Congo Genocide by Terra Pierce

Background

terra_pierce — 2019-01-18 19:37:16 UTC

The Pygmies are people who believe that nature is their home. The book titled, The Democratic Republic of Congo, written by Terry Willis, states, "All the resources they needed to survive were found in the jungle." The Pygmies lived within the Congo area. which is in central Africa. As claimed by Terry Willis, who wrote the book The Democratic Republic of Congo, he states, "Pygmies were the first people to live in the region that is now Congo." The Pygmies' lives changed when the Congo genocide started. This genocide started during the Congo Civil War. This genocide also happened after the Rwanda genocide. It started in the late 1990s and is continued on still today. The people who were the perpetrators in the genocide were the soldiers who worked for the Congo government. They did extremely harsh things to the Pygmies which in the end, caused the deaths of many Pygmies. The Congo soldiers believed that the Pygmies were magic. The soldiers came to the conclusion that if they ate the Pygmies, they would receive the magic within the Pygmies. The Congo Government also forced the Pygmies out of their home, which was the forest. They used the Pygmies' land for making money for the country of Congo. The Pygmies' land suffered from deforestation because the Congo government burned down the trees, bushes, and all of the other items in the forest. All of the Pygmies' homes were destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of Pygmies were killed and are currently still in danger. Many of the Pygmies have fled Congo or have had to work for the government as slaves as well. The U.S has not stepped in to help yet but, the United nations has to help save the Pygmies.

Perpetrators

terra_pierce — 2019-01-18 19:38:10 UTC

According to Jonah Pottier, who wrote the article "Rights Violations, Rumor, and Rhetoric: Making Sense of Cannibalism in Mambasa, Ituri (Democratic Republic of Congo), the prepetrators are, "...the Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo (MLC). "

Victim

terra_pierce — 2019-01-18 19:38:25 UTC

Within the article titled, "'Pygmies: Health and Violence," from Survival International, it states, "Pygmies are people of central Africa are traditionally hunter-gatherers living in the rain forests throughout central Africa."

How were the Pygmies treated during the genocide?

terra_pierce — 2019-01-18 19:38:59 UTC

The Pygmies were treated cruelly in many different ways.

According to Renee Montagne who hosted the Interview: Mark Lattimer discusses violence against Pygmies in the Congo, she stated, "They confirmed the worst reports--mass killings, systematic rape--including acts of cannibalism." This shows that the Pygmies were treated extremely poorly. They were murdered in mass quantities and were treated like they were not even human.

Presented by Centre for International Forestry Research from the article "First estimate of Pygmy population in Central Africa reveals their plight" it informs, "Pygmy communities depend on the forest but their access to forest areas is becoming increasingly difficult because of industrialization and the expansion of market-led initiatives, displacement, forced sedentarization, disease and deforestation." This explains how the Pygmies also suffered from diseases and deforestation because of the result of them losing their homes in the forest. The Pygmies' homes were very unsafe and unsanitary to live in because of the changing environment.

Given information by Cultural Survival, who wrote the article

"MERCILESS PLIGHT FOR AFRICAN ‘PYGMIES’", it presented that, "A Congolese government representative at the Forum, Ms. Njuma Ekundanayo, further explained the discrimination by admitting that other Congolese people do view the pygmies as subhuman. She revealed that, “Military tools today include rape, live burial and cannibalism, all aimed at extermination so that the perpetrators can have access to minerals and timber.” This shows that the Pygmies were hurt and tortured by the military in dehumanizing ways. They were treated in live brutal attacks and awful attacks of cannibalism. Also, the Pygmies were treated in these inhumane ways because the Congo government thought the Pygmies were subhuman and inferior to them.

This is just a few of the situations of how poorly the Pygmies were treated in the Congo genocide. This also shows the extreme cruelty that the Pygmies had to face during this awful genocide.

Why were Pygmies targeted during the Congo genocide?

terra_pierce — 2019-01-18 19:39:45 UTC

Pygmy people were targeted during the Congo genocide for a variety of reasons that were not necessarily their fault.

From the article written by Lauren Thomas called "Forest Conservation," it states that in the year 2016, "A survey conducted by a multinational research team announces that almost a million acres of forest land inhabited by Pygmies in Central Africa is undergoing rapid deforestation, producing a threat to the survival of the ethnic group." This justifies that the Pygmies were targeted because the country of Congo wanted the land. The country of Congo started to burn the Pygmies' land, which in result started deforestation.

