Dr. Yvonne Captain is a professor of International Affairs and Latin American Film and Literature at George Washington University. She received her PhD at Stanford University, and she has published, interviewed, and read widely on the subject of internationalization. Dr. Captain speaks with Jatukik Providence Foundation about the Congo and its role in our globalizing world.
Hi, Dr. Captain. Thank you for speaking with us today. Before we delve into our other questions, could you explain your familiarity with the DRC and sub-Saharan Africa region?
Sure. I focus on South-South relations. I know about the colonial history of the Congo—that is, the “Scramble for Africa” and the Congo’s subsequent rule by Belgium. I am familiar with the violence in the region—and particularly, violence against women. I have been pleased, however, in recent days with the Lubunga trial being prosecuted by the International Criminal Court. I know that some in Africa are upset that some of Africa’s most infamous criminals (like Charles Taylor last month) are being prosecuted internationally rather than locally. But think about it; Charles Taylor could not have been effectively prosecuted and jailed in Sierra Leone. At some point, African nations will be able to prosecute these criminals on their own, but they do not have the resources to do so right now. I was heartened to see that in Lubunga’s case, the International Criminal Court is working with the Congolese government. That is a very good thing.
Could you talk to us about the conflict mineral in the Congo?
Bringing more light and recognition to the issue helps, but it won’t stop the process. Greed is greed. I’m glad that the Dodd Frank Bill provision passed, but international companies need to be held more accountable. You have to change people’s minds and hearts, but once again, greed is greed. These international companies are the ones perpetuating the conflict though, in my opinion. It’s like hiring undocumented workers in the United States—employers know it’s illegal, but hey, it’s cheaper labor. To truly end the chain of violence stemming from the conflict mineral, there has to be a global movement to stop it. It cannot just be the United States trying to end the conflict with sanctions and what have you.
On that note, why doesn’t the DRC receive that much international attention, especially compared to nations in the Middle East?
A lot of it has to do with the media. Unfortunately, Africa in general is just not on people’s radars. And when it is, it’s to detail the corruption taking place in those regions. I’m not saying those stories shouldn’t be reported; I’m saying there has to be more good news reported internationally about Africa. In one of the classes I teach, I have my students do an assignment called the “Good News Wiki,” where I require them to find a news article about some region of Africa and read good things coming out of there. Students are generally surprised about the number of good news stories they can dig up on the region. Yes, there is still a deficit of democracy in Africa. But the country is really moving forward.
I don’t want to hear about all the details of the Queen’s 60th Anniversary party; I want that to be replaced with more stories about Africa! I’ve been really disappointed in general with the Washington Post and the New York Times with their poor reporting of the region. These are newspapers that most people will pick up, but will miss news of a whole continent in their reading. It’s sad that I need to visit allafrica.com (a website that syndicates worldwide news about Africa) to get this information. CNN actually does a pretty good job reporting regularly on Africa. We need that regularity.
Countries like Malaysia and India are also former European colonial colonies, but they have managed to develop rapidly and now have a thriving economy. Why do you think that the DRC and other former colonies in Africa are having such a difficult time?
People really do ignore the African nations that are in fact moving forward. For example, Senegal and Liberia have move past their colonial wounds and are doing quite well for themselves. Women are still under-utilized, but even that’s changing in some parts. The entire region seems to do this dance of moving two steps forward and one step back. But whatever you want to call it, that’s still progress.
How do you get good intentions and other efforts to help the Congo be long-lasting?
The international community needs to step in firmly and put pressure on wrongdoers in the Congo. They cannot be allowed to get away with their actions. The African Union is doing more now, I think—it’s naming names, and it’s better able to enforce international standards. Another problem is that outside Africa, nobody thinks about the Congo—and people don’t want to think about it if they think it’s a hopeless cause. I remember going to this event hosted by the State Department. Some Congolese officials were there, and they showed the audience pictures of women who had been raped and murdered. People are just going to turn away from that. The media needs to make its representation of the area more multidimensional. It needs to show what’s not working as well as what is being worked on and actually working.
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