{"id":24534,"date":"2025-06-11T10:49:38","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T14:49:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/africa\/?p=24534"},"modified":"2025-06-11T14:14:48","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T18:14:48","slug":"humanizing-the-congo-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/africa\/2025\/06\/11\/humanizing-the-congo-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Humanizing The Congo"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span>This event showcases a mini-documentary titled \u201cHumanizing The Congo,\u201d directed by M\u2019munga Songolo (Pardee \u201925). In it, M\u2019munga interviews two individuals from Eastern Congo, a region currently experiencing ongoing conflict. Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bjoDGKGMWOQ\">here<\/a> to watch the documentary.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"responsiveVideo responsive-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Humanizing the Congo\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bjoDGKGMWOQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><span>Below is the introduction for each of the panelists as well as links for all of them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Asukulu Songolo<\/b><span>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0 As\u00f9k\u00f9l\u00f9 Songolo is the founder and creative director of the Lu\u00f9ndo clothing brand\u2014a name that means &#8220;love&#8221; in Kibembe, the tribal language of his Congolese heritage.\u00a0 A<\/span><span class=\"x_gmail-relative x_gmail--mx-px x_gmail-my-[-0.2rem] x_gmail-rounded x_gmail-px-px x_gmail-py-[0.2rem] x_gmail-transition-colors x_gmail-duration-100 x_ease-in-out\">\u00a0Zambian-born, Congolese-American raised in Portland, Oregon\u2014launched<span>\u00a0<\/span><b>Lu\u00f9ndo<\/b><span>\u00a0<\/span>during his studies at Stanford, fusing traditional Congolese aesthetics and modern silhouettes across suits, dresses, and everyday wear<\/span><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0His first collection, called\u00a0<\/span><strong>Emo<\/strong><span>\u00a0(meaning &#8220;one&#8221; or &#8220;kibembe for one&#8221;), serves as a deeply personal tribute to his identity and cultural roots\u2014it\u2019s named after his tribe and is meant to celebrate it. His second body of work,\u00a0<\/span><strong>Lipanda Yetu<\/strong><span>, is an anniversary collection that marks a significant milestone for the brand, showcasing a thoughtful evolution of his design ethos while honoring his past creations. Through his work, Songolo seeks to elevate African culture in mainstream fashina and create opportunities for youth and artisans in Congo and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n<div><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n<div><b>Links:<\/b><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>1.\u00a0<a data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/luundo.official\/\" title=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/luundo.official\/\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/luundo.official\/<\/a><\/div>\n<div>2.\u00a0<a data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/asu.kulu\/\" title=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/asu.kulu\/\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/asu.kulu\/<\/a><\/div>\n<div>3.\u00a0<a data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/stanfordmag.org\/contents\/meet-asukulu-songolo\" title=\"https:\/\/stanfordmag.org\/contents\/meet-asukulu-songolo\">https:\/\/stanfordmag.org\/contents\/meet-asukulu-songolo<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>4.\u00a0<a data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=znYe8e7SY_4\" title=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=znYe8e7SY_4\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=znYe8e7SY_4<\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b>Eca-Etabo Wasongolo<\/b><span>\u00a0<\/span>&#8211;\u00a0 Eca Etabo Wasongolo is a<span>\u00a0<\/span><b>community organizer<\/b><span>\u00a0<\/span>at<span>\u00a0<\/span><b>Village Gardens<\/b>, a Portland-based nonprofit that builds food and economic resilience among marginalized communities. Each year, he trains around 15 refugees in how to grow and market food\u2014many of whom begin selling produce at the Village Market and some of whom go on to launch their own farm businesses. With a background in<span>\u00a0<\/span><b>agriculture<\/b>,<span>\u00a0<\/span><b>science<\/b>, and<span>\u00a0<\/span><b>development<\/b>, and fluency in multiple languages including Swahili, Kibembe, Nyanja, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, French, and English, Wasongolo is uniquely equipped for this work. But his greatest strength may be his lived experience. A former refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, he fled civil war after being targeted for helping Burundian and Rwandan refugees. Since resettling in the U.S., Wasongolo has dedicated his life to helping others reclaim their power, rebuild their lives, and grow thriving futures\u2014just as he has.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b>Links:<\/b><\/div>\n<div>1.\u00a0<a data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/capitalpress.com\/2021\/01\/15\/from-suffering-to-opportunity-former-refugee-empowers-people-to-farm\/\" title=\"https:\/\/capitalpress.com\/2021\/01\/15\/from-suffering-to-opportunity-former-refugee-empowers-people-to-farm\/\">https:\/\/capitalpress.com\/2021\/01\/15\/from-suffering-to-opportunity-former-refugee-empowers-people-to-farm\/<\/a><\/div>\n<div>2.\u00a0<a data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.growing-gardens.org\/think-tank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.growing-gardens.org\/think-tank\">https:\/\/www.growing-gardens.org\/think-tank<\/a><\/div>\n<div>3.\u00a0<a data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nrcs_oregon\/52130562194\" title=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nrcs_oregon\/52130562194\">https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nrcs_oregon\/52130562194<\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b>Friends of Congo &#8211;\u00a0<\/b>Friends of Congo is a<span>\u00a0<\/span><b>global solidarity network<\/b><span>\u00a0<\/span>committed to uplifting the Congolese people in their pursuit of peace, justice, and self-determination. Through education, advocacy, and grassroots organizing, the organization<span>\u00a0<\/span><b>amplifies Congolese voices<\/b>,<span>\u00a0<\/span><b>raises awareness<\/b><span>\u00a0<\/span>about the country\u2019s ongoing struggles and resilience, and mobilizes support for sustainable, locally-led change.<b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b>Links:<\/b><\/div>\n<div>1.\u00a0<a data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/friendsofthecongo.org\/\" title=\"https:\/\/friendsofthecongo.org\/\">https:\/\/friendsofthecongo.org\/<\/a><\/div>\n<div>2.\u00a0<a data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/friendsofthecongo.org\/donations\/donate\/\" title=\"https:\/\/friendsofthecongo.org\/donations\/donate\/\">https:\/\/friendsofthecongo.org\/donations\/donate\/<\/a><\/div>\n<div>3.\u00a0<a data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/congofriends\/?hl=en\" title=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/congofriends\/?hl=en\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/congofriends\/?hl=en<\/a><\/div>\n<div>4.\u00a0<a data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@congofriends\/videos\" title=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@congofriends\/videos\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@congofriends\/videos<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This event showcases a mini-documentary titled \u201cHumanizing The Congo,\u201d directed by M\u2019munga Songolo (Pardee \u201925). In it, M\u2019munga interviews two individuals from Eastern Congo, a region currently experiencing ongoing conflict. Click here to watch the documentary. &nbsp; Below is the introduction for each of the panelists as well as links for all of them.\u00a0 Asukulu [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24099,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24534"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24099"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24534"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24537,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24534\/revisions\/24537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}