Democratic Republic of Congo Elections - Ray Dirks

Look for a photo exhibit by Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery curator Ray Dirks to open at the MHCGallery September 23, 2006. This exhibition will be available to tour. Interested churches, schools, museums and galleries can contact Ray Dirks at or (204) 888 6781 for details. More detailed information on the exhibition will be on the internet in the coming weeks. The Mennonite Heritage Centre is a ministry of Mennonite Church Canada.

On July 30, 2006 the first free elections in more than 45 years took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC is home to one of the world’s largest Mennonite communities – approximately 200,000 baptized members. With an invitation from the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC), Ray Dirks was able to travel to the DRC’s capital, Kinshasa, as a photojournalist to cover the elections. Congolese Mennonites had requested that Mennonites from Europe and North America come to observe the elections. The Mennonite Central Committee sponsored one group of observers from North America and Europe and gave logistical help to two observer groups which came from Canada -- one from the Waterloo North Mennonite Church in Ontario and one put together by Canadian Mennonite University’s Institute for Community Peace-building in Manitoba.

The July 30 elections were for president and for the national parliamentary deputies. No presidential candidate garnered more than 50% of the vote, therefore, a second presidential round is scheduled for October 29. The top two finishers out of 33 presidential candidates, President Joseph Kabila and one of four vice presidents Jean Pierre Bemba, will compete in the October 29 runoff. Local elections will also take place on October 29, 2006.

A significant number of Mennonites ran for national deputy positions and will run for local positions in October. Pascal Kulungu, a prominent Kinshasa based Mennonite, ran with the wish to bring an Anabaptist culture of peace to government. He also trained observers and taught the basics of how to vote in many churches.

Mennonites and many other Christians saw the elections as an opportunity to become part of the solution to their country’s longstanding problems of war and corruption. They desire to elect deputies to parliament who are honest Christians with the best interests of the country in their hearts.

First round presidential results were announced on August 20 with Kabila winning 45% and Bemba 20%. Fighting between the two broke out before the announcement, delaying it by a few hours. Under heavy pressure from the United Nations the deadly turmoil ended within a few days. The fighting remained contained between the two foes and did not spread to random, widespread looting and anarchy, which the general populace fears could send the country lurching back into civil war. The two sides are now trying to work out ground rules for a peaceful campaign.

Bemba won the vote overwhelmingly in Kinshasa and much of the west. Kabila took the eastern part of the country in a landslide. However the second round turns out, the two sides will need to work out some kind of compromise to keep the politically divided country at peace. Another of the vice presidents, Azaria Ruberwa, suggested that the most important thing for the two remaining presidential hopefuls to now learn will be how to accept losing the October vote.

Regardless of how the vote ultimately goes and regardless of how the leaders react to it, the general populace reacted with grace, dignity, patience and determination on July 30. Both the ordinary electorate and the common people working in the bureaus de vote overwhelmingly stated through their actions that they wish for a democratic country at peace, where finally their suffering can cease and they can live with their families in security under a government of their choosing.

The question is, will their leaders follow their excellent example?

The photos are all copyright 2006 Ray Dirks. Dirks is happy to visit churches, schools, community groups, etc… to give a visual presentation about the DRC and the election. He lived in Kinshasa in the mid 1980s, working as an illustrator for the Mennonite Brethren church, and has returned several times since, including in 2005 and 2006. He has taken several thousand photos in the DRC primarily focusing on the daily life of ordinary people. He is developing several PowerPoint presentations related to the elections and daily life in the DRC.

Photo Gallery from DR Congo Elections