Kinshasa, August 3rd, 2025 (CPA) – The songs and the works of art have been considered as a means of giving voice to the ‘voiceless’ during Saturday’s commemoration in the Democratic Republic of Congo of the Congolese Genocide for Economic Gain (Genocost 2025), according to a statement from the Ministry of in charge of Culture consulted by the CPA. « The Ministry in charge of Culture, Arts and Heritage joins the entire nation in honouring the memory of millions of compatriots who were victims of Genocost, a genocide that has long been silenced, a painful tribute to avarice, silence and barbarism. Through our songs, dances, stories and works of art, we give voice to those whom violence has sought to silence. Culture also becomes our bulwark against erasure, our lever for reconstruction, » it is read in this official document. According to the source, Genocost is not only the memory of a tragedy, but also a powerful call for justice, a cry for remembrance, a fierce refusal to forget.
‘By honouring their memory, we affirm our desire to build a nation that stands tall, proud, resilient, united in its diversity, and faithful to its martyrs,’ the statement has informed. And it concluded: ‘May the earth of our ancestors be light upon them. For them, for us, for future generations: We will never forget.’ Initiated to commemorate the macabre memories of atrocities, the main motive for which remains the illegal exploitation of DRC’s natural resources, Congolese Genocide for Economic Gain Day (Genocost) originates from Article 28 of the law of December 26th, 2022 establishing the fundamental principles relating to the protection and reparation of victims of conflict-related sexual violence and victims of crimes against the peace and security of humanity. CPA/ SITA TATY JIMMY (SP) / JD (RCA)