of Congo?
Should Dr. Mukwege decide to run for office and even be elected, there is great hope that he is truly committed to the rule of law and the separation of powers and that a real change will come to this maltreated country. This would be a very positive event for the whole region. The biggest problems remain, such as the fight against poverty, the corrupt practices of arbitrariness and corruption in daily life and unemployment. He will then have to win trust with credible and competent personnel.
The text was first published in German by Die Achse des Guten and translated into English by Rebecca Hillauer. Volker Seitz was ambassador to Africa for 17 years and wrote the bestseller "Afrika wird armregiert" (Africa is being governed into poverty).
I was in eastern Congo in 2013, and could talk to rape victims and their relatives at a couple of local aid organizations and pay a short visit to Denis Mukwege's Panzi Hospital. Unfortunately, my radio features where I also reported on the exploitation of coltan for our smartphones are no longer online. I shall translate and post them as soon as relevant news offers the opportunity.