Kinyarwanda (+ other Congolese Refugee Languages)
Language
Kinyarwanda is the language most commonly spoken by Congolese (Democratic Republic of Congo or DRC) refugees.
“While French is the official language of DRC and 4 national languages are considered to be primary languages (Lingala, Kiswahili, Kikongo, and Tshiluba), the majority of refugees resettling through the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) will speak Kinyarwanda, because they are from eastern DRC. Many Congolese refugees are multilingual, speaking their native language as well as Kiswahili or other regional languages. Refugees are often exposed to English through school and the media; however, proficiency in English is expected to be minimal.”
Source: CDC
Size and Distribution
DRC refugees are one of the largest newer groups of refugees in the state.
Making up almost half of refugee admissions in 2019, the DRC presence in the state is becoming very important for both schools and wider communities to plan for, even if they may not have the sheer number coming in at once that the Hmong had, for example.
The areas with the largest Congolese populations are shown at left. The Fox Cities and Milwaukee are the most popular.
Note that 2020 is not included here, but due to Covid especially, those numbers were quite low.
History
This is an incredibly powerful film. Note that Kinyarwanda is not the language spoken by most of those mentioned in this film, but it includes a lot of great information about how those in the Milwaukee community have worked with Congolese refugees who do not speak English.
Origins of Unrest
Independence from Belgium in 1960 created instability and set off the series of conflicts that are still afflicting the nation at present. Warning that the content that follows depicts violence.
“With the 1973 oil crisis and global collapse in commodity prices, the country’s economy deteriorated greatly. Despite economic reforms and slight improvements, the situation had become critical by the late 1980s.”
“For nearly 2 decades, DRC has been divided by armed conflict as a result of the First and Second Congo Wars (1996–1997 and 1998–2003,) and the Kivu Conflicts in eastern DRC (2004–present).”
“The DRC currently hosts more than half a million refugees [from Rwanda, the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Burundi] and five million internally displaced people (IDPs) - the largest IDP population in Africa.”
“Following the Rwandan genocide in 1994, millions of Rwandan refugees flooded into the eastern DRC. In 1996, Rwanda and Uganda invaded eastern DRC in an effort to locate the remaining perpetrators of the genocide, who were believed to be hiding in camps there.”
“In 1998, President Kabila ordered Rwandan and Ugandan forces to leave the eastern DRC, fearing invasion of the resource-rich territory by the 2 regional powers. This move sparked the beginning of the Second Congo War. With the involvement of 9 African countries and more than 20 armed militia groups, the Second Congo War is often referred to as “Africa’s World War” and is considered to be the deadliest global conflict since World War II.”
Image Source (and source of some of the quoted material): CDC
Kivu Conflict
“The Kivu conflict is an ongoing ethnic war over rights to natural resources located in the North/South Kivu region of Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa.”
“Through the effects of constant war and conflict, the North and South Kivu provinces have devolved into areas controlled by armed militia groups, but is primarily fought between the military of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and the Hutu Power group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Mass atrocities such as attacking villages, mass rape of women and girls, forced labor and forced recruitment of children continue to be committed to this day. According to the Jewish World Watch, "All sides of the conflict—the DRC’s army, neighboring government’s armies, rebel groups, and United Nations peacekeepers—have committed atrocities against the population."
“‘North and South Kivu are rich in minerals needed for the world today. According to Jewish World Watch, "Violence is being fueled by a multi-million dollar illicit mining industry of minerals such as the 3 Ts (tin, tantalum, and tungsten) that can be found in all of our electronic devices including: smartphones, gaming systems, computers, and military equipment.”’
Image and Information Source: ArcGIS Report
Resurgence of Ebola
“In addition to widespread violence from armed groups, many displaced people are facing major health risks. Since August 2018, the country has been battling the worst Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the country and the world’s second largest in history. The World Health Organization has declared the ongoing outbreak a public health emergency of international concern with more than 3,300 confirmed cases of infection and 2,200 deaths. The eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, which are most affected by the outbreak, are also the areas most affected by displacement and violence.”
Image and Information Source: UN
Arrival to US and Present
“Congolese migration to the United States has taken off since 2005, making the United States the second most popular Congolese destination outside Africa. Refugees and asylees represent a large share of Congolese obtaining permanent status in the United States, around 60 percent over the 2005-13 period). But the face of Congolese migration to the United States has been changing rapidly, with a growing share arriving via the diversity visa program (almost 40 percent of Congolese immigrants in 2013).”
Most recent refugee arrivals consist of family members joining others who are already settled in Wisconsin, a UN priority.
Click the screencap to access the video, or view it via this link: https://www.thenorthwestern.com/videos/life/2017/06/01/refugee-family-arrives-oshkosh/102394166/
Education and Further Reading
Prior to the United States
“Most Congolese adults arriving through the USRAP will not have had access to secondary education. Data from RSC-Africa show that 70% of Congolese over 18 years of age reported not having a high school diploma or higher level of education. […] It is known that girls attend schools at lower rates in DRC, so it is likely that the majority of refugees with no primary or high school education and low literacy levels are female.”
Learn about stories from Appleton schools:
Humans of Appleton North: Claude Muhire
Global community: Appleton's English learners communicate in 45 different home languages
Additional Sources and Further Reading:
Refugee Resettlement in Wisconsin, By the Numbers
Changes needed to help refugees in Wisconsin access higher education
Congolese refugee struggles to find work
From Republic of the Congo to Appleton, Wisc.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Migration History Marked by Crises and Restrictions