A Tribute to Kisingani

Hi Everyone! So after hearing Peter tell us about the genocide in Kisingani in 2001 and watching the video of Faustin Linyekula dancing, I was inspired to write a poem for my reflection last week, in tribute of what happened in Kisingani and how beautiful things can still happen in the midst of such destruction. Enjoy!

In the aftermath of bullet showers,
Smoking guns, screams of terror, cries of agony,
All is quiet.
The Congo still ebbs and flows as it always does,
Even as its waters mix with the blood of massacred bodies,
A deadly peaceful and horrifying sight.

In the aftermath of fatal explosions,
Bombings, dying innocents,
All is not lost.
A makeshift space among the ruins of a building,
A few dancers doing what they do best,
A willing crowd gathering to watch spontaneity,
And creative passion once again reigns supreme.

In the aftermath of destruction,
All is quiet,
But all is not lost.