The article "Pygmy," written by New World encyclopedia presents, "In Africa, the Pygmies are in very real danger of losing their forest home, and consequently their cultural identity, as the forest is systematically cleared by logging companies." This shows the Pygmies were targeted because of their culture. The people of Congo did not put into consideration any of the Pygmies' culture or values. The people of Congo were determined to take over the land and did not care if it would ruin the Pygmies' homes.

The article "The Pygmies" informed that, "In 2003, Mbuti representatives petitioned the UN to protect their people from horrific abuse by armed militia in Congo, including extremely high incidences of rape of women by the armed men. One of the outcomes has been a soaring rate of HIV/Aids." This shows that the people of Congo took advantage of the Pygmies because they were an easy target. This was one of the reasons why the Pygmies were easily targeted and tortured.

These are all of the reasons why the Pygmies were targeted. This also shows us that we should all realize that everyone should be treated equally.

Citing

terra_pierce — 2019-01-18 19:40:21 UTC

"2000 Fast Facts - History - U.S. Census Bureau." Census.gov.Web.

"Deforestation and Roads Threaten Pygmy Communities, Study Warns." ICT4D with OneWorld.

<http://oneworld.org/2016/01/12/deforestation-and-roads-threaten-pygmy-communities-st

dy-warns/.>.

Dennis D. Cordell, René Lemarchand and Others (See All Contributors),Democratic Republic of

the Congo,Encyclopædia Britannica ,Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., January 11,

2019,https://www.britannica.com/place/Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo ,

January 15, 2019

‘Erasing the Board’,Minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/MRG_Rep_Twa_ENG.pdf.

Accessed January

15th, 2019

History.com Editors,HISTORY, BY HISTORY.COM EDITORS,A&E Television Networks,

https://www.history.com/topics/holocaust/what-is-genocideHistory.com Editors ,Accessed

January 15th, 2019

"Interview: Mark Lattimer Discusses Violence Against Pygmies in the Congo." , 14 July 2004. ,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A162007582/SUIC?u=bata08516&sid=SUIC&xid=8

d50a5c. Accessed 14 Jan. 2019.

Johan Pottier. "Rights Violations, Rumour, and Rhetoric: Making Sense of Cannibalism in

Mambasa, Ituri (Democratic Republic of Congo)." no. 4, Vol. 13, Royal Anthropological

Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Dec., 2007, Accessed January 19, 2019

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4623065?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents.

“Merciless Plight for African 'Pygmies'.” Cultural Survival,

www.culturalsurvival.org/news/merciless-plight-african-pygmies. January 15, 2019

Oneworld.org. (2019). “Deforestation and roads threaten Pygmy communities, study warns.”

:http://oneworld.org/2016/01/12/deforestation-and-roads-threaten-pygmy-communities-stud

y-warns/ [Accessed 23 Jan. 2019].

"'Pygmies': Health and violence - Survival International." Survival International. Web.

<http://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/pygmies/health-and-violence>.

"Pygmy - New World Encyclopedia." Info:Main Page - New World Encyclopedia. Web.

<http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Pygmy>.

Terry Willis Democratic republic of the congo Children's Press, 2004

Thomas, Lauren. "Forest Conservation." World Geography: Understanding a Changing World,

ABC-CLIO, 2019, worldgeography.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/2151503. Accessed

14Jan. 2019.

Current events #1 in USA

terra_pierce — 2019-01-20 22:18:54 UTC

The United States Census reports, "Hijacked airliners crash into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, PA, September 11, 2001."

Current event #2 in USA

terra_pierce — 2019-01-20 22:19:05 UTC

According to The United States Census, "Author J.K. Rowling publishes the final installment of her Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, July 2007."

Congo flag

terra_pierce — 2019-01-20 23:19:25 UTC

This is the flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo.This is the flag of the location of where the Congo genocide occurred.

Deforestation

terra_pierce — 2019-01-20 23:20:42 UTC

This picture is a Pygmy looking at the deforestation of his home. His home was destroyed because of the burning of the forest.

GUIDING QUESTION-“What do I need to learn to respectfully honor the memory and tell the story of all of the people who lost their lives in the Congo (Pygmy) genocide?”

terra_pierce — 2019-01-22 19:33:20 UTC

In honor of the Congo genocide which affected thousands of innocent Pygmies, it is important to share to everyone the story of the cruelty that the Pygmies faced throughout the genocide. It is important for people to learn and to have a deep understanding of what harsh experiences the Pygmies had to face.

Pygmies

terra_pierce — 2019-01-22 22:43:08 UTC

This is a picture of the Pygmies. This picture shows what the Pygmies' homes had looked like before they were destroyed. The Pygmies used the materials from the forest to keep them safe and used natural resources in their everyday lives.