FORGOTTEN GENOCIDE, WORSE THAN HITLER

by Simeon Nkola Matamba ( Follow on Twitter )

                               King Leopold II of Belgium (1835-1909)



The Twentieth Century is known to be one of the most tense periods in modern history. Starting with the First World War, nations would engage in a larger and deadlier conflict, the Second World War. One of the headlines of the Second World War is the Holocaust, a genocide in which 6,000,000 jews died. Down through the century, conflicts and wars characterised human existence, untill the rwandan genocide in 1994. The duty to study history makes us ensure we remember those two genocides, in which lives came to a brutal end. Nevertheless, another tragedy remains overlooked. A tragedy whose horror is more terrifying than the mentioned twos. The forgotten genocide took place in the "Congo Free State" (1885-1908), orchestrated by worse than Hitler. Leopold II, king of Belgium, owns the record Hitler was not able to break. The Congo Free State genocide in which our fathers died, is a nonevent for many. A forgotten genocide, a forgotten story.

Leopold II, uncomfortable in his tiny domain, would convince the international community to let him occupy the country now known as "Democratic Republic Of The Congo". The intent was to bring development and spread civilization in faraway lands of Africa. European nations in deep naivety let him get his "slice of the african cake", as the need to free Africa from Middle Ages was compulsory. Leopold II inherited the land, eighty times as big as the tiny belgian kingdom. Leopold II owned the whole territory of DRC as a private property, forcing natives to work to exhaustion, in collecting rubber and ivory in the jungle. Brutal mistreatment of natives followed. When quotas of rubber were not reached, relatives of men working in the biggest Gulag camp, worse than Stalin's, had hands chopped off.

Resorting to murder, starvation, exhaustion, exposure, disease against local people, Leopold II brought masses into subjection. The death toll is believed to number up to at least 10,000,000. That is more than the shoah and the rwandan genocide combined. The tragedy inspired Joseph Conrad to write "Heart Of Darkness", describing the nightmarish condition in  which worse than Hitler had put millions. Others like Arthur Conan Doyle also raised voices to denounce atrocities commited by Leopold II, in the land ironically named Congo Free State. Doyle had to mention in his book The Crime Of The Congo what follows :"Finally Mr. Murphy says: "The rubber question is accountable for most of the horrors perpetrated in the Congo. It has reduced the people to a state of utter despair. Each town in the district is forced to bring a certain quantity to the headquarters of the Commissary every Sunday. It is collected by force; the soldiers drive the people into the bush, if they will not go they are shot down, their left hands being cut off and taken as trophies to the Commissary. The soldiers do not care whom they shoot down, and they most often shoot poor helpless women and harmless children. These hands -- the hands of men, women and children -- are placed in rows before the Commissary, who counts them to see the soldiers have not wasted the cartridges. The Commissary is paid a commission of about a penny per pound upon all the rubber he gets; it is, therefore, to his interest to get as much as he can." "

The Congo Reform Association and many others, came to realize that the humanitarian and philanthropic mission of Leopold II consisted of creating an industry of death in the heart of Africa. Human rights violations were denounced, and when Leopold II passed away, the Congo Free State fell under the control of Belgium. Fifty-two years had yet to pass before congolese snatched their independence. That period is not among the most glorious times of our history. Even though Leopold II was no more, the same colonial objective was being pursued by his successor, denying and violating human rights. Campaigners of civilization behaved savagely, showing a retarded behavior that natives met only in the jungle where there is no law.

No one hears about this genocide. There is no Yad Vashem to honor the memory of our victims. There is no international concern to remember that tragedy like in other cases. There is injustice in writing history. That is why we decide to take our pens to write. We decide to tell our stories. Passed are the times the gospel of news was delivered by the only ordained and consecrated medias. Passed are the times we all had to gather around the table to listen to a news bulletin. Comes the time we are all capable of bringing crowds to awareness of hidden realities that happened, that are about to happen in our lands. Comes the time we don't care about mainstream medias, whose role is nothing but excelling in manipulating and subjugating masses, forcing millions around the globe to swallow dirty matters of propaganda. Comes the time the memory of Leopold II victims has to be remembered, by all who have a sense of humanity in the current decaying condition of the world.



