The Sound of Destruction in the Democratic Republic of Congo: The Impact of a Bomb on a Village
This article is not a denunciation but an appeal! An appeal to what remains of humanity in the hearts of people. I have seen various evils, and others have seen more than I have. But no one will ever see as much as they have! Today in the Democratic Republic of Congo, people are dying, being torn to pieces, and children are the icons of an unprecedented torment. While we indulge in our cushioned homes of false well-being, two days ago, a bomb fell in a village near Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The sound of a bomb is a symphony of destruction. It does not warn of its arrival, it gives no reprieve. A deafening roar tears the air, followed by an unnatural silence, filled with dust and despair. The village, once animated by the laughter of children and the chatter of adults, turns into a field of ruins. The houses, built with love and effort, crumble like sandcastles. The bodies, once full of life, lie mutilated and lifeless. This is what a bomb brings with it: hatred and greed in a brutal manifestation of force.
The Shadow of War: The Price of Colonial Nostalgia
Yesterday, someone contacted me, forwarding this photo. I searched for information but found nothing, only the same fairy tales that the "Sunday newspapers" peddle to us. A reporter tells the truth, without censorship. Another number on the world's big scoreboard has died, or rather, has been shattered because that is the right term. He was shattered, and this child supported by these two people is the icon of how much humanity frightens me, makes me fear, makes me tremble because it is capable of this in the name of mines, in the name of precious stones, in the name of colonialism, in the name of that damned money that has made us slaves and greedy for mostly useless material objects.
Today, in the world, there are several wars that devastate entire regions and populations. According to the latest data, there are at least 27 significant armed conflicts underway, distributed across various continents. These conflicts cause not only the destruction of local infrastructures and economies but, even more tragically, take an enormous number of civilian lives.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people lose their lives due to wars. According to the Global Conflict Tracker, in 2023 alone, it is estimated that more than 100,000 people died because of armed conflicts worldwide. But the number of victims does not stop there. Millions of people are injured, displaced, and traumatized for life.
Children are the most vulnerable victims of these conflicts. According to Health Workers Worldwide, every day, about 500 children die due to the direct and indirect consequences of wars, such as hunger, disease, and lack of adequate medical care. Furthermore, millions of children are displaced and separated from their families, forced to live in refugee camps or become child soldiers.
In countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Yemen, and many others, children live in a constant nightmare. Their schools are bombed, their friends and families killed, and their future torn away. These children are not just numbers in statistics; they are broken lives, shattered dreams, and destroyed innocence.
I often hear loudly, "Help them at home!" But maybe we should leave their homes first. Dear white reader, dear Westerner, remember that we are the ones who need to leave. Unfortunately, we love diamonds, just as we love the jewelry we give to our lovers or wives to make up for cheating with another woman. We like to donate used clothes, but you don't know that just yesterday I concluded an important interview with activist Betterman Simidi Musasia for an important project, and the same activist says that many NGOs, yes, your beloved Sunday NGOs that collect used clothes, then sell them to local Africans, like in Kenya. The same clothes you bought from Shein, which fuels the "Fast Fashion" industry where children are exploited, so we can act virtuous and donate. So, dear Westerner, maybe today you can stop for a moment and think that this child is innocent and has been torn apart by our hunger for more, by our greed to have too much and everything, and especially immediately.
In recent years, the Congo has been plundered of 11 million hectares of land, according to an important study on Land Grabbing conducted by Professor Pier Luigi De Felice and Dr. Maria Gemma Grillotti Di Giacomo, authors of the book "The Predators of the Earth." So when you think we should help them at home, maybe we should leave first. Perhaps this time we have hit rock bottom, but as the good Guccini said, Italians do not learn, Italians forget - a quote I extend to the entire world.
The terrible thing about a bomb is that it does not warn. You can perceive a rifle shot or a machine gun or pistol shot if it is distant or not, but a bomb falls on you with all the force in the world, with the weight of hatred and greed without giving you time to prepare for the inevitable end.
An appeal, therefore, to what remains of humanity in the hearts of people. Let us look beyond our comforts, listen to the cry of those children who have no voice, and act for real change, a change that starts with us, with every single gesture of awareness and humanity.
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