Can you imagine if six million people over the last several decades were killed in the Balkans, the Ukraine or in the Philippines? The media would be saturated with outrage, demonstrators would be filling the streets of the world cities and heads of states would have emergency meetings.
How about you add to that the fact that 75% of the women in the eastern half of the country have been raped so brutally that reconstructive surgery is required for many of the victims some as young as eight years old.
How about the fact that there are entire villages that have been leveled by war lords, gold traders and wealth seekers
The outrage would be uncontrollable around the world.
For some reason, the world has chosen to ignore all of those exact horrors that has taken place in the Congo over the last two decades. Millions have been killed, raped and entire towns destroyed as the war lords and greedy speculators who dominate the area. So off the map is this horror that continuing slaughters and rapes no long make the front pages of the newspapers of the world.
For the world, slaughter and rape are just an average day in the Congo. Somehow we have adjusted to the fact that this wealthy in resources nation doesn't deserve our outrage or attention.
When President Obama visits Africa will he even mention it?
There are brave individuals like Eve Ensler who created the "City of Joy' in the Congo where:
Conceived, created and developed by the women on the ground, the City of Joy in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo supports women survivors of sexual violence to heal and provides them with opportunities to develop their leadership through innovative programming. Through its groundbreaking model, the City of Joy provides up to 180 women a year with an opportunity to benefit from: group therapy; storytelling; dance; theater; self-defense; comprehensive sexuality education (covering HIV/AIDS, family planning); ecology and horticulture; and economic empowerment.
The City of Joy provides women a place to heal emotionally as they rebuild their lives, turn their pain to power, and return back into their communities to lead.
Where is our outrage? Where are the rallies for the victims of the slaughter and rape in the Congo? Have we forgotten them?
Recently photographer Richard Mosse created infrared photography called "Kodak Aerochrome"which captures the surreal world of the Congo.
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