Congo Stories: Battling Five Centuries of Exploitation and Greed
From the author of the New York Times bestselling and award-winning Not on Our Watch, John Prendergast co-writes a compelling book with Fidel Bafilemba—with stunning photographs by Ryan Gosling—revealing the way in which the people and resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been used throughout the last five centuries to build, develop, advance, and safeguard the United States and Europe. The book highlights the devastating price Congo has paid for that support. However, the way the world deals with Congo is finally changing, and the book tells the remarkable stories of those in Congo and the United States leading that transformation.

The people of Congo are fighting back against a tidal wave of international exploitation and governmental oppression to make things better for their nation, their neighborhoods, and their families. They are risking their lives to resist and alter the deadly status quo. And now, finally, there are human rights movements led by young people in the United States and Europe building solidarity with Congolese change-makers in support of dignity, justice, and equality for the Congolese people. As a result, the way the world deal with Congo is finally changing.

Fidel Bafilemba, Ryan Gosling, and John Prendergast traveled to Congo to document some of the stories not only of the Congolese upstanders who are building a better future for their country but also of young Congolese people overcoming enormous odds just to go to school and help take care of their families.

Through Gosling's photographs of Congolese daily life, Bafilemba's profiles of heroic Congolese activists, and Prendergast's narratives of the extraordinary history and evolving social movements that directly link Congo with the United States and Europe, Congo Stories provides windows into the history, the people, the challenges, the possibilities, and the movements that could change the course of Congo's destiny.

Chosen by Amazon as the Best Book of the Month for December 2018 in Biographies & Memoirs, History, and Nonfiction.

Featuring the life story of Dr. Denis Mukwege, winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize
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Congo Stories: Battling Five Centuries of Exploitation and Greed
From the author of the New York Times bestselling and award-winning Not on Our Watch, John Prendergast co-writes a compelling book with Fidel Bafilemba—with stunning photographs by Ryan Gosling—revealing the way in which the people and resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been used throughout the last five centuries to build, develop, advance, and safeguard the United States and Europe. The book highlights the devastating price Congo has paid for that support. However, the way the world deals with Congo is finally changing, and the book tells the remarkable stories of those in Congo and the United States leading that transformation.

The people of Congo are fighting back against a tidal wave of international exploitation and governmental oppression to make things better for their nation, their neighborhoods, and their families. They are risking their lives to resist and alter the deadly status quo. And now, finally, there are human rights movements led by young people in the United States and Europe building solidarity with Congolese change-makers in support of dignity, justice, and equality for the Congolese people. As a result, the way the world deal with Congo is finally changing.

Fidel Bafilemba, Ryan Gosling, and John Prendergast traveled to Congo to document some of the stories not only of the Congolese upstanders who are building a better future for their country but also of young Congolese people overcoming enormous odds just to go to school and help take care of their families.

Through Gosling's photographs of Congolese daily life, Bafilemba's profiles of heroic Congolese activists, and Prendergast's narratives of the extraordinary history and evolving social movements that directly link Congo with the United States and Europe, Congo Stories provides windows into the history, the people, the challenges, the possibilities, and the movements that could change the course of Congo's destiny.

Chosen by Amazon as the Best Book of the Month for December 2018 in Biographies & Memoirs, History, and Nonfiction.

Featuring the life story of Dr. Denis Mukwege, winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize
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Congo Stories: Battling Five Centuries of Exploitation and Greed

Congo Stories: Battling Five Centuries of Exploitation and Greed

Congo Stories: Battling Five Centuries of Exploitation and Greed

Congo Stories: Battling Five Centuries of Exploitation and Greed

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Overview

From the author of the New York Times bestselling and award-winning Not on Our Watch, John Prendergast co-writes a compelling book with Fidel Bafilemba—with stunning photographs by Ryan Gosling—revealing the way in which the people and resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been used throughout the last five centuries to build, develop, advance, and safeguard the United States and Europe. The book highlights the devastating price Congo has paid for that support. However, the way the world deals with Congo is finally changing, and the book tells the remarkable stories of those in Congo and the United States leading that transformation.

The people of Congo are fighting back against a tidal wave of international exploitation and governmental oppression to make things better for their nation, their neighborhoods, and their families. They are risking their lives to resist and alter the deadly status quo. And now, finally, there are human rights movements led by young people in the United States and Europe building solidarity with Congolese change-makers in support of dignity, justice, and equality for the Congolese people. As a result, the way the world deal with Congo is finally changing.

Fidel Bafilemba, Ryan Gosling, and John Prendergast traveled to Congo to document some of the stories not only of the Congolese upstanders who are building a better future for their country but also of young Congolese people overcoming enormous odds just to go to school and help take care of their families.

Through Gosling's photographs of Congolese daily life, Bafilemba's profiles of heroic Congolese activists, and Prendergast's narratives of the extraordinary history and evolving social movements that directly link Congo with the United States and Europe, Congo Stories provides windows into the history, the people, the challenges, the possibilities, and the movements that could change the course of Congo's destiny.

Chosen by Amazon as the Best Book of the Month for December 2018 in Biographies & Memoirs, History, and Nonfiction.

Featuring the life story of Dr. Denis Mukwege, winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781455584642
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication date: 12/04/2018
Pages: 352
Sales rank: 1,000,799
Product dimensions: 7.60(w) x 9.60(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

About The Author
Ryan Gosling is an actor and filmmaker.

John Prendergast is a New York Times bestselling author who founded and runs both the Enough Project and The Sentry.

Fidel Bafilemba is a Congolese field researcher who coordinates a civil society network called GATT-RN.

Table of Contents

Foreword Soraya Aziz Souleymane xi

Chapter 1 Why Congo? 1

Honorata's Story 1

Chapter 2 The Story of the Kongo Kingdom: Before and After the Europeans Landed 11

Chapter 3 How Congo Helped Build America and Europe: Following the Money and Greed for Five Centuries 19

Upstander Story Dominique Bikaba 60

Upstander Story Petna Ndaliko 70

Chapter 4 A Den of Highly Armed Thieves 77

Upstander Story Rebecca Kabugho 80

Chapter 5 Africa's First World War: Reverberations from Rwanda's Genocide 87

Phoebe's Story 93

Chapter 6 Road to Congo Ryan Gosling 99

Upstander Story Justine Masika 102

Chapter 7 Crimes Against Humanity: Ground Zero 105

Chouchou Namegabe on Mass Rape 109

Huguette's Story 112

Upstander Story Dr Denis Mukwege 126

Dr. Namegabe Murhabazi on Child Soldiers 133

Claude's Story 137

Fidel's Own Story 141

Chapter 8 Life Today in One Part of Congo 149

Goma's Story 149

Jonathan's Story 184

Mane's Story 200

Chapter 9 Congo Responds to the Onslaught: The Whistle for Change 211

Upstander Story Douce Namwezi 218

Chapter 10 Davids and Goliaths: Global Rights Activists vs. the War Profiteers 225

Upstander Story Neema Namadamu 245

Chapter 11 Steve Jobs and Conflict Minerals: Apple and Corporate-Driven Change 249

Chapter 12 War Crimes Shouldn't Pay: Lessons from AI Capone to al-Qaeda 255

Chapter 13 Vanquishing the Vampires: What You Can Do 265

Conclusion: Countering Myths and Stereotypes 271

Josephine's Story 271

Postscript Dave Eggers 281

Afterword Chouchou Namegabe 287

Acknowledgments 293

"A Geological Scandal" Results in a Governing Disaster 295

Notes 301

Index 321

About the Contributors 331

Final Thought from John 333

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