Congo Connect | Photography exhibition

'I Dream of Congo: Narratives from The Great Lakes' is an exhibition combining words and images from renowned international creatives alongside an exhibition of photos taken by women in eastern Congo, produced by Congo Connect. The exhibition celebrates the resilience in the region despite years of war, whilst posing hard questions around the international community’s inaction in the face of the conflict, the continuing illicit trade in minerals from Congo and the failure to stem the tide of sexual violence.

The exhibition was first shown at Conway Hall, London, before moving on to other venues in the UK. In 2015 it was displayed at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London's Excel Centre, spearheaded by William Hague and Angelina Jolie. At this summit Congo Connect hosted an event and film screening with Dr Denis Mukwege, Founder of Panzi Hospital and Vava Tampa, Founder of Save the Congo.

Exhibition concept and production: JJ Bola, Millie Harvey, Natasha Makengo, Gerri McHugh, Baraka Rumamba, Vava Tampa, Leonie Taylor, Nicola York
Exhibition design: Millie Harvey
Curation of writers: Nicola York
Walungu camera project: devised and produced by Millie Harvey, facilitated by Women for Women International
Production assistants: Jenni Smout and Leonie Taylor
Thanks to Nick Barnett at Bayeux Printers
Documentation photography: Millie Harvey

Outcomes
William Hague's letter to Congo Connect
Foreign Secretary William Hague wrote to Congo Connect on 1 May 2013, thanking the organisation for it's postcard campaign, which it ran during the exhibition. The campaign saw over 300 postcards sent to the Foreign Secretary by people who had attended and were moved by the issues highlighted in the exhibition. The campaign asked Mr Hague to urgently tackle sexual violence and impunity in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The letter from Mr Hague in reply to our campaign set out the action the UK government was taking to tackle the problems of sexual violence, impunity and conflict in eastern DRC

Press coverage
The Lancet
The Huffington Post
The British Journal of Photography
The Evening Standard
Violence in DR Congo could abate if international community takes decisive action
Women’s views on news