City of Joy

CITY OF JOY takes place in Bukavu, Eastern Congo, where a devastating war has been going on since 1996. The outlying areas, which are the source of abundant and valuable minerals, are under siege. Multinational companies “employ” militias of young men who are tasked with emptying the villages. Raping and pillaging are a primary military tactic. Hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been raped; children and infants have been slaughtered. Citizens flee from the violence, leaving the resources to the aggressors. Dr. Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist, and Christine Schuyler-Deschryver, a community activist, founded the City of Joy as a safe harbor for survivors. Eve Ensler, playwright and tireless worker on behalf of women, joins them. The residents’ medical and psychological needs are met to the greatest extent possible. In addition, the women are trained as leaders, their terrifying experiences a backdrop for their renewal. City of Joy offers a new life, hope, community, and inspiration. The women tell their stories. They are instructed in the art of self-defense. Most significant are their efforts to regain their selfhood and their joy. They dance, they sing, they sew, they support one another, they take steps to re-enter the world under their own power.