                         

          FEMINISM, NOT FEMADNISM!

by Simeon Nkola Matamba ( Follow on Twitter )

You suppport woman's cause, you fight for human rights and emancipation of women, I wish not to hurt you. Like you, I understand who women are and their contribution to mankind. No woman means no life. No life means death. We all cherish women in general and our mothers in particular. We are reminded how great is the role they played, that without them we wouldn't be here. But the cause of women has been hijacked by a minority. Vowing to be advocates of women,  they are destroying the very essence of womanhood. That is what I decide to call FEMADNISM, instead of feminism.

Some cultural backgrounds show that women remained in the backyard for long. Theories were developped, arguing that a woman cannot do more than childbearing and cooking food for her family. Today, minds are being transformed and wee see women having the right to education, enabling them to enter professional careers, giving their best and moving the world forward. This time not only with their wombs, but with other assets: their brains and minds. Women have proven that they are able to achieve great things when they are given opportunities. I myself have two little sisters, I want them to study and go far in terms of knowledge. Women deserve all of our respect and consideration. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go in respecting the rights of women in the world. I am from DRC, one of the countries where the rights of women are totally sabotaged.  DRC is the country where women have become a tool, being abused in the ongoing war, raped, trodden down. Those are stories that make us cringe.  Much has to be done and women deserve our support, to see to it that they gain their dignity, and occupy in our society the throne of honor.

But there is a movement nowadays that I find quite bizarre. The struggle for women's rights is one of the sacred causes one can commit their minds to. Unfortunately, some so-called feminists have adopted an approach totally absurd.  They go out topless to demonstrate,  showing off their bodies, as if that made any difference. So-called feminists will stand, defending prostitution and everything that goes with it, on the ground of women's rights. That is not feminism.  That's FEMADNISM. Femadnism because that's madness. Why not give back to women what they deserve? I never heard of those so-called feminists speak in favor of abused women in DRC, or little girls being married by bearded men who make them go through a calvary, or stand for any natural woman right. They are out there, shouting for some insignificant matter, meanwhile topless. Is that what feminism is about? That is certainly not what women need. That does not help the cause.

Women from all sides, the struggle is being hijacked as serious matters are not being adressed. A woman will never be fulfilled the day she is granted the right to walk naked or have sex with as many as partners she wants. If the struggle is about showing off one's body parts, or having sex, haven't female animals reached total emancipation? Woman's dignity is beyond that. Woman's  dignity is divine and sacred. May the struggle be focused on serious matters, such as education, security, opportunities,  rather than insignificant pieces of insignificance.

                             

                                    ILLUSIONISM

by Simeon Nkola Matamba ( Follow on Twitter )



As  I come to meet people and get acquainted to their views, plans and projects in life,  I came to a strange discovery. It deals with the standard from which every dream is built. Stories of success in terms of finances, assets and so forth, became a pattern to which every human achievement is compared. Easily, they want to be like Bill Gates who made his first million while very young, or any other rich person. I have nothing against such, and I myself would be proud and happy if I could realize what Gates did. The concern is that struggling to make one's life be like Gates' is more likely to fail, and is a proof of a lack of creativeness in bringing a new story of success, hence venturing to  live someone else's life.

Illusionism has led some to have big dreams with small work. Those ambitions of greatness have an ephemera effect on minds, like drugs, relieving the subject for a moment, while lost in fantasies and fairy tales. It would be appreciable if people had a clue on how to build their future.  However, they only have blind faith in something that doesn't exist nowhere, except in their minds. Faith is not blind, faith is real. When one gets into his car, they are sure they have enough strength in their hand to take the key and start the engine. Faith is knowledge of having the potential to fulfill greatness. Faith is not an illusion, faith is real.

I am a strong believer in myself and in people, but I also believe that sometimes we need to "take our heads off the clouds and hit the ground". Let every man work in accordance to his calling, let his dream be exceptional. There is no greatness in adopting someone else's path. There is glory in opening a way through a rock. Once we get there, we see life differently. When we are sure we have the elements to fulfill our dream, we don't dream but rather work. As a common saying states: "before a dream to become reality, one has to wake up".

