congo

 
A lengthy radio interview with director Lisa F. Jackson, director of The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo, for Talking Stick TV. Jackson discusses her own gang rape as a young woman living in Washington, DC. and how that influenced her relationships with the many women interviewed for the film.
 
Jackson was able to interview not only the victims of this silent war but also the perpetrators. Many of the problems began after the Rwandan civil war when Hutu militia crossed the border. It has since become a strategy of war. This is compounded by a culture of impunity where most of the rapes go unpunished.
 
The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo screens Tuesday, March 2nd, 9 PM at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, part of the 7th annual Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival.
 
Buy your tickets to The Greatest Silence.
 

 
An excerpt from Lisa F. Jackson’s documentary film, The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo, in which Congolese soldiers talk about the tribal motivations behind the systematic rape of female civilians in the Eastern Congo. For many, rape is a powerful magic, which makes them stronger in battle. Several of the soldiers confessed to raping more than 10 women but concluded that their actions were far less serious than those of Hutu militia living in the forests.
 
The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo screens Tuesday, March 2nd, 9 PM at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, part of the 7th annual Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival.
 
Buy your tickets to The Greatest Silence.
 

 
Sundance Channel “Meet The Director” interview with Lisa F. Jackson, director of The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo.
 
The film’s website has an outreach page with a reading list for those who want to know more, links to organizations working in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where donations can be made, and a downloadable “how to help” one-pager.
 
The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo screens Tuesday, March 2nd, 9 PM at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, part of the 7th annual Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival.
 
Buy your tickets to The Greatest Silence.
 

Breaking through barriers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reveals the ravages of a decade-long civil war. The myriad of casualties is overwhelming, but most disturbing is when victims remain silent and invisible.

While some documentaries address humanitarian issues from a distance, the most powerful provide a direct voice from survivors who are willing to recount their stories. The Greatest Silence shares the intimate, harrowing, and unfathomable stories of many women who have been systematically kidnapped, raped, mutilated, and tortured by soldiers from both foreign militias and the Congolese army.

Emmy Award-winning director Lisa F. Jackson spent a year in the war zones of eastern DRC, gaining the trust of many participants during her travels to hospitals, shelters, and remote jungle villages.What sets her film apart is her willingness to approach soldiers from the Congolese army who recount their horrendous acts and appear to lack any remorse or accountability.

Jackson’s own history as a rape survivor brings her closer to her subjects, while their testimony shows their strength, dignity and perseverance to move forward in their lives and not hide in the shadows of their terror.

Program Notes by Alex Rogalski