conflict junkie

conflict junkie. This is what a friend of mine here in Gulu has dubbed me. While this is not 100% accurate, it’s not altogether untrue. As the conflict in the North Kivu region of DR Congo increases in intensity, so do the questions about my decision to move there. Why in the world would I choose to move to the exact part of the country in which an estimated 400,000 people have fled? As difficult as my decision might be to understand, it is equally difficult to explain my reasoning, while still sounding like a rational human being. I was attempting to explain just this at dinner the other night when my friend jumped in to rescue me with, “She's just a conflict junkie”. While that summation might be sufficient for people over here, it doesn’t pacify those of you at home, who desire a bit more information. So here’s my attempt at explaining my rational.

One of the many things I’ve learned this year living in post-conflict northern Uganda is this--my career choice demands that I be present in a conflict zone. Just as a teacher’s work will lead them into a classroom and a surgeon’s work will lead them into an operating room, my work will inevitably lead me into conflict zones. In order to work with children who have been traumatized by armed conflict, I have to be wherever said conflict is occurring. Simple as that.

With each passing day, come new and increasingly disturbing articles detailing the atrocities taking place in the North Kivu province of DR Congo. There aren’t enough words in the English language to describe the frustration, irritation and quite frankly, absolute disgust I feel at the lack of international attention the conflict in DRC, and countless others like it, receive. Not only do these conflicts deserve international attention, they desperately need it. I’m reading a book right now which explores the ethics of storytelling when it comes to humanitarian work and human rights abuses. Who has the right to tell these stories? How much of these stories should be told? For me personally, the ethics of storytelling comes down to the question of ‘when’. When was the story told? Was it told WHILE the atrocities were taking place? Or was the story told AFTER the fact, as was true with the Rwandan Genocide. Effective relaying of information CAN change the world, as long as the information is shared while we still have a chance to do something about it. The Congolese people deserve to have their story told. More than that, they deserve to have members of the international community listen to these stories. And they NEED the international community to act on their behalf.

I’m not the type of person to be outraged by something and not do anything about it. So my first course of action was to find a job and move to the North Kivu region of DRC, where the conflict is taking place. check. 
The next step is to find a way to tell the story of what’s happening there. I’ve asked myself a lot lately, what good is the work I’m doing if these stories aren’t being told? In order to tell them, I’m going to have to be honest about the danger I’m in living there, which is something family and friends don’t always like to hear. But it’s incredibly important. Because if you are aware of the danger that I’m in, then you can perhaps begin to understand the danger that the Congolese people are in every single day—only you’d have to multiply my risks by at least a million to even get a small glimpse of what they face.

I wrote this in an effort to inform you all of the fact that I will be moving into a conflict zone. I think it’s only fair that I’m honest about that. More than that, I wanted to give you a heads up of what’s to come. I’ve painted a very pretty picture of my life here in Uganda, which has been for the most part, blissful. However, it has also been difficult, heart-wrenching and at times, downright depressing. I made the decision not to write about that part of my life here, instead choosing just to deal with it on my own. I won’t do the same when I move to DRC. The story of the atrocities taking place there is one that needs to be told, so I’m going to tell it. I want to thank you all again, so much, for taking the time to read my blog. Thank you for the endless support and unconditional love that you shower upon me.

You can read about the conflict in DRC here or here. 

You can also read about just a small number of the children traumatized by the conflict here. (Keep in mind that this article tells the story of the children who were able to flee Congo and take refuge in neighboring countries. This doesn’t tell the story of the countless number of children who have been abducted by rebel forces. Or the children who remain in DRC, living in constant fear.)

All of my love and happiness,
Bliss xxxx