DR Congo slam poetry: Goma, my living dead city, by Soleil

Описание: For decades, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has endured almost continuous wars. By some estimates, they have become the deadliest since World War II, with many millions of people killed.

Capturing the weight of this in words is nearly impossible. Yet one group of artists and activists has spent years trying: Congolese slam poets, whose verses have become tools of resistance and release for a new generation of young people in the country.

To help share their perspectives more widely, The New Humanitarian has partnered with five slammers from eastern DRC — the region hardest hit by conflict — who have created new poems confronting the realities of war and honouring the strength of their communities.

In this piece, Soleil, who is using a pseudonym, addresses the impact of the M23 occupation of Goma, the biggest city in eastern DRC. She describes how armed men assaulted her and her family, and references the killing of Delcat Idengo, an artist and rapper, by M23 fighters. Despite everything, Soleil offers a poignant message of hope, saying that Goma will rise again. Her poem gives voice to those suffering in silence.

🔗 For more read:
Hope and resistance: Slam poets capture the weight of war in DR Congo
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/fe...

“Art remains our oxygen”: DR Congo’s slam poets refuse to be silenced
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/fe...

Music credit:
Undertow by Scott Buckley   / scottbuckley  
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0