CROSSINGS the journey to peace


  • Photographer
    Carol Allen-Storey
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention
  • Company/Studios
    CASTOREY photography
  • Date of Photograph
    May-June 2013
  • Technical Info
    Canon 5D MARK II
Story

‘CROSSINGS’ offers a compelling glimpse into the lives of cross-border traders in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and illustrates the potential of this trade to contribute to peace in the region.

The DRC is the third largest country in Africa. Despite its vast mineral wealth, its people are among the poorest in the world. Decades of conflict have left the country devastated. Around two million Congolese citizens have been internally displaced from their homes in North and South Kivu, and hundreds of thousands more have fled to neighbouring countries. Today, armed groups control large areas in the east, creating insecurity and preying on a defenceless population. Combined with the inability of the state to adequately govern, this means that roads and other infrastructure remain dilapidated, millions of people are unable to access basic public services and young people struggle to find jobs. The situation of women has been particularly acute, with DRC bleakly described as the ‘rape capital of the world’.

Yet despite these troubles, life goes on in eastern DRC.

In a region where economic opportunities are limited, small-scale cross-border trade is one of the most important means for ordinary people to feed, clothe and educate their families. Three-quarters of these traders are women. International Alert, the peace building NGO believes cross-border trade offers an important opportunity for peace and prosperity in the region. Since 2009, Alert has been training women traders in business and cooperative skills, supporting dialogue with border officials and authorities, and raising awareness of the daily struggle traders face. Cross-border trade provides an income for tens of thousands of small traders, three-quarters of whom are women.

This trade is also a daily reminder of the strong economic links between DRC and its eastern neighbours, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, despite the political tensions between them. Cross-border trade opens up space for dialogue, fostering mutual tolerance and respect. So central is trade to life in the Great Lakes that in June last year, the World Bank announced $1billion dollars in new funding to help increase cross-border trade, as well as improve electricity supply and support other projects in the region. World Bank president Jim Yang Kim described the funding as “a major contributor to a lasting peace in the region”.

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