Legesse and Döhne were travelling as part of a larger Living Letters delegation, headed by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, which broke into five groups to visit different parts of the country 8-11 July, before coming together in the capital Kinshasa, 12-14 July. "Living Letters" are small international ecumenical teams travelling to locations around the world where Christians strive to overcome violence.
In the Bas Congo province, violence is increasingly a feature of daily life, fuelled by tension over an array of factors including high unemployment, weak economic conditions and changing population dynamics as refugees and displaced people move to the comparatively prosperous province. In the past refugees arrived from neighbouring Angola, nowadays the displaced come from the eastern part of the DRC.
Resented refugees
"Refugees are resented, even when they are Congolese," said Legesse. "The church has to work hard at changing people's minds and overcoming feelings of distrust, even hatred, of newcomers."
In the province of Kasai Oriental diamond mining has left a complex legacy. During the second war in the DRC, which started in 1998, the dominant diamond company MIBA – jointly owned by the Congolese government and a Belgian investment company – poured both mining revenue and equipment into the government's war efforts. Now, with its capital and infrastructure depleted, MIBA has closed its production site near the provincial capital Mbuji-Mayi.
"Diamond mining was a major source of income for the local people," said Legesse. "It's a critical situation at the moment – there's no other real source of work." After years of urban growth, Mbuji-Mayi is now struggling as health centres close, school buildings fall into disrepair and many people struggle to afford basic necessities.
In the midst of this poverty and suffering, the Living Letters team observed diamond traders operating in the streets of Mbuji Mayi, dealing in diamonds worth tens of thousands of US dollars, produced from informal mining activities. "The soil of the province produces fortunes, but for the ordinary people or for public basic services not much is left," said Döhne.
Sexual violence against women, especially young women, is on the rise in the DRC, the team was told – and HIV infections are consequently on the rise as well. In mining areas, very young girls offer themselves in return for money, food or shelter. It is not uncommon for men to have several partners and families, and most women have little economic security. Against this backdrop, churches have the challenging task of trying to promote responsible marital relations and parenting.
Churches respond to the crisis
In the context of this strife and hardship, the churches are providing a powerful witness. Churches are the biggest providers of health and education services in the DRC. In Bas Congo, more than 150,000 students study in church institutions. In Kasai Oriental, the Catholic Church runs over 3000 schools, and the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC) over 1400.
