By Afraa Kori
Imagine building a new life in Australia, only to wake up each day to heartbreaking news — families displaced, loved ones in danger, and war tearing through your homeland.
For many Congolese Australians, this is not just a distant tragedy but a personal and painful reality.
Pastor Willy Mudiayi was separated from his family due to war. His mother and youngest brother, who were forced to flee their homeland in search of safety, now live in a refugee camp in Malawi, while his other siblings escaped to South Africa.
Unfortunately he has never met his youngest brother in person, only seeing him for the first time on Facebook, and staying in contact with his family has been a constant struggle.
“We have the longest cemetery that exists, they are burying people along the railway,” he said.
“How can you sleep and be at peace when your tribe is being killed day and night?”
Pastor Willy tried to apply for a visa during Covid-19 to bring his family and brother to Australia, but now that the war has broken out, the process has become even more challenging.
Tarneit resident Nick Cshibala, who is the chair of DRC Community Association of Victoria (DRCCAV), highlighted that the majority of Congolese people living in Australia are originally from the eastern region of the DRC, where the war is currently unfolding.
“People in the west, east or in the city, have just similar stories. They still have a family member in the eastern part of Congo where the action is taking place,” he said.
“Since the war started in Goma and Bukavu, our children have not been going to school for more than a month now.
“Some of their families have already been killed because of this war. It’s affecting them emotionally and financially. They are struggling to help their families that are still alive.”
Congolese Australians have been actively advocating, fundraising, and engaging with MPs and community groups for many years.
A key achievement was their meeting with former Tarneit MP Telmo Ramon Languiller who had also served as shadow parliamentary secretary for multicultural affairs. The meeting was attended by a dozen Congolese leaders and described as “the first of its kind in the history of the Congolese community.“
“We have to stand up for our rights. We have to fight for our rights because Congolese people deserve human rights and they deserve peace,” Mr Cshibala said.
“We are trying to knock on all the doors, diplomacy, trying to lobby, trying to do everything that we can to support our family back home. We want our country to be happy and free like people living here in Australia.”
As a good citizen, Pastor Willy has made significant contributions to Australian society, particularly in the areas of disability support, counseling, community service, and finance.
He questions why Australia, a country he has served with love and kindness, is not helping his community in return?
“Britain and German spoke against Rwanda. Australia is just quiet as if there is nothing going on,” he said.
“Australia is closing its eyes to the killings in the Congo. The human rights and all the good policy they always praise here, I begin to doubt.
“We contribute to this country. We work. We pay taxes. But when we need Australia to stand for us, it is silent.”
Manor Lakes College teacher Irene Bakulikira agrees saying “the double standards are exhausting and it’s heartbreaking to feel invisible in our own suffering.”
“Is our pain not worthy of attention? Are our lives not valuable enough to be grieved and fought for?
“We are not invisible, our pain is real. Our lives matter. The world just chooses not to see us.
“When other countries are under attack, social media was filled with posts, stories, hashtags and outcries. And that was right! People spoke up, stood in solitary and demanded justice. But why is it that when it’s Congo, a country that has suffered for decades under conflict, exploitation and violence, the silence is so loud?”
Advocates say Australians can make a meaningful impact by amplifying the message, educating themselves, and engaging with local lawmakers to push for policies that will help bring attention to Congo’s crisis.
Funds can also be raised at gofund.me/43faad76
