Below is a bio that I had to submit for something particular, related to Miss AfriCanada. I encourage you all to read it, to gain a better sense of who I am. It also discusses some of things I will be working on, or accomplishing this new year. So, check it out:
Christine Likwekwe Kitoko – Bio
My
name is Christine Likwekwe Kitoko, and I was crowned Miss AfriCanada 2012 on
August 11th, 2012. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), I
have always felt strong ties to my cultural origins, despite the fact that I
was raised in Canada and have acquired a proud Canadian identity. It is what
encouraged me to participate in the Miss AfriCanada Pageant; I wanted to
showcase the pride I felt in my Congolese heritage. In so doing, I also aimed
to raise awareness about the sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) happening
en masse, in the eastern DRC, in the midst of the civil war. The war is a
result of conflict over minerals, among many things, in which civilian
communities are being terrorized and destroyed through the sexual brutality
inflicted upon women. From the time I was 16 years old, it has been my cause to
inform people about this issue, because the SGBV happening in the Congo is
labeled as being worse than anywhere else in the world.
Today, as Miss AfriCanada, I continue with this cause
by holding fundraisers in my local community, in support of Panzi Hospital in
Bukavu, DRC. The hospital is a major treatment and recovery centre for victims
of SGBV in the region. Since reading about the work that has been done by its
director and lead surgeon Dr. Denis Mukwege, in helping to repair these women’s
lives, I have felt compelled to do my share as well. My first fundraiser,
titled A Night for Change, A Night for
the Congo was held on October 20th, 2012 for Congo Week. It
proved to be a great success, and allowed us to receive over $1000 in
donations. Our ultimate goal is to raise $2000 for Panzi Hospital, so that the
funds can be donated all at once. Moreover, I will be now be working through my
official charity organization Hands for
the Heart, to continue to do my work for the Congo. Certain things that I
have planned for this year, in support of my cause include: the Cupcakes for Congo bake sales (Feb. 1st,
12th, and 14th), A
Night for Change, A Night for the Congo: Montreal, a D.I.Y. hair care and
beauty day fundraiser, for young girls and women, and a month-long trip back to
the DRC during the summer. A way to keep up-to-date with what I am doing, is to
regularly verify the posts I add onto my blog Miss AfriCanada Journey, where I write about my experiences and
endeavors as the 2012 Queen.
Aside from being Miss AfriCanada, I am also a 3rd
year student at York University, enrolled in the 4 years B.A. Honors program of
International Development Studies. As a development enthusiast, global
political and social issues have always interested me. It is what has lead me
to undertake different initiatives and to participate in various organizations,
dealing with the matter. My earliest form of involvement in a club relating to
this field, was in The Social Justice
Club of my former secondary school. It helped me develop a sense of social
responsibility, and to choose my area of study for postsecondary school. Since
then, not only has my knowledge and understanding of global development issues
increased, but I have felt intrigued to acquire experience working in the field
as well. It is why I believe that my title as Miss AfriCanada has been so
well-suited. It has continued to provide me with opportunities to see and be
involved in community and development work, not only at the local level, but
internationally as well. Raising money for Panzi Hospital is only the first
step in carrying out my initiative globally; travelling to the Congo and being
able to work on-site will be my ultimate achievement. It is, therefore,
something I look forward to accomplishing.
This post serves the purpose of explaining to you why my initiative leans torwards making a difference for the women of eastern Congo, as it may appear that I am leaving out the rest of the people and the rest of the country. Furthermore, I will explain my choice of Panzi Hospital as being the recipient of the money we continue to raise.
Firstly, based on my general knowledge and understanding of the DRC's situation, I can tell you that the entire country is in trouble. The citizens residing outside of the war zones in eastern Congo may not be directly affected by the civil war in the sense that they're not being physically hurt, abused, murdered, and traumatized, however the effects of the war remain prevalent and visible in the current state of the entire country.