                               

                 MOTHERLAND

by Simeon Nkola Matamba ( Follow on Twitter )

In the center of Africa is a land
Made of rivers, valleys, forest and sand
Full of minerals and full of riches
A place of rest and refuge for the troubled
A haven of rest, heart of a desired continent
Whose beauty and glory reminds of paradise

To the land desolate and away from people's sight
Came the first humans in the great adventure
How amazed they were to discover beauty of a jewel
That would attract the attention of many more
As the course of time carried on the race

From the North they came, not to contemplate the beauty of motherland
They came with lust and greediness to devastate and destroy
As mother was defenceless, her children were not strong enough
To make sure her beauty remains spotless
In the perfection her Creator bestowed upon her

Years of blood and years of shame
Oppression, humiliation and human's violence
Mother was stabbed in the heart, her precious children fell victims with bowed heads
As the world watched her blood run
Till the streams became like a river of death
In which martyrs of the independence drowned
With wolves around quenching their thirst

But in fact mother was in travail, having severe birth pains
About to bring forth a child
A child that finally stood strong and firm
Defying brutality and dominion of predators
Who looked confused without understanding
The driving force of their will
To be free from boundage and contemplate the beauty of mother

What a blast and what a thunder
In the ears and minds of oppressors
They were struck by a lightining
That blinded their colonial ambitions
Because the child was resolved to fight and bring mother to glory
To make her a paradise
In which future children would come
To enjoy the blessings of the land
And to kiss her with love of sons and daughters

Mother to whom we remain true, whose dress(flag) we honor
Mother that brought us into the world
And that opened the door of the worlds to us
Mother we will always love. Mother still young
Mother regenerating herself
Mother still flourishing with greatness
DRC our Motherland.

                         

HOMOSEXUALITY, WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

by Simeon Nkola Matamba ( Follow on Twitter )

        Today, human rights have become of great concern to everybody, political leaders and countries are judged by their way of dealing with people's rights and freedom. Western leaders are the ones advocating for human rights-though they violate them everyday with their NSA and whatever spying techniques, torturing people, Guantanamo and so forth-and some go as far as to deliver sermons of love and tolerance, as they mention Jesus and the Bible to support gay rights. I am writing about this issue to show what the Bible really says about same sex relations, so that people may know where to draw their arguments from and to show if there is any way to rest upon the Bible to be an advocate of homosexuality and gays.

Starting with Genesis which is the "seed book" of the Bible, we discover God's attitude towards homosexuality in the narrative of Sodom and Gomorrah. We find  in Genesis references about it as follows: Genesis 13, verse 13:"Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord." The story carries on like this: Genesis 19, verses 1 to 10 inclusive:"The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.“My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.” But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.  Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.” Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”  “Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.  But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door."

The story ends when God finally destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire in the same chapter from verse 23 to 28:"By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace." God's attitude towards homosexuality is clearly defined here.

Those supporting homosexuality on the ground of God's love must suffer that we present yet other biblical references because they are speaking about what they do not know. God driving the children of Israel out of Egypt in the great exodus told them not to imitate customs and habits of people living in Canaan at that time. Among those filthy habits homosexuality is once again mentioned,  as we can read in Leviticus 18 verse 23:"Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable." The Bible clearly condemns homosexuality and considers it as a sin! In the New Testament in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verses 9-11 the Bible says again:"Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who have sex with men, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

The point of this text was to show that the Bible is totally against homosexuality. There is no way to take the Bible and preach that God supports homosexuality. Standing for homosexuality tantamounts to standing against the Bible! Homosexuality is a choice that people make and they remain free to choose that. But the Bible is against that. Going through the scriptures-you have had the opportunity to read the Bible today- gives a clear understanding. God is a God of Love and compassion, forgiving sinners, but also a God of anger when people do what He declared to be wrong in His Bible. Our God, the One we believe in, is against homosexuality. I accept that people are free to be gays, but I totally refuse them the right to use the Bible to pretend it is acceptable. It is not acceptable, it is detestable.