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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm 7:30pm - 8:45pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

Friends of the Congo

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Friends of the Congo

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Join the movement at freecongo.org Help us bring an end to the conflict. Contribute to fulfilling the enormous human and natural potential of the Congo.

Friends of the Congo (FOTC) is a Pan African solidarity organization raising global consciousness about the challenges of the Congo while providing support to frontline organizations throughout the country. Join the global movement:

Visit www.freecongo.org to take action

10/24/2026

Join us in Maaya, Berlin, Germany as we continue with our Congo Week Events. This event titled, 'Congo Week 2026 Great Lakes Convening,' will commemorate 30 years since the Invasion of Congo. This event will have panel discussions, films, and artistic offerings. The three panel discussions will consist of:

1. Congo's Minerals, Critical Minerals, & Technology

2. Women and Solidarity

3. Youth, Education and the Future

10/23/2026

Today Congo, tomorrow you.

If you think you can simply look away from the atrocities happening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo because it’s happening “over there,” you are dangerously wrong. This crisis affects all of us.

The very tech you are using to scroll past these tragedies is powered by the exploitation, forced labor, and mass displacement of the Congolese people. The world’s insatiable demand for coltan and cobalt directly funds the violence ravaging the region.

But this goes beyond our devices. When global corporations and complicit systems are allowed to erase human rights and strip a nation of its sovereignty for profit, it sets a terrifying precedent.

If international law can be ignored with total impunity in the Congo today, those same predatory systems will be weaponized against anyone, anywhere tomorrow.

Do not look away from the reality:
* Over 5.8 million people have been violently forced from their homes.
* Millions are suffering from extreme food insecurity in overcrowded camps.
* The global green energy transition is being built on human suffering.

Congo is experiencing a Genocost. A Genocide for Economic Gain.

Today at 12pm, communities around the world in collaboration with Apples Against Apartheid, are gathering at Apple Stores to say NO TO BLOOD TECH!

Apathy is a choice, and silence is complicity. Demand supply chain transparency, hold major corporations accountable, and stand up before it knocks on your door.

Go to Freecongo.org to find out more about how you can educate yourself, amplify the truth, and support grassroots actions.

10/23/2026

Join us for Congo Week in Washington, DC for a panel discussion with Gaetan Dauphin Nzowo of Friends of the Congo, Jessica Kanya- Ngambi of African Diaspora Connection, and Kambale Musavuli of the Center or Research on the Congo- Kinshasa. This panel will be moderated by Netfa Freeman, who is a Pan - African organizer, and IPS Events Coordinator.

10/22/2026

Join us for another Congo week Event held at Bryn Mawr College, in Bryn Mawr, PA. Free Congo Philly will host the event, Reproductive Rights in the Congo, Women's Rights.

10/22/2026

Join the Nyumburu Cultural Center for an engaging and thought provoking discussion examining the United States' scramble for the Democratic Republic of Congo's vast mineral resources and the ongoing struggle over who benefits from the country's immense wealth.

Guest speaker: Gaeton Nzowo, Friends of the Congo
This discussion will explore three critical themes:

The Scramble for Congo's Mineral Resources: Examining U.S. interests in the Democratic Republic of Congo's mineral wealth and the broader implications for the Congolese people.

Neocolonialism and the Plunder of Congo's Riches: Examining the complicity of neocolonial elites in Kinshasa in the exploitation of the country's resources.

Youth and the Future of Congo: Discussing the role of young people in the struggle for a liberated, independent, and free Congo.

Come participate in an important conversation about resource exploitation, political accountability, self determination, and the Future of the Congolese people.

10/20/2026

Join us as we learn about and honor the Demoratic Republic of Congo's first democratically elected Prime minister, Patrice Emory Lumumba. We will interview Mama Bibiane, author of "Lumumba the Freedom Fighter," alongside artist and sculptor, Nijel Binns.

10/19/2026

Behind the technology we use every day are real Congolese children, families, and communities bearing the human cost of global supply chains. True justice requires consistency.

It means holding major technology companies accountable for benefiting from hazardous child labor, and it means demanding transparency from governance structures to ensure Congo’s resources serve the public interest.

A lawsuit alone is not enough. The ultimate measure of justice is whether the Congolese people gain the protection, remedy, revenue, dignity, and decision-making power they deserve.

This Congo Week, on October 23rd communities worldwide will gather at Apple Stores as part of the October 23rd action in partnership with Apples Against Apartheid. Say No to Blood Tech!

10/19/2026

Congo’s history did not begin with Leopold II or colonization.
For Day Two of Congo Week, Gaëtan-Dauphin Nzowo welcomes Congolese historian, educator and human rights advocate Bénédicte Kumbi Ndjoko to explore Congo Before Colonial Rule: Societies, Power and History.
Beginning with the Luba founding narrative of Kongolo and Kalala, we examine political authority, social organization and kingship—and the distinction between possessing power and having the legitimacy to exercise it.
We also discuss how historians reconstruct this past, what anthropology and philosophy contribute, and why narratives that begin Congo’s history with European arrival persist.
How can we understand these societies on their own terms, beyond today’s borders and inherited colonial perspectives?
Share your thoughts and questions in the comments, and subscribe to Congo Unfiltered for more conversations on Congo’s history, politics and future.

10/18/2026

Today marks the official start of Congo Week 2026!

Together, let’s break the silence, honor the millions of lives lost, and celebrate the unyielding spirit and culture of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

We are starting this powerful week of remembrance, education, and global solidarity with Interfaith Prayer & Vigil Day.

Make sure to tune in all week long as we feature critical events, history, and grassroots discussions for each daily theme.

You can join the movement from anywhere! The Congo week website includes many events you can attend virtually. We will also be streaming some events across all our platforms on Instagram, X, YouTube, Facebook, and Substack Friends of the Congo!

This Congo Week, we are asking our community to step up and take 3 critical actions:

1️⃣ Sign up for the Free Congo Movement.
2️⃣ Support frontline organizers in the Basandja Coalition.
3️⃣ Donate to Friends of the Congo’s vital mutual aid efforts on the ground.

Head over to FreeCongo.org right now to take action, access the live streams, and stand with the DRC!

Address

1629 K Street NW, Ste 300
Washington D.C., DC
20006

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
	7:30pm - 8:45pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.friendsofthecongo.org/

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