VIRUNGA

Normally I would never discuss films or things I see on television but things change, especially for this.

Last night we watched the Netflix documentary “Virunga”, which follows a group of incredible individuals who risk their lives to protect the last mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At least that is what the basis of the story is, as well as the most gut wrenching, saddening and devastating part.

The film then grows into something much greater - if I had read the synopsis then there might have been a 0.01% chance I could have prepared myself for what was to come.

As we are all aware, though not as much as we like to think, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been in an almost continual flux of war, either from internal political issues or external. The catastrophic attacks on communities and the expanding rebel fighting groups have made for a very unstable country and can be accountable for over 5.4 million civilian deaths.

The M23 Rebellion is the latest group that has been fighting against the government in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since the formal end of the Second Congo War in 2003. This group, M23, is the one we see in Virunga and we are shown a driving force behind why they attack the National Park.

 

Virunga national park: 130 rangers have been killed in the last 20 years protecting the gorillas and other wild animals within the park. Photograph: Junior D. Kannah/AFP

A British oil company, SOCO International, were (and possibly still are) attempting to extract oil from Virunga National Park by any means possible. From bribing local security guards all the way up to the top Government Officials, from threatening locals who did not agree, to seemingly in talks with the M23 ‘Communication Leader’ in order for him to ‘calm the people down’.

What became apparent to me from watching the undercover footage shot by French investigative journalist, Mélanie Gouby, of her meeting with two SOCO employees/ contractors – one of which was a self-proclaimed mercenary - was that Virunga National Park is not just rich in oil but also abundant in iron ore and diamonds. Virunga National Park seems to be extremely plentiful in rare goods that the western world covets and therefore have little-to-no power to fight against such large corporations.

Just to make the situation even clearer for the viewer the mercenary, a somewhat evil man severely suffering from a backward conscious-compass, beautifully stated something along the lines of business is business and someone – SOCO International- was paying for the war. I will watch it again to find the exact quote, which will be much more poignant.

I love films like Blood Diamond and The Constant Gardener, and although they are based on truth and the horrific acts that are regularly happening in some African nations, you cannot help but feel a little disassociated as they have been ‘Hollywoodized’. The dramatic music, the actors you love and the somewhat happy ending all allow you to walk away at the end of the film and believe that all is well now.

Virunga does not give you such permission. It is calling on all those who watch it to act and to speak out for the rights of the communities who rely on the land and lake for farming and fishing and the wildlife.

I have honestly never felt so stunned and saddened by the way things are. It is not a worst-case scenario or the evil monster horror story, it is actually happening. Big corporations such as SOCO International have the power because they have the muscle and money to do so.

Upon looking into this I saw an article in The Guardian that explains: “Producers of the documentary Virunga, set in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) park which is home to many of the world’s remaining 800 mountain gorillas, will on Friday publish a list of all major British and international pension funds, companies and banks who back London-based Soco’s search for oil in some of the world’s most volatile regions. They include the Church of England investment fund, M&S, Aviva, Scottish Widows and several high street banks.”

I really hope The Guardian and  New York Times continue to keep readers up-to-date with the situation between SOCO and Virunga, and I too will continue to research what can be done.

 Emmanuel de Merode and Andre Bauma, caretaker of the gorillas in the park, attend the New York screening of Virunga. Photograph: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images