Every August 2, we invite the Congolese community and friends of Congo around the world to take part in a day of remembrance. This annual event is a simple gesture to honor the lives of all those we have lost in the many conflicts in DR Congo. The event is called “Geno-Cost” combining both the term “Geno” for genocide and “Cost” to highlight the economic roots of the conflicts.

This year, the event took place online on Sunday August 1st at 5:00 p.m. (Kin/Ldn) on Tele Tshangu A replay was rebroadcast on August 2 on Voice of Congo

Our main guest was Jean-Jacques Wondo Omanyundu, consultant, analyst and expert in political, geostrategic and military issues and member of the think tank Afridesk who discussed the theme of impunity, our chosen theme for this year, with a focus in the Congolese army. He was followed by, Douce Namwezi N’Ibamba, journalist and director of the Uwezo Afrika Initiative which promotes the empowerment of women and girls through entrepreneurship and founder of the Requiem Pour la peace, a masterful work performed in the DRCongo to serve as a symbolic act of memory, contemplation and mourning for Congolese men and women. She discussed with us the importance of the work of the duty of memory. Throughout the event, there were also performances by Congolese artists including the slammer Linda Light and the slammer Ben Kamuntu, both from Goma, but also the choir of Les Petits Chanteurs Saint Gilles from Bukavu. We also heard the testimony of a survivor member of the National Movement of Survivors of Rape and Sexual Violence in the DRC.

This day of commemoration was an opportunity to assess and explore solutions that can concretely end impunity in DR Congo.

The Geno-Cost movement will continue to fight for an end to the atrocities in the DRC and the unawareness of the genocide in the DRC so that justice is done. To learn more about the movement and become an ambassador for the cause, visit our page how to organize the Geno-cost.