by Muadi Mukenge, Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa

The somber words of the above title describe my emotions after a September 2008 visit to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I wish I could be more upbeat, but I return with a sense of intense urgency that those of us in the human rights movement have a duty to do even more than we are to support activists on the ground working for justice and social transformation.

I feel this urgency because there is a huge chasm between the potential of the continent, and the reality. There were many experiences that left me speechless. Change is painstakingly slow. It’s 2008, and some African nations are planning to celebrate 50 years since ending colonial rule. In order to celebrate we have to hold the continent accountable and call for passionate and purposeful leadership.

In Uganda I attended the second Regional African Feminist Forum, which brought together over 150 activists from over 30 countries to discuss Africa’s socio-economic and political context and its impact on women’s rights. It was an opportunity to reflect on new strategies to organize against formidable forces that degrade women’s personhood and which have reversed some gains of the last 10 years.

The DRC trip was part of a joint mission headed by Open Society Institute Southern Africa. Global Fund for Women was invited along with other donors and women’s rights networks to learn about challenges facing the women’s rights movement as well as key efforts that have been put in place to date in two regions to improve the status of women and girls. The trip included meetings with multiple actors such as NGOs, government officials, women in Parliament, UN agencies, and health and educational institutions.

We visited l’Hopital Muya, which is a state-run facility that has specialized services for victims of sexual violence. Ten percent of the hospital’s patients are under 10 years old. The Congolese government passed a law punishing sexual violence in June 2006. But our visit showed us again that law in Congo means nothing. The prevalence of rape is increasing, not decreasing.

We visited diamond mines where sex trafficking is rampant. There are terms to refer to girls ages 6 – 8 and then those 9 – 15. Someone can make an order for a girl as easily as we order from McDonald’s here. When I think of the women and girls who told us their horrifying tales of sexual torture, I keep thinking of the modern weapons that make this torture possible, and the origins of these weapons. They are not made in Congo.

Key conclusions from the DRC trip include: 1) the lack of political will to make timely and radical changes to promote good governance or to advance women’s rights; 2) a disconnect between UN agencies with a mandate to address sexual violence and the work of the broader women’s movement; 3) lack of funding to support women’s NGOs; 4) a judiciary that is weak and unfriendly to women’s rights; 5) and acute poverty that reduces life to day-to-day survival despite tremendous mineral resources that benefit foreign interests and a minute circle of elite Congolese.

Since the September trip, the news from the region includes escalation of armed conflict in eastern Congo, a protracted political stalemate in Zimbabwe, political violence in Madagascar, and the formidable weight of the global financial crisis which Africa can ill afford.

African people want change. And there are many activists that are seeking partnerships to advance women’s human rights. There’s an opportunity for us to build on the work of local activist organizations and work towards a world of Inspired Leadership and Dignified Citizenship.

(A version of this article appeared in The Huffington Post and New American Media.)