Kilungutwe village

2°53′18″S 28°34′23″E

Kilungutwe
Village
The lush, emerald-green hills enveloping the tranquil Kilungutwe, January 2014
The lush, emerald-green hills enveloping the tranquil Kilungutwe, January 2014
Country Democratic Republic of the Congo
ProvinceSouth Kivu
TerritoryMwenga Territory
ChiefdomLuindi Chiefdom
Time zoneUTC+2 (CAT)

Kilungutwe is a small village in the Luindi Chiefdom, located in the valley of the Kilungutwe River in the Mwenga Territory of the South Kivu Province. Situated in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the village is in close proximity to the neighboring villages of Kirukungutu and Chowe.[1] The region serves as a melting pot for many ethnic groups, boasting a rich and diverse ethnocultural landscape. It is also a point of confluence for numerous ethnic groups, including the Lega, Nyindu, Shi, Fuliiru, Holoholo, Bwari, Vira, Hunde, Nyanga, and Amba people. Each group has its own unique language, customs, and traditions.[2][3][4]

Despite being rich in cultural richness, Kilungutwe has been plagued with various challenges, including its susceptibility to violence due to its position along the route to a nearby gold mine. In the past few years, the area has experienced a surge in armed conflicts, resulting in displacement, loss of lives, and property damage.[5][6][7][8][9]

History

According to Daniel P. Biebuyck, a Belgian anthropologist and writer, the Mwenga Territory has conventionally been inhabited by the Lega people.[10][11] However, there were also other ethnic groups present in the area, including the Nyindu, Shi, Fuliiru, Bembe, Zimba, Vira, Kumu, and Songora people. Kilungutwe was home to both Lega and Nyindu people who have been living in harmony for generations. The Lega people are famous for their unique artistic expressions, such as ivory carvings and masks, which often feature abstract designs and symbols that hold significant cultural and spiritual meaning for them. Meanwhile, the Nyindu people have a rich oral tradition, where storytelling and folktales play a crucial role in preserving their history and cultural heritage.[12][13][14]

Armed conflict

Kilungutwe is one of many villages in the region that have suffered from the effects of the ongoing armed conflict in the country. The village has been embroiled in a complex and protracted conflict that has spanned several decades, resulting in widespread displacement, human rights abuses, and loss of life.[8][7][15]

On August 24, 1998, Kilungutwe village was subjected to a brutal attack by the Rally for Congolese Democracy (Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie; RCD), an armed group backed by the Rwandan government.[16][17][18][19] The attack resulted in a massacre of over 43 innocent villagers, many of whom were women and children.[20][21][22] The RCD fighters callously throw the bodies of their victims into common graves, traditional toilets, and even the Kilungutwe River.[21][23] The massacre resulted in the loss of countless lives and also left a lasting impact on the village and its inhabitants.[23]

See also

References
  1. "Mwenga : pourparlers FARDC et FDLR". Radio Okapi (in French). 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  2. "RDC: 22 ans après le massacre de Kasika, Denis Mukwege réclame réparation pour les victimes". Actualite.cd (in French). 2020-08-25. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  3. Verweijen, Judith; Brabant, Justine (2017). "Cows and guns. Cattle-related conflict and armed violence in Fizi and Itombwe, eastern DR Congo". The Journal of Modern African Studies. 55 (1): 1–27. doi:10.1017/S0022278X16000823. ISSN 0022-278X. JSTOR 26309798. S2CID 64607292.
  4. Gamaidandi, Douswe (2021-11-17). "WATER-ENERGY-FOOD NEXUS RESEARCH: ASSESSMENT OF HOUSEHOLD INDICATORS IN DRC". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. "Sud-Kivu : vols, viols et pillages à Kilungutwe". Radio Okapi (in French). 2006-01-17. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  6. "Life for women in the country that 'never turned the page of conflict'". The Independent. 2019-06-12. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  7. "Mwenga : les attaques des FLR entraînent d'importants mouvements de populations". Radio Okapi (in French). 2009-06-02. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  8. "Mwenga : encore des attaques et des pillages, signé FDLR". Radio Okapi (in French). 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  9. "RDC : Martin Fayulu exige l'expulsion de l'ambassadeur du Rwanda, Vincent Karega". 7sur7.cd (in French). 2020-08-27. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  10. Biebuyck, Daniel P. (2002). Lega: Ethics and Beauty in the Heart of Africa (in English and French). KBC Banking & Insurance. ISBN 9789053493861.
  11. Biebuyck, Daniel P. (1987). The Arts of Central Africa: An Annotated Bibliography. Boston, Massachusetts: G.K. Hall. ISBN 9780816186013.
  12. Biebuyck, Daniel P. (1973). Lega Culture; Art, Initiation, and Moral Philosophy Among a Central African People. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. pp. 3–7. ISBN 9780520020856.
  13. Biebuyck, Daniel P. (1985). The Arts of Zaire: Southwestern Zaire. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.
  14. Biebuyck, Daniel P. (1982). Statuary from the Pre-Bembe Hunters: Issues in the Interpretation of Ancestral Figurines Ascribed to the Basikasingo-Bembe-Boyo (in English, French, and Dutch). Tervuren, Belgium: Royal Museum of Central Afrika.
  15. "Plus de 200 déplacés recensés à Bukavu". Radio Okapi (in French). 2006-01-25. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  16. Bulambo, Didier Mwati (2010). République Démocratique du Congo: 13 ans sous la main du diable : de l'AFDL de L.D. Kabila au CNDP de Nkundabatware (in French). Paris, France: Edilivre Aparis. p. 116. ISBN 9782353354658.
  17. Foroyaa: Organ of the People's Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism, Issues 1-46. Serrekunda, Gambia: PDOIS' Editorial Board. 1999.
  18. Reyntjens, Filip (2001). "Briefing: The Democratic Republic of Congo, from Kabila to Kabila". African Affairs. 100 (399): 311–317. doi:10.1093/afraf/100.399.311. ISSN 0001-9909. JSTOR 3518770.
  19. Gouby, Mélanie (4 July 2022). "The Rebirth of Congo's Rebellion". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  20. "Democratic Republic of Congo: War against unarmed civilians" (PDF). Amnesty International. London, United Kingdom. November 23, 1998. pp. 13–15. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  21. Human Rights Ministry, Democratic Republic of Congo (2001). The War of Aggression Against the Democratic Republic of Congo: Three Years of Massacres and Genocide "in Camera". Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. pp. 12–14.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  22. U.S. Government Printing Office (2001). Suffering and Despair. Humanitarian Crisis in the Congo: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights of the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Congress, First Session, May 17, 2001, Volume 4. Washington, D.C. p. 17. ISBN 9780160659812.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  23. "CASUALTIES OF WAR". archive.hrw.org. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.