Justice for Kabwe!
Join the crowdfunding campaign
An opera for Justice
On 22 January 2024, the day of the world premiere of the opera Justice at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the international crowdfunding campaign “JUSTICE FOR KABWE” begins. The funds raised will go to the victims of the terrible accident near Kolwezi, in southern Congo – the story of which is told in Justice.
Justice for Kabwe: the campaign
On Wednesday 20 February 2019, a deadly accident occurred on a road near Kolwezi, in the village of Kabwe. A truck loaded with sulphuric acid, intended for mining, overturned and crashed into a large group of passers-by and vendors. 21 people died, 7 were seriously injured, many fields were contaminated, houses were damaged and vendors suffered material damage.
The victims have taken their cases to court. Only the truck driver has been charged. Due to pressure from the companies, the trial has not yet reached a legally valid conclusion. A public apology from the subcontractor and legal compensation for those affected have never been forthcoming.
Crowdfunding
Founded by Milo Rau in 2007, the IIPM (International Institute for Political Murder) is collecting all the donations for this campaign in order to maximise its impact. All contributions will be donated in their entirety to the victims.
The crowdfunding campaign has two aims:
First, it supports the lawyers’ association CAJJ – Centre d’aide juridico-judiciaire, which offers free legal representation to victims of the Kabwe acid accident. The victims’ lawyers are still trying to obtain fair compensation for their clients – which makes the Kabwe case a symbolic one for dozens, if not hundreds, of similar cases.
In addition, the proceeds of the crowdfunding, via the NGO Afrewatch (with whom Milo Rau and his team have already collaborated on Le Tribunal sur le Congo) are going directly to victims who have so far received little or no compensation. For example, Milambo Kayamba, who lost both his legs in the accident and is still waiting for suitable prostheses, or Theophista Kazadi, whose child has lost his sight: these are the people whose stories form the basis of the opera Justice.
Art can raise awareness and create metaphorical justice. True justice is only a step away, let’s take that step together. Justice for Kabwe! For a fair, humane and sustainable global economy.
Donate
To take part in the campaign, please click on the link below, which will take you to the fundraising page.
Relevant links
IIPM
http://international-institute.de
EPER
https://www.eper.ch
African Resources Watch
https://afrewatch.org
Centre d’aide juridico-judiciaire
http://www.cajj-rdc.org
