A new report by 13 leading international and Congolese civil society groups asks the international community and Congolese government to urgently agree upon a new deal to reform the Congolese military. The report argues that the lack of political will to reform the security sector in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) risks not only billions of dollars of international aid but also the stability of the country.

“At the end of the day, many of Congo’s seemingly intractable conflict-related problems can be traced back to dysfunctional security services: the army, police and courts. The Congolese government has failed to take concrete action to reform these vital institutions,” said Emmanuel Kabengele, National Coordinator of the Congolese civil society Network for Security Sector Reform and Justice.

“Yet the international community has continued to sustain the government, investing money and effort with no actual return. It’s high time that donors demand that Congo engage in real army reform.”

The report, Taking a Stand on Security Sector Reform, was completed after extensive research and interviews in DRC and donor countries. It argues that the army not only fails to provide security but actively preys upon the population, being one of the major perpetrators of human rights violations in the country.

“An effective security sector – organized, resourced, trained and vetted – is essential to solving problems from recruitment of child soldiers, internal displacement and rape, to economic growth or the trade in conflict minerals,” says the report.

The report concludes that the main reason for the failure of army reform in DRC is a lack of political will from parts of the Congolese government – notably those elements which have benefited from endemic corruption.

“The very people in senior positions of the government and military who are responsible for effecting reform continue to profit from the current army, either in raking off salaries of servicemen, kickbacks, or involvement in illegal mining, trade or protection rackets” said Dismas Kitenge, President of the Congolese organization, Groupe Lotus and Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

The paper underscores the critical role the international community must play. In just five years, the report documents that donor countries alone have invested more than $14 billion into the DRC.

Yet only 1%, or $140 million, was spent on security sector reform. International aid is now equivalent to nearly half of the DRC’s annual budget. As such, donors have considerable leverage over Congo. Yet despite this enormous investment, the DRC has actually gone backwards. The DRC is ranked last in the world on the UN’s main development index.

“The international community’s investment in DRC has yielded poor results. Numerous armed groups send thousands of child soldiers into battle, and women and children continue to bear the brunt of violence. Adequate health care and personal security remain the exception rather than the rule,” said Ben Affleck, Actor, Director and Founder of Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI).

“Donors must work to convince the Congolese government to undertake drastic military reform. Unless a new course of action is adopted, we run the risk of losing much of the investment that has already been made.”

The costs of accepting the status quo are high, for the Congolese people but also for the international community. In addition to the traditional donors – US, EU, UK, France and Belgium – key partners such as China, South Africa, and Angola all have a vested interest in the stability and long-term prosperity of the DRC.

“The new government must seize the opportunity to refocus attention on implementing sustainable and effective reform,” said Pascal Kambale from the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA). “Now is the time for the international community and Congolese government to work together to reform the police and army so that Congo is capable of protecting its own civilians.”

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Optimists opine that it’s just a matter of time before the animation industry in Africa explodes, but realities on the ground present a different picture all together.

According to Paula Callus of Bournemouth University, African animation has a history that is at times as old as European animation—its earliest animations date to 1916 in South Africa, the 1930s in Egypt and the 1950s in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sadly the African animation industry remains relatively small to make an impact on the world market.

While good animation is very expensive and labor intensive, animators on the continent are not just worried about securing financial aid. With questions about piracy issues, who is going to watch the films, and who will pay to watch, constantly at the back of their minds, animators are scared of investing, and only the bold ever think of this genre.

Challenges facing animators in Africa vary depending on the country. In many nations, difficulties include lack of training facilities and institutions that offer animation courses, along with a subsequent lack of production ready talent, an absence of investment in local series and commercials, and an economic situation that makes it difficult and expensive to buy equipment and software.

Animation in Africa is an art that has been abandoned by institutions and ignored by production and distribution circuits. Animators in most countries have very little or no government support. This lack of support, contends Ogova Ondego— an art and culture critic from Kenya— has seen many talented animators leave the region for greener pastures.

In his article ‘Sub-Saharan Africa’s Father of Animation Films Speaks Out’ Ogova says that leading animation producers and directors such as Burkinabe Cilia Sawadogo, Ivorian Vincent Gles and Congolese Jean-Michel Kibushi have been forced to set up shop abroad.

South Africa is perhaps the only country in the region where there is government support available for animation. In her article “Animation in Africa: Going Beyond the ‘Low-Cost’ Option,” Karen Raugust reports that the Department of Trade and Industry offers a rebate of 15% of productions and 30% of co-productions if the local spend is more than $100,000, while the Industrial Development Corp. provides funds for films made in South Africa.

In addition to seeking recognition, animators in the region have to fight on their own turf with foreign imports. Local animation houses face competition from international studios, as networks and other distribution channels rely mostly on foreign fare, particularly for children.

Africa has had rare moments to redeem herself, yet even on these occasions nothing has been forthcoming. UNESCO’s ‘Africa Animated!’ was Africa’s best shot at propelling the industry to new heights, but with Africa’s over reliance on donations and reluctance, the project could not get beyond the workshop phase.

UNESCO’s intent was to train local animators and encourage the production of animation with African themes. The initiative offered three training workshops in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, which were attended by animators from 10 countries.

But even with so much ambition for Africa, UNESCO’s project could not last long. The project that had since the early 2000s conducted training on the continent, folded away in 2008. The folding away just proved how difficult it can be to sustain animation production.

More so, the young trainees who were mentored during this program have failed to live to expectations. None have so far made an effort to realize the aims of the project. Godfrey Mwampembwa and Kwame Ny’ong’o—who were among the trainers during Africa Animated— are the few who appear to keep the initiative’s aim alive. Known by his pen name Gado, Mwampembwa has since 2008 been the brains behind the XYZ show—Kenya’s satirical political TV series— now in its fifth season.

“The future is in our hands. We need to keep up with the technological development. Yet even if we have the expertise the current film-interested individuals have to be educated. Our people need to own the stories they tell,” articulates Kwame Nyong’o, a leading animator in Kenya whose 2011, 10 minute animation ‘The Legend of Ngong Hills’ continues to enjoy screenings in festivals around the world and other specialized screenings.

Africa has a long way to go before it commands its fair share of the world’s animation industry. But for this to happen animators have to dispel the notion that animation is meant only for children.

The creation of Tinga Tinga tales- which uses Tanzanian-inspired art to bring animal-centered African folk tales to life—in Kenya three years ago has positioned East Africa as a contender for a strong Africa animation industry. Tinga Tinga Tales is a co-production of Homeboyz entertainment with the UK’s Tiger Aspect Productions.

All in all, the future remains uncertain for a continent that has a poor animation representation. Despite so many ambitious initiatives that aim at promoting animation in Africa, to date Africa’s animation industry can only boast of one full length animated film: ‘The Legend of the Sky Kingdom,” by Phil Cunningham. With such awful results one can’t help but wonder what the future holds for an industry that is said to be worth $80 billion.

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