The Cape Board fights antisemitism, but it also supports persecuted people, like the Baha’i in Iran and the Hizmet members in Turkey, and it opposes the genocide in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Since 1996, more than six million people have been killed in the Congo. A Guardian article written in 2015 titled Let’s be honest. We ignore Congo’s atrocities because it’s in Africa tells of the ‘hierarchy of death’ in the world; how some lives seem to matter more than others. The atrocities being committed in the Congo have been described as the ‘The hidden holocaust’, with ‘A death toll rivalling the Holocaust’. Yet few people are aware of what happens there.
In America and other countries, Congolese Genocide Awareness (CGA) has been trying to bring attention to this ongoing genocide.
Recently the Board assisted the Congolese Civil Society with organising and catering its CGA mini-conference arranged to raise awareness of this genocide caused by greed and the world’s need for the precious minerals found there. The DRC is very rich in oil and mineral resources, with cobalt and coltan in great demand for mobile phones, computers and internet devices, and uranium for medicine and bombs.
Academic lecturers informed the 100+ audience about the history and economics behind this genocide. Children as young as four are forced to mine these minerals, with warring war lords fighting and massacring communities over the right to possess the mines. These talks were interspersed with short films, Congolese protest songs and a skit by two local comedians.
The Cape Board was presented with a certificate in appreciation of its support.
