The Congolese Community in Australia 2

Integration of the Congolese Community of Australia:

Why? How? Where we would like to be?

Situation in the Congo The history of the Congo has

been one of civil war and corruption

After independence in 1960, a series of coup attempts and violence lead to changing leadership and regimes

Despite hosting the largest United Nations Peacekeeping force in the world today – violence continues unabated

A peace deal was reached in 2003 - BUT civil war remains

What we have experienced

Congo is the worst emergency to unfold in Africa in recent decades

Approx 1,000 people die every day from war-relates causes including disease, hunger and violence – even today

Women and children are the majority of victims. Rape and sexual violence are endemic in the region

Every Congolese person (in Congo and here in Australia) has been be directly affected by the war which has lasted over 50 years

War and Refugees

Approx. 7 million people have died from causes associated with the conflict. 

Approx 1.4 million people remain internally displaced

There are approx 350,000 Congolese refugees in neighboring countries

The crisis in the Congo and the number of death is as significant and as devastating as the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide…yet the world is ‘blind’ to the plight of our people

The Congolese Community of Australia: Figures

In 2008 there were approx 1,368 Congolese in Australia – the majority arriving as refugees

Most have settled in WA, SA and NSW

In the last 5 years, we are one of the top 10 groups who arrive as humanitarian entrants (refugees)

We are a diverse community speaking 552 different dialects and having different customs and cultures

Not many Australians know of the situation in Congo so we face significant challenges when coming to Australia

The value of our contribution to Australia

We bring ethnic and cultural diversity

We have a willingness to learn and contribute to the economy

We are fluent in more than one language

We are ‘ambassadors’ and teach Australians about Africa and the Congo

We bring new music, food and culture to Australians

Challenges to Integration: Torture and Trauma

We need to address the effects of torture and trauma, loss, fear and guilt and acknowledge our women have suffered rape and sexual violence

Solution We need to address the issue of mental illness and the effects of

trauma and torture experienced by our people

Many Congolese live with this trauma and do not seek help

We need to talk as a community and with counsellors, psychologists and service providers

We need to understand our past, seek rehabilitation and have help to overcome our problems

When we do this, we can move forward together in our new lives in Australia

Challenge to Integration: Housing

Many Congolese come from big families and because of this, it is hard to find suitable housing

Solution We can fix this problem by

asking the Department of housing to allocate some properties for very large families or if they can give special consideration to Congolese families

Challenge to Integration: Unfamiliarity

Some service providers are unfamiliar with our needs as we are a small community and new to Australia

Government and service providers could not plan for our arrival

We may have limited English language skills because we come from a French speaking background

Solution We need to get together to determine our own future. We need to

have one Congolese ‘voice’

The Australian Government needs to involve and consult with us on planning issues to find solutions that will work and ‘fit’ with our culture

We need to concentrate in one place and be united to develop our own jobs and support services. If we are together as a community, we can achieve more in collaboration with government and service providers

Challenge of Integration: Social Adjustment

Many families come here as one unit but sometimes these family ties are broken For example, when Australian children are 18 they are expected to move out of home and be

an ‘adult’ The way we educate our families in Congo about freedom, money, life etc is different to what

young people learn here and this causes conflict in families

Solution There needs to be a process of learning this new culture but not

forgetting our own culture

When service providers or government design these processes, Congolese people must be involved

We have a number of Congolese working in community welfare organisations and we should use their expertise

Challenge to Integration: Employment

Many Congolese find it hard to get a job in Australia

It is difficult because we are an emerging community and we don’t have an established network of contacts

Solution We would like initiatives, or support from government to create our

own jobs within our community

For example, The African Food project in Blacktown. A Congolese refugee has set up a vegetable farm to create income, training and employment opportunities

We need opportunities to expand businesses like this and others as we have many skills within our community

How we can unite On Saturday 4th July the Congolese Community of Australia Inc. hosted

celebrations to mark anniversary of Congolese Independence Day. Congolese from Adelaide, Melbourne, Shepparton, Wollongong, Newcastle and Wagga Wagga came to our event.

It was attended by over 400 community members and others

Professional film maker recorded event

We have also visited all the states and consulted with the Congolese community in Adelaide, Brisbane, Wagga Wagga, Melbourne and Shepparton and Wollongong, Newcastle

We are planning to visit Perth, Darwin and Tasmania Congolese community to explain the benefits of working as one big community

Aim was to assist and support members of the Congolese community in Sydney, enhance integration and promote our strengths and cultures. It was a way to show the Federal Government how the Congolese community can come together and communicate in one voice, as one body

How we can unite Soccer game at the Impedance

Day celebrations

Soccer is a way to unite our young people. Our young people have travelled to SA and Vic to play other teams and we want to expand this

The young people are the future of our community

We are trying to set up a teleconference system

A teleconference will allow us to see each other and chat and act as one even though we are in different places

Unity Successful integration of

Congolese community into Australia requires: Unity

This is our time to work like one body, one family and one community to strengthen ourselves

A united community is a powerful community

Our Future As Patrice Emrie Lumumba says, we want to

make Congo the centre of the sun’s radiance and today is the start of his prophecy

I am named after this great man and was born at the place where he lost his life. I want to continue his dream

It is not a coincidence that today we come together in the Sunshine State – this conference marks the beginning of strengthening the Congolese community in Australia

We hope that the light from the goodwill and hope here today will shine on Congo

Coming together as a community we can voice the challenges facing the Congolese people in Australia and in Congo

As the sun rises over Australia to the world, we hope it will take with it our voice from Australia to Congo and all over the world

“We are going to make the Congo the centre of the sun's radiance for all of Africa” Patrice Lumumba, first Prime Minister of the Congo 30th June 1960.