Leading up to the event, BRUZZ radio hosted an interview with Patricia Da Costa, the host of WDVUB’s panel next thursday. The interview discussed the contemporary characteristics of the crisis as well as exploring some of the broader contexts, Patricia also expanded on the event and its purpose. You can listen to this enlightening interview here, and read the English transcript below, to get cued in before attending our panel discussion.

Robbe Petitjean: Good morning Patricia da Costa, you’re a student at the UGent and part of wedecolonizevub. Next Thursday on the 29th, you guys hold a debate. What is the purpose?

Patricia Da Costa: The purpose is to come together. It will take the form of a panel talk, where our main goal is to inform people about what exactly is happening in East Congo because there is aswell a lot of fake news but also to explain the historical context because this could be complex  but also to support the Congolese diaspora in Belgium and see what we can do here.

Robbe: Is it also the goal to reach them because it’s located in Kuumba the African house?

Patricia: It’s also the goal to reach them so we are hoping that people could feel supported.

Robbe: That conflict, I know it is very complex but can you briefly explain what is happening over there, is that possible?

Patricia: Yes of course, currently there is genocide going on in Congo. Since the beginning of the 90s in East-Congo, this because this location is rich with minerals mostly the mineral cobalt that gets used in smartphones, batteries en electric cars. It’s everywhere. Approximately 70% of the worlds Cobalt comes from East-Congo. So what is happening in Congo right now, is that the West is financing terrorist groups to destabilize Congo. So this cobalt could be took over for a cheaper price and easier can get smuggled outside the country. Because this cobalt is under authority of these terrorist groups do Congolese people have to cultivate these minerals manually, that makes them slaves in their own country. 

Robbe: That cobalt is in the smartphones we use everyday, is everyone to blame?

Patricia: No because it’s very difficult to know which companies or even which countries support this genocide in Congo. This causes it to be very hard to boycot something.

Robbe: Yes, that indeed really looks very complex for me. Wedecolonizevub is going to give extra attention to it, how is the situation over there right now? A lot of people are on the run.

Patricia: Yes that is true, the situation over there is really bad. Until now more than 6 million people have died and there is totally not a lot of media coverage going towards the issue that causes to situation to be happening in silent.

Robbe: Why do you think there is not a lot of media coverage about the situation?

Patricia:  I think there is little coverage about this because the whole problem is so complex and it has been going on for very long but it is also very difficult to say which companies have a role in this genocide and which one specifically can we boycott because we do not know which companies finance this genocide. I also think that in the media it gets seen less as a priority, maybe because it is from far away.

Robbe:  Yes maybe because it feels like that, what do you think of important people such as a Romelu Lukaku posts about this?

Patricia: If an important person such as Romelu Lukaka posts about this then you know It is very urgent to talk about this. We cannot be silence anymore.

Robbe:  And next Thursday that is going to happen, Wedecolonizevub is going to have a sort of debat, on the intercalary day in Kuumba the Flemish-African house. Are you yourself going to participate?

Patricia: Yes, I actually moderate the panel talk. I’m going in conversation with Kabeya and Sephora Wondo.

Robbe: How many people do you expect?

Patricia: We hope approximately to welcome 50 people but we are not sure yet.

Robbe:  Perhaps this is a call, you can go to Kuumba the Flemish African house, if you wanna know more about it is between 19-22h, the intercalary day, there is going to be talked about the problems in Congo. It is maybe weird to say but I wish you good luck, Patricia.

Patricia: Thank you