The nation of Belgium has a huge responsibility in this matter: colonial males/fathers didn’t take any responsibility for the children they had with Congolese women during the colonial period. This injustice has caused multigenerational suffering and has not come to an end. Our ‘monthly cause’ will sustain the financing of DNA-kits, which enable people in Congo to connect with unknown relatives. Thanks to the results of the DNA kits, people can effectively view their file records (which is often impossible without this “proof”) and then search for relatives.
Anyone who can prove that they have “Belgian blood” automatically receives Belgian nationality and can therefore search for relatives. More information is provided in the attachment.
Métis people in Congo who are not yet formally recognized as métis, often face fierce discrimination. Their compatriots regard them as “half-white,” as colonials. As long as they are not recognised, they do not receive a visa to visit Belgium or France or other countries where possible relatives could reside.
The Belgian embassies refuse visa to average Congolese visa applicants, assuming that the applicant will remain in Belgium after their visa expires. For wealthy Congolese, the Belgian embassy does not make this presupposition and still issues visas. Protests against this unfair visa policy have been ongoing at the embassy building in both Brussels and Congo, but they have had no effect and receive no media attention.
There are other reasons to quickly implement the DNA kits.
· The candidates to be recognised as Métis, are often over 80. The procedure easily takes two years! If you can prove you’re Métisse, you always receive Belgian nationality.
· The children of a person recognised as Métisse are automatically recognised as Métis as well. Many of these children often already live in Europe, often in Belgium or France, where they are often treated just as condescendingly by their own community
· There’s the psychological and emotional suffering: in addition to being ignored in their own Congolese community, it is also necessary to gain clarity for themselves. People need to be able to “say goodbye to their own family tree.” This requires specific efforts, both in their Congolese community and in their Belgian community.
Donations through the monthly cause will fund DNA kits. These kits provide people in Congo with hard proof that they are indeed Métis. Based on the results of these DNA kits, they can then trace related family members, often spread across the world.
Do use BLYM worship group meeting collection boxes, the Bank Details for making a donation are on our Donation page.
18h30 et 20h, un culte de recueillement de 30 minutes suivi d’une discussion d’une heure en français et en anglais du “lexique Quaker” (les termes et les méthodes Quakers). Ouvert à tout le monde. Détails à suivre.
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