Congo: The Doctor Who Saves Women

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Dr. Denis Mukwege is a gynecologist and the founder of Panzi, a hospital whose primary mission is treating women who have been raped - casualties in the Democratic Republic of Congo's decades-long war. At the hospital, in the Kivu district of the country, Mukwege and his mostly female team provide reconstructive surgery and psychological counseling, as well as literacy and other programs designed to help patients reintegrate into a society that has a history of shaming and ostracizing rape survivors.

From Senegalese filmmaker Angele Diabang, CONGO: THE DOCTOR WHO SAVES WOMEN offers the intimate testimonies of women who have been treated at Panzi, along with the perspectives of psychologists and doctors who work there.

Huddled on a bench in a corridor, facing the wall, Annie-Francoise recounts how her family rejected her after she was raped by a militiaman; she is pregnant and hopes to go back to school after having her baby. Regina stares straight ahead and describes how her husband threw her out after she was raped by several soldiers. They are among the thousands of women treated at Panzi, where the model of care is female-centered. In addition to formal therapy, women participate in communal activities. By cooking, singing, and washing together, these shared daily tasks become therapeutic.

Mukwege and others call the rape epidemic in the DRC a crime of war. The widespread sexual assaults create a climate of terror that rival groups use to their advantage - with the ultimate goal of laying their hands on valuable resources.

Through the work of Dr Mukwege, the film highlights the atrocities perpetrated on Congolese women, but also offers vivid accounts of their resilience and determination to not be defined by the crimes committed against them.

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Main credits

Diabang Brener, Angèle (film director)
Keseljevic, Nathalie (narrator)
Mukwege, Denis (interviewee)

Other credits

Cinematography, Marine Tadié; editing, Véronique Lagoarde-Ségot; sound, Emmanuel Zouki; Betty Ntumba, Léon Awazi Kharomon, translators.

Keywords

congo; doctor; angele diabang; women; woman; abortion; rape; denis; mukwege; nobel; peace; prize; democratic; republic; war; obgyn; gyn; "Congo: The Doctor Who Saves Women"; Icarus Films,doc,bio; history; sociss

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In Africa, in Eastern Congo,

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Kivu looks like paradise. But the
region has been at war for 20 years.

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The richness of the soil
and what lies under it

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is covered by the great powers and by neighboring
countries. Women are the main victims

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and their vaginas had become a
battlefield fought over by armed groups.

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One surgeon has repaired

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about 40,000 of these women.
His name Denis Mukwege.

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He declares his anger worldwide, at the
UN, to heads of state and to the media.

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But Dr. Mukwege\'s words have upset many.
He survived three assassination attempts

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before fleeing the country.

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Yet, risking his life, he has decided
to return to his hospital in Panzi

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to complete his work, repairing women.

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In 1999, Dr. Mukwege founded Panzi
hospital, a normal hospital.

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Faced with a scale of the tragedy,

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Denis Mukwege decided to open a section reserved
for women who were victims of sexual violence.

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At Panzi, after medical
and psychological care,

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women are helped with confronting
daily life. In the hospital,

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the Maison Dorcas are learning centers, where the
survivors of sexual violence learn to live again.

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The recovery time of each woman determines

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the length of her hospital stay.
Some leave after only a few weeks.

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While, others need more time, sometimes
before being able to rebuild themselves.

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The United States Secretary, John Kerry…

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They are the only way to
restore your dignity…

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… is to give you…

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It\'s sure that it\'ll take time
because we need a reform of

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the justice system which is
really a uh… wrong system.

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And we need really a new leadership
who can address this question.

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We can\'t get person who don\'t
know, who don\'t have that…

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