15 October 2008

From Nyagahinika, the team and I set out accross the Northern boarder of Rwanda into the impoverished city of Goma in the North Kivu district of Congo. Our visit first took us to the local Goma courthouse accompanied by group of Congolese Christian lawyers who formed an association in Goma about a year ago. As we entered the courthouse, a case was in process. The room was a very small, primitive, concrete structure that may have held up to fourty people in all. Three judges sat at the front with a lead judge who was addressed as "el president." Clerks sat at either end of the bench transcribing the case. The defense and prosecution stood in front of the bench on either end facing the bench.

The translation of the case by the interpreter gave limited insight into the case. But from what I understood, the debate concerned the validity of a document presented as evidence; the main case was not addressed at the time we came. The visit to the courthouse poined out the importance of the courts role increating stability in Goma and Congo at large. Realizing bribery is previlent in African courts and in particular the Goma court, it is easy to understand why there are not many business and foreign investmentsin in Congo; there is no protection under the law for property and assets as long as judges can be persuaded to make judgements by bribes.

One of the lawyers, Shara, told me that the courts in Congo are based upon Nepolianic law, which does not account for presidence of previous court rulings. Therefore, it is up to the discretion of the judge at the time to make a decision according to his liking; there is no predictability in rulings by the court, which invites and accomodates corruption and bribery. Without consistencyin court rulins, there is no way for businesses and critical investors to be sure they will be able to maintain their investments or continue conducting business in a profitable manner.

In the triangle of government, business and the law, the courts play a critical role in stability and fairness. Most likely, until common law, which allows for precedence of previous rulings to be enacted, is used in courts at large, most likely poverty will continue on throughout the whole of society. One reason Rwanda is doing better than other African nations in the East is because they are adopting common law, which creates stability and attracts outside investment and business.

During my time in Goma, I noticed a lot of dust from exhaust fumes and burning fires lit all over the town. There is a constant smell of pollution in the air. My sinuses are acting up from the particles in the air. I am looking forward to returning back to Kigali where the pollution is not as bad.

After leaving the court, we proceeded to visit an Internal Displaced Persons (IDP) camp outside of Goma. While traveling through Goma on a boulevard toward the city perimeter, the shanty store fronts, traffic and pedestrians scattered en mass along the road began to subside into open fields of wild vegetation. As our entourage approached the camp about a mile outside Goma’s perimeter, I was surprised by what I saw: rows of small shacks covered with UN plastic mesh for protection from the elements. It seemed the camp went on for a square mile. As we drove into the entrance, smiling children ran up to the cars to greet us with their elders sitting under the eaves of the UN offices and food distribution centers at the front gate with hopeless looks on their faces. After exiting the cars to get a better look at the situation on the ground, I began to take in the gravity of their fate; there was nothing in their immediate surroundings that would help them meet their immediate need of food. They were in open fields with nothing but UN food rations once a week to sustain lives.

As my mind comprehended the futility of attempting to find answers to the problem the displaced people faced, I began to realize emotional weight of their helplessness; the only person who could help them is God Himself. I could do nothing at that moment to ease their pain except hold their hand. I, being well fed and clothed, felt out of place and ashamed because the stark difference in reality between the people and myself was more than apparent to all. How could I begin to encourage them words when I could not identify with their plight? Simply telling them, “God is with you” seemed trite and an insufficient response. I felt the only appropriate response was to incarnate myself into their world and experience their plight first hand, which I was not prepared to do. I was simply speechless. My initial reaction to what I saw was to look away, get back in the car and leave.

After walking around for a bit and shaking hands of old men and women who asked me in vain for money, the crowed began to get restless at our apparent unwillingness to help them. It seemed they knew we only came to “gawk” at their helplessness. Our guide, a local pastor in Goma named Kivi, suggested we leave before the situation became bad. As our group left and I looked out over the camp, I realized the entire car was silent; no one was talking. My experience at the IDP camp witnessing poverty at its worst is one I will never forget.

As I thought about my experience at the IDP camp, the Holy Spirit reminded me of how Philip must have felt when Jesus, pointing to the crowd of 5,000 hungry people in the wilderness, tested his faith by telling him, “you feed them.” The few minutes I spent at the IDP camp gave me a taste of the weight Philip must have felt as he sized up the need and his lack of resources. Yet Jesus fed all 5,000 people with food left over. The story is truly incredible.

Ironically, after we left the camp full of hungry people, our group went to lunch. The food was difficult to swallow after what we experienced that afternoon.

Our group proceeded to Goma’s central jail where we waited about an hour while workers attached the main door to the complex to prevent prisoners from getting out.

While we waited, the deputy director of the prison took us to the vocational training centers adjacent to the main complex where the prisoners made soap, wooden benches and such.

The complex reminded me of the jail in “Shawshank Redemption.” The front gate was a receiving area for visitors. Once inside, an open courtyard was laid out for prisoners to mill about on break. At the front of the courtyard were large pots of water boiling and open fires burning to prepare the potatoes and other staple food the team from Watermark Church donated. Bibles were also presented to the prisoners, which were in great demand. Prisoners in Goma, as well as in most parts of Africa, do not receive food from the state; family members must come to feed their sons. Observing from outside the walls, it was interesting to watch arms straining out from small holes in the wall and faceless voices calling out for whatever their mom or sister or wife had brought for them that day.

Convicts in the jail are not discriminated according to their crimes: those who commit petty crimes manage to survive in the same rooms murderers and sexual perpetrators are in. I could not imagine what it must be like to be left to the abuse of Congolese guards and fellow prisoners in one of the poorest regions in Africa. I am sure the abuses, which take place there, remain unseen and hidden to the outside world.

The first full day I spent in Goma, Congo ended with my perspective adjusted to life, as it exists outside the West.