Although the war in Congo is extremely complex, and fueled by politics and capitalism, there is a general consensus among those who have examined the situation that it is strategically maintained and carried out for the purpose of destabilizing the country, to make way for the illegal exploitation of the its vast resources. Due to the fact that the resources that are most high in demand (ahem coltan, for example) preside in the eastern region of the country (so far as we know, because over 80% of the Congo's resources have yet to be explored, due to the depths of its forests), the war is consequently being carried out there. As a result, I choose to focus my efforts on drawing attention to the situation of the eastern region, because the ending of that war would at the very least provide the chance for the Congolese to rebuild their country and to live in peace (something they have had little, to none of, ever since the post-colonial era began). Nevertheless, poverty and suffering is prevalent throughout the entire nation. This is evident, for example, though the lack of social structures that are in-place to support civilians and provide them the chance for upward mobility. In the Congo, just as in all other economically developing countries, social services such as education and health care are privatized, meaning that people have to pay to have access to them. However, this is problematic because the majority of the population is formally unemployed and lives on a day-to-day basis, therefore has a difficult time keeping up with such costs that arise, when they barely have enough to take care of themselves and their families. Furthermore, there are enormous economic disparities in the Congo, meaning that the richest minority lives side-by-side to the poorest majority, and take advantage of the system of exploitation to maintain their wealth and power, at the expense of the poor. So, in this sense, yes, the entire country is in trouble. However, I don't wish to be broad or too general about the important projects that I undertake. It's why instead of talking about all of the the Congo's endless problems (and I don't say that light-heartedly), I choose to focus on the sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) against women, in the eastern region of the country, where the war is prevalent.
This is not to say that the rest of the country does not suffer from SGBV, patriarchy, or gender inequalities (in reality, the entire world is in the same situation), but it is simply to say that the case of eastern Congo is overwhelmingly worse. The atrocities committed against women, range and vary from burying them alive, gang raping them, raping them with sticks and object, to mutilating their vaginas and other parts of their bodies... And it is not an issue to be taken lightly. Therefore, as a woman first and foremost, I choose to take a stand against it.
Regarding Panzi General Referral Hospital in South Kivu, I chose it as organization to raise funds for because I felt that the stories I read about some of the patients from that hospital marked me, and led me to develop in interest in the issue of SGBV in the Congo, as I had previously been unaware of it. I believe that Dr. Denis Mukwege, who is the founder and director of the hospital, is doing a great job in providing a recovery centre for the women who fell victims to sexual abuse in eastern Congo. Therefore, I wanted to direct part of my efforts towards supporting his hospital.
If I can at least make a difference in one particular area of this complex and unfortunate situation, then I will feel good, and not in a bashful manner, but in the sense that I am at least doing something. I am at least caring. That's what's important. In conclusion, I leave you with the following words: the problem is not that the Congo does not have enough potential, but rather that it has too much of it. Exapand on that.
Until then, remember to #BreakTheSilence and keep up-to-date with the new things I will be doing this year for my cause.
"Why do soldiers rape?" by Maria Eriksson Baaz, for those of you (e.g. university students) who have access to ejournals or who don't mind purchasing them
I recently had an interview with Raïssa Nkuba, the editor of Afri-Culture Magazine (who is also Congolese, if I may add), in which I got to answer some pretty thought-provoking questions. Check out the full article by clicking the following link: Afri-Culture Interview With: Miss AfriCanada 2012, Christine Kitoko
Me with mom and dad. I love them more than anything else in this world, and they supported me more than anyone in all of this. God bless them.
So I'm finally finding time to write a new entry about my recently held fundraiser, great. As you all know, "A Night for change, A night for Congo" was to raise awareness about gender-based violence in eastern Congo, and to raise funds for Panzi Hopsital in Bukavu. And I can confidently say that both goals were accomplished with success. In terms of donations, we received over $700 worth of money for the cause, and plenty of people congratulated me afterwards; saying that they had learned so much about the issue at hand. And quite honestly, I must say that I am very proud of myself. I remember all the stress and disappointments and discouragement I felt during the planning of this event, to the point that I wanted to abandon the idea several times. It was a lot of sweat and tears (literally) that went into turning this vision into a reality, and I feel so blessed that God gave me the perseverance to see it through, with my parents who were constantly behind me. I also learned very many things in terms of the complexity of planning an event, and I can assure you that I won't be repeating my mistakes. Quite frankly, a lot of people disappointed me throughout this journey; people who said that they were going to help out or show-up, and that never did, or the troubles I faced in finding an actual venue etc... The letdowns and the difficulties sucked big-time. However, at least now I've established a solid network of those who I can trust and depend on for the future, and I've learned that you definitely have to plan these things in advance and not while you're in school! Otherwise, the night of the fundraiser went very well. My performers did a very good job, the DJ was on point, the vendors had nice things on display, and the audience was very responsive. Not to mention all the other supporters such as the sponsors, and my family and friends, they were amazing. Therefore, I'm just glad that amid all the stress (emphasis on that!!!) I felt that night (like having 2 missing performers, for example), no one besides me noticed anything wrong, and everyone enjoyed themselves.
