MAMA AROYO

I have written on multiple occasions of the vibrant, beautifully-patterned pagnes (skirts) that Mama Aroyo sewed into masterpieces. I say masterpiece because for me to describe to her in very broken Fratalianglish (a tellingly unintelligible combination of French, Italian and English) the styles that I wanted, then for her to create what she did was indeed nothing less than genius. Coincidentally, Mama Aroyo’s talent and passion now transfers to you.

 

Mama Aroyo is a sewing teacher at the all-girls secondary school (ADIA-LEMI) in Aru, DRC. Shortly before I left, she asked for help to construct a home of her own. Currently, her family shares a very small building with another family. The building is owned by the school and not in very good shape. As I mentioned in the previous blog, a decent mud-brick home costs about $1,000. I asked her to make twenty-five handbags. When I returned home, I sold them to friends and family. I sent Mama Aroyo the proceeds via Western Union. It was a success, which got me thinking…

 

I spent a couple month thinking about our options and scribbling in English/French trying to decide if a shipment would be worth it; How much? Would it arrive? What if the package goes missing? And of course, could I be successful in selling the handbags to a clientele beyond friends and family?

 

Yes!

 

Together, with the help of my French-speaking (Congolese) friends in Lincoln, I arranged my thoughts and aspirations into a business plan. I spoke weekly (sometimes daily) with the volunteers and women in Aru in order to organize the project. It would be called TOTONGA BOMOI – Build Our Future – acknowledging that most of the women will rely on this income to provide for their families, pay for an education and in most cases purchase their own sewing machine which will allow them the opportunity to start a business of their own at home – it all started to make perfect sense. This was in January/February 2012.

BOMOI BAGS

Building a home in Congo –

The average price for a well-built, mud-brick house in Aru, DRC is about $1,000. Not bad, right? There is no running water, but you can reach it easily enough at a distance. The ways to the well are always filled with neighbors, friends and family exchanging hardships, prayer and laughter. Together you will fill the days’ buckets for cooking and washing. There is no electricity, but dinner by candlelight always sets the mood. Perhaps there is a low-burning lantern in the background for reading after dinner. The rooms will be small, but you spend most of the day enjoying the beauty of the village and of course, you are preoccupied with work, study and running errands in town. Sundays are reserved to rejoice in the sublimity of la vie (life).

My final weeks in the DRC were filled with complete happiness and absolute sadness. I went to Africa expecting to save others. When I left, I knew that Africa had saved me. Giving back to those who offered me nothing less than life itself is all I can ever hope to do.  

So…after a handful of flights home to the U.S. contemplating ideas and several late nights enjoying the red wine I had been deprived of for so long, I moved to the next stage of internet research, long periods of solitude and way too much time day-dreaming when I should have been more proactively finding gainful employment. Eventually, I hammered out a business plan and called it TOTONGA BOMOI which means Build Our Future in Lingala. Today (a year later) BOMOI BAGS is in full-swing!

Mission Statement

CONNECT     ¨     SERVE     ¨     INSPIRE 

Connect women in the United States and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Enable Congolese women to serve and provide for their families and communities.

Be inspired to make a difference in the lives of women across the world.

 

 From this point forward, I will be sharing with you the journey, in particular the stories of five women who are participating in this project.

Most importantly – I will tell you how you can purchase BOMOI BAGS!

Lingala

Totonga Bomoi – Build Our Future – The Lingala language is spoken throughout most of DRC and Republic of Congo (Brazzaville). Lingala is also used in parts of Central African Republic and Angola; two countries located north of the two Congos. Today, more than ten million people speak Lingala. Can this lingua franca of modern-day DRC be attributed to an inevitable and reoccurring aspect of post-colonial Africa – fate?

Prior to the arrival of Europeans—civil administrators, missionaries and tyrannous dictators alike—Lingala was spoken by the Bantu people near the Congo River. As trade increased and proselytizing took flight and Belgians began exploiting the country and its people a common language was needed. I recently read that it was by chance the language of the Bantu people was adopted. It was embraced as being exclusively Bangi (or Bobangi); a regional trade language that was spoken by the Bangala people. Europeans adopted this language and named it Bangala.

As Bangala (the language) moved throughout the country there was an increase in vocabulary, original interpretation and the unavoidable influence of colonial syntax (French and Portuguese). That journey established the Lingala language as we know it today and the original Bangala has taken a backseat ride as dialectal Lingala. Thus an obscure language was taken, colonialists stumbled over it, missionaries attempted to purify it (grammatically) and now I join the millions of Lingala speakers around the world by saying MBOTE!! WELCOME!!

 

Viral

KONY 2012 has exceeded 100 million views; attracting attention comparable to the likes of Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé and Michael Jackson. My first reactions to the video were relief that people finally seemed to care about Africa and excitement that we can collectively do something to end their suffering. However, critics soon began condemning the organization responsible—Invisible Children—for mismanaging funds and even more damaging by promoting U.S. military intervention in Africa.

KONY 2012 is the prologue to a complicated and violent story. The Lord’s Resistant Army (LRA) has undoubtedly terrorized Central Africa for more than twenty years: operating in northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The LRA has caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes and thousands more have been kidnapped, raped and killed. LRA leader—Joseph Kony—has recently become the world’s most popular warlord.

Is KONY the only warlord? 

No, not even close, not even a little, not even at all. The LRA conflict involves a number of countries, international organizations and private businesses. Man’s desire for resources must not be underestimated. Diamonds, gold, cobalt and petrol are just a few of the regions costly treasures. In the past two decades, millions of Congolese have died either by the machete or the famine and disease that accompanies such greed: rebels seeking to benefit, businesses eyeing profits and countries struggling for power. Ultimately, it’s the innocent people that pay the price.       

A viral video whose sole purpose is to gain popularity can be dangerous without a well-informed audience. In other words, educate yourself on the issue and only then will you be able to understand its complexity and the potential consequences. Yes, the LRA is terrible and warrants its own demise, but at what cost? A history of intervention, particularly military, has its own price.  

As a former VOICA volunteer, I felt it important to share this story. When we serve in Congo, we do so with the help of those around us. Our community is comprised of the very individuals you read about in the news. They have suffered unimaginable loss and there can often be no words to say to friends who have lost brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, mothers or fathers. But what we can do is make ourselves aware of the conflicts, diseases and economic hardships that take lives: we must be drawn to compassion and compelled to action.

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  

« Ne sois point surmonté par le mal, mais surmonte le mal par le bien. »

We are all called. Romans 12:21