Weyi, 2016 Congo Candidate, Projects Hope In Land Of Vast Crises

Weyi

Weyi

[Africa: Commentary]

It’s been said that the only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about at all.

The plight of the Democratic Republic of the Congo only receives a resigned shrug from the West – symbolizing the silent tyranny of low expectations that is all too common within Africa. History unfurls in cycles and the fatalistic acceptance of the newest status quo, no matter what it may be, is the norm de jure for Western nations.

Free and fair elections are a calling card for the West, yet the travesty of the democratic process in the Congo funded heavily by the United Nations, the European Union and the United Kingdom should be cause for concern. The 2012 presidential election saw an estimated 3,000 polling station results vanish, the vast majority from within opposition strongholds against incumbent Joseph Kabila, who rode the “old African margins” of a so called 100% of the vote in many districts to victory.

We’ve seen a quiet democratic revolution along with economic growth across the continent. Elections have consequences and it’s high time to change the narrative, to make democracy and competition a rule rather than the exception in the DRC.

A nation’s culture resides in the heart and soul of the people, and the spirit of the Congo is all around us. The nation is home to over 51 species on the IUCN Red List of endangered animals, many living in the vast swaths of rainforests, second only in size to the mighty Amazon in South America.

The soil is reputed to contain every mineral listed on the periodic table in concentrations that are unheard of relative to the rest of the world, an estimated $24 trillion in resources. Two hundred and fourty-two languages are spoken by dozens of ethnic groups in a country that is half the size of the United States. Privately funded by the Development Tours Azimuts (DTA), the Congo boasts a space program and plans for Troposphere rockets to send cargo to outer space.

Potential is unlocked through conscious effort and it’s time for the West to step up.

The citizens it produces define an essence of a nation, and 2016 Presidential candidate Emmanuel Weyi is no exception.

Born in Kisangani, he moved to the capital of Kinshasa as an infant, eventually growing up with two brothers and seven sisters. Graduating with a degree in International Affairs from Ecole Internationale Des Hautes Etudes in Paris, he married Odette Kisolokele, a direct descendent of Congolese prophet and spiritual leader, Simon Kimbangu.

After seeing the suffering of his people and with a fervent belief to uphold their freedom and prosperity, he founded Groupe Weyi in 2003- focusing on sustainable mining in the Congo. He’s launched a presidential campaign to begin to rebuild the Congo into the thriving nation she is meant to be after the 2016 election.

Famed novelist Stephen King remarked, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, shame on both of us.” We’ve fooled ourselves into pledging “never again” after the Holocaust; yet remain in silence over the six million killed over the past 15 years in the Congo, half of the victims being under the age of five.

We’ve fooled ourselves with effusive studies and analysis, yet still allow rape –of both men and women– to occur every 30 seconds in the DRC.

We’ve fooled ourselves by believing a latte at a coffee shop is inconsequential to the greater world, but it still represents an average weekly income for a Congolese person. It’s time that both the West and the Congo insist for more and better from each other. We could make the change today, yet most of us would choose tomorrow instead.

Seventy million Congolese citizens need someone to stand by them. Will it be you?

 

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