I painted this a little while ago in response to some of my blogs about our friends being treated unfairly. Around the same time I had started taking walks around the neighborhood when I could. I had a lot on my mind and winter has hurt any other attempts at exercising. As I walked I couldn’t help but think about what story was behind each fence. And how did the people at the big house interact with the people at the little house. This dynamic is a way of life here, but how do I fit. How many others suffer like my friends? So the painting is not perfect and may not deal with all of those issues. But those are some of the thoughts behind it.

On my walked the sun shines through the fading tall grasses and there is an interesting beauty and despair. It is much colder by the time I get home just before dusk, but it is one of my healthiest habits when I can get home in time.

World Council of Churches, DR Congo: after death of human rights activist, government must act responsibly

From World Council of Churches e-mail. 

 

media@wcc-coe.org

Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363

Congolese government must act after death of human rights activist

For immediate release: 04 June 2010

 

Deep concern over the recent death of Floribert Chebeya Bahizire and the "increased oppression against Congolese human rights defenders" during the past year was expressed by the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in a letter to the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 4 June.

Chebeya was the executive director of La Voix des Sans-Voix (Voice of the Voiceless), one of the DRC's most important human rights organizations.

Chebeya's body was found in his car Wednesday morning. He had been called to a meeting with the national police chief, which did not take place, the previous night. His driver is missing since then.

WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit urged the DRC government "to act as agents of the rule of law" and added: "The government has a responsibility to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of its citizens and should demonstrate this respect by conducting a full, open and transparent investigation into the death of Mr Floribert Chebeya Bahizire and the fate of his driver, Mr Fidele Bazana Edadi."

Speaking at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN investigator Philip Alston said the circumstances of the death "strongly suggested official responsibility". The DRC government has ordered an inquiry into the death.

La Voix des Sans-Voix is part of the WCC human rights defenders network in Africa. Chebeya was a member of the planning committee of a human rights workshop that the WCC and other Christian organizations held in Kinshasa last April.  At the ecumenical workshop, Congolese church leaders committed themselves to promote respect for human dignity and fundamental human rights.

Full text of the WCC general secretary's letter

WCC member churches in the DRC

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The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

Life is Tough

And I am told to be tough

Tough! As a woman

Tough! As a wife

Tough! As a mother

Tough! As an oppressed one

Why must I be tough?

In a world made rough?

Why must I be tough?

Where power is never enough

I must be tough…

For you my sons,

To have food and not guns,

I must be tough,

For you my sisters,

To gain power and not systems.

I must be tough,

For you my daughters

To ensure a spring of living waters.

I must be tough,

For you my brothers,

To give new vision to a word that bothers.

Life is so rough.

And I want to be tough.

 

-Angelene (Switzerland)

from first SHADE Sister 2 Sister newsletter I can across going through old files. Resonates with a lot of women I know here.