On Thursday 7th May Ctrl.Alt.Shift went down to the Southbank Centre in Waterloo, London, to catch an event taking place as part of initiative 'Congo Now!'; a four-day awareness-raising project backed by a huge coalition of charities, aiming to put a stop to the atrocities that are being inflicted on the women of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The event, which was billed as a music event, kicked off initially with an open forum debate in which four speakers put forward their case as to where the future lies and what needs to be done in the DRC with author/politician Oona King leading the discussion.

There were inspirational speeches from the likes of journalist and author of bestseller Blood River, Tim Butcher, talking about how close DRC was to his heart. Marie Claire-Faray of Women’s Rights In DRC and The Women Initiative for Peace and Freedom, told the audience of her first-hand experiences of violence against Congolese women. And award winning photographer Susan Schulman shared her photos from a recent trip to DRC.

This was closely followed by a question and answer round – a grand debate, and an intense lesson into tackling the root causes of the genocide that has plagued the DRC for the past 400 years. The Q&A represented just how complex the situation in the DRC is, with questions ranging from, "To what extent is Britain responsible for the problems in the DRC?" to “Will Africa’s previous prosperity before exploitation will be restored beyond simply eradicating poverty?” and "How do you manage the peace of a country when faced with the task of bringing justice to the culprits and causes of the conflict."

These questions provoked mass debate from within the audience and the panel alike – and the one thing that arose was the fact that while there is no clear solution to the problems in the DRC, it is clear that the nation is in immediate need, not just of international aid, but also international action against the commercial/political organisations who are profiting from the conflict in the DRC.

The second half of the show however was a celebration of Congolese culture, and kicked off with the self acclaimed "Elton John of the Congo" Safro, a 58 year old solo artist who plays what sounds distinctly like Reggae; but Reggae that was not inspired by the likes of Bob Marley, instead created on the streets of the DRC, and a style that is widely used by the Congolese youth. Safro smashed it, and left everyone moved when at the end of the show he declared: "People are killed in DRC because of diamonds, because of coltan metal and because of guns - you can help stop this but you cannot give me back my friends and family that I have already lost."

Next up was a monologue called 'A Teenagers Guide To Surviving Rape In The DRC' by star of Hollywood blockbuster Crash, Thandie Newton. The powerful monologue gave a very real account of a young woman being kidnapped while she was on holiday at the age of 15,  being raped everyday by her kidnapper and fathering a baby with the culprit – before finally escaping two years later at the age of 17. Whilst young adults in the UK fight through this season’s exam period, this DRC girl fought for her dignity and life.

Singer, Sharon. D. Clarke took to the stage next to sing 'Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child' in a compelling a cappella, before headline act Kasai Masai, a band straight out of DRC, came to the stage and sung a couple of songs - finishing the night in the foyer with a full brass band with inspirational songs about hope in the DRC.

It was clear that there was a determined atmosphere in the building, a buzz of resilience in the air. The Congolese community who turned up would have been encouraged to know that this event had near sold out, while hopefully other members of the audience were inspired to become more aware, and involved in the future of a country which has been made a victim of its own beautiful surroundings for far too long.

Words and photos: Ben Anderson. Ben is a staff writer for Ctrl.Alt.Shift. His photos were taken during a two-week reporting trip to the DRC in November 2008.

Congo Now! (4-10 May 2009) is a week-long campaign of events and publicity celebrating the Congo and highlighting the unacceptable conflict there, check out www.congonow.org for more info

Check out www.safromanzangi.com and www.kasaimasai.com for a genuine taste of the Congolese music scene.