With that being said and done, I'm definitely taking a little break from all things Congo related for a short while, so I can just re-catch my breath and make-up for my lack of focus on school things lately! However, I will never lose my passion for the cause of helping Congolese people, because it is truly and honestly something I love doing with all of my heart. Social injustice is a very unfortunate thing, but God has also given us the ability to love each other, and it's the only real "weapon" we can use to combat injustice. Furthermore, since love can be manifested in many different ways, I encourage all people to find ways to bring it to others, especially through social activism.
The details for my event
are finally set in stone, yay! On October 20th, 2012, I'll be holding my very
first fundraiser as Ms AfriCanada 2012 in support of the women of Eastern
Congo. Although it's a bit nerve-wracking because I’ve never taken charge of
planning an event like this before, I can only have high hopes it will go off
well. I feel so blessed by God for all of these opportunities so far, and I look
very forward to the event night. It will include an educational documentary, a special guest speaker, and a variety of performances by local African Canadian artists. So, hope to see you all there. – And big thanks
to Audrey Chia for her help with the poster!
Below is the trailer of the film we'll be watching.
This past Saturday, I was invited to attend The Bright Light event, organised by Sierra Global, in order to fund-raise and create awareness about Youth homelessness in Toronto and the war survivors of Sierra Leone. As well, I was asked to present an award to the Doctors Without Borders organisation, while I was there. And I must say, the event was impressively put together. In terms of performances, the two dance groups that presented (one called something like Creole Ballet, and the other an African dance group) were very entertaining and lively, and regarding the appearance of the event, it was lovely. I really admired the fact that all the female organsiers of that night were dressed in green dresses of different styles, made from silky fabric, traditionally used in West Africa. I wish I could've taken a picture of them all together, but they were all dispersed and sometimes it was hard to catch a glimpse of what was going on from where I sat (the very last photo gives you a peek). Nevertheless, I was pleased to attend the event that day, and below are a few pics I managed to get (I know they're not the best quality).- Also, there was a hilarious moment, when the African dance group was performing; a child (I presume of one of the dancers') followed them to the centre of the room and began dancing with them, completely oblivious of the audience which was dying of laughter. She knew all the moves, and at some point even sat on the floor to remove her shoes and socks, so she could be barefoot with the dancers. Hahahaha, I was amazed. She even bowed down at the end with all of them!
Below is a bio that I had to submit for something particular, related to Miss AfriCanada. I encourage you all to read it, to gain a better sense of who I am. It also discusses some of things I will be working on, or accomplishing this new year. So, check it out:
The details for my event
are finally set in stone, yay! On October 20th, 2012, I'll be holding my very
first fundraiser as Ms AfriCanada 2012 in support of the women of Eastern
Congo. Although it's a bit nerve-wracking because I’ve never taken charge of
planning an event like this before, I can only have high hopes it will go off
well. I feel so blessed by God for all of these opportunities so far, and I look
very forward to the event night. It will include an educational documentary, a special guest speaker, and a variety of performances by local African Canadian artists. So, hope to see you all there. – And big thanks
to Audrey Chia for her 
This past Saturday, I was invited to attend The Bright Light event, organised by Sierra Global, in order to fund-raise and create awareness about Youth homelessness in Toronto and the war survivors of Sierra Leone. As well, I was asked to present an award to the Doctors Without Borders organisation, while I was there. And I must say, the event was impressively put together. In terms of performances, the two dance groups that presented (one called something like Creole Ballet, and the other an African dance group) were very entertaining and lively, and regarding the appearance of the event, it was lovely. I really admired the fact that all the female organsiers of that night were dressed in green dresses of different styles, made from silky fabric, traditionally used in West Africa. I wish I could've taken a picture of them all together, but they were all dispersed and sometimes it was hard to catch a glimpse of what was going on from where I sat (the very last photo gives you a peek). Nevertheless, I was pleased to attend the event that day, and below are a few pics I managed to get (I know they're not the best quality).- Also, there was a hilarious moment, when the African dance group was performing; a child (I presume of one of the dancers') followed them to the centre of the room and began dancing with them, completely oblivious of the audience which was dying of laughter. She knew all the moves, and at some point even sat on the floor to remove her shoes and socks, so she could be barefoot with the dancers. Hahahaha, I was amazed. She even bowed down at the end with all of them!
