Updates on the DRC

It's certainly been an exciting few weeks following all of the news surrounding the DRC. There is a lot of momentum and we hope that this surge of interest and action continues as we move towards the National Mall installation, June 8-10, 2013, and advocate on Capitol Hill with our partners at the Enough Project! Take a moment to check out what's been going on:

-On March 18, notorious Congolese warlord Bosco "The Terminator" Ntaganda, co-commander of the M23 rebel group, turned himself in to the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda, seven years after an indictment from the International Criminal Court. Read what Sasha Lezhnev, senior policy analyst at the Enough Project, thinks this means moving forward here.

-Former Irish president Mary Robinson was announced as the new U.N. Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region of Africa, and will be focused on supporting the implementation of the recently signed Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region of Africa.

-Representative Karen Bass (D-CA) introduced a resolution in the House on March 21, 2013 calling for increased efforts by Members of Congress, the Administration and the international community to work towards achieving long-term peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Read the full text of H.Res. 131 here.

-The U.N. Security Council unanimously voted to send a special peacekeeping brigade to the DRC to battle rebel groups in the eastern region. The "intervention brigade" of 2,500 is unprecendented in its offensive nature and will join the larger MONUSCO mission, extended until March 2014, in the DRC.

-Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, announced an agreement signed by Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo Mapon on March 30 to address the rampant sexual violence rates in the DRC, following a ten-day trip. Committments in the agreement include fighting impunity for such crimes, offering support services for surviviors, ensuring better control over mineral resources, and working with the state, NGOs, and donors to prevent future gender-based violence, among others.

Art Works Studio School in Mt. Rainier, MD

As part of our team has recently moved to the Washington D.C. area to prepare for the installation in June, we've spent the last few weeks meeting with many like-minded organizations, leaders of faith, and local youth to find a base of support over the next several months. It's been so energizing to meet with such enthusiastic and passionate people!

We were lucky enough to be invited to attend an open studio event last Sunday, February 10, at Art Works Studio School just outside of the District of Columbia. Art Works is a community art space that is committed to offering affordable arts education and an opportunity for emerging artists to showcase their talent. Our D.C. Coordinators Kate and Rochelle have been working with Art Works for some time and we were so excited to finally meet everyone there!

The event on Sunday was truly more than we could have ever imagined. Around 100 community members and neighbors stopped by to make bones and learn more about the project, and our total bone count was 1,023 at the day's end!  Art Works Studio School founder Barabara Johnson graciously hosted the event and shared with us the history and mission of the organization and was certainly our biggest cheerleader! Also in attendence was Margaret Boozer of nearby Red Dirt Studio, who generously agreed to fire the bones made. oAbout mid-day, we were surprised by a visit from the Northwestern High School Choir, who graced us with some beautiful a cappella songs. The group of students are working to fundraise for a trip to the Ihlombe South Africa Choral Festival in July and we are sure that they would knock the socks off anyone who gets the chance to take a listen! The students were so supportive of the project and they all stuck around after their performance to contribute to Art Works' goal of 10,000 bones.

We can't wait to continue working with Art Works and Red Dirt during our time in D.C. It's relationships like these that become some of our favorite memories along the way...small, but passionate communities coming together to champion the project and create their own unique experience in the process.

Many thanks to Barbara Johnson and Art Works Studio School for sharing these photos of the event:

 

Guest Blog from our Connecticut State Coordinator, Mary Quintas

Fantastic things are happening in the One Million Bones Connecticut chapter, where I am lucky enough to be the state coordinator.  In November, Yale University’s Genocide Action Project hosted two One Million Bones events: a gallery exhibit featuring bones made by CT high school students, and a speaking engagement with our Founder and Director Naomi Natale.

The exhibit included over 200 bones made by students at Common Ground High School and Norwich Technical High School; thank you to the students for creating such beautiful bones, and to art teachers Joan Malerba-Foran and Emily Cole Hayes for facilitating the project at their schools.

Bones were displayed in front of filmed testimonials of genocide survivors and perpetrators; the juxtaposition intensified the impact of the installation.

 

Quotes from genocide and holocaust survivors were projected onto the opposite wall. 

Opening night attendees also raised funds by making bones from newspaper and masking tape.

At Yale’s Pierson College, Naomi spoke about her personal journey towards founding One Million Bones, the importance of creating a visible movement, and the ways in which communities across the country have adopted the project.  Naomi said that when the issues and the work feel overwhelming, she and the Albuquerque team make bones.  This resonated with me a great deal.  One of the amazing things about this project is that, when you feel helpless in the face of these massive issues, there is a specific action you can take.

I’d like to take this opportunity as guest blogger to say how rewarding it is to work with the One Million Bones team, as well as the participating educators, artists, and students in Connecticut.  If you’re interested in getting involved or learning more about the CT chapter, email me at mary.onemillionbones@gmail.com, visit our Facebook page, and check out this article about Vernon Center School working towards their goal of 1000 bones!