This letter is an exchange between Marieke M from Belgium and Patrick Mususa from the Democratic Republic of Congo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Letter 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hi Patrick, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hope you\u2019re doing great! I am very excited to be part of this project and to exchange our thoughts with each other. Currently I am in my second bachelor of Sociology. In courses like Social Inequality I learned that it\u2019s very important to try to understand social phenomena from different views. This is why I think this project could be very useful for me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Firstly, I would like to introduce myself to you. I\u2019m Marieke, I\u2019m 19 years old and I live in Antwerp, Belgium. I have two older brothers and a dog. Besides studying, I am also a leader in a youth movement and I work at a lunch bar. Furthermore, my interests lie in clothes, music, politics and society’s problems.
I\u2019ve chosen the topic good health and well-being because since I began studying at the University of Antwerp I realised that the whole of this system is much more complicated than I thought. For example, here in Belgium we have a health system based on solidarity. Everybody pays taxes, based on their income, which ensure that those who need it get a share back. I really like the thinking behind this, but in practice we often see difficulties. I think the biggest struggle of this system in these times are the pensions. We have an enormous amount of elderly in Belgium, because of the Mid-20th century baby boom, but also because people get much older than before. In addition, there is a lower number of active population. This puts a lot of pressure on that active population, but also makes the government want to raise the legal retirement age more and more. This causes a lot of discussion in our country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not only our physical health is important. I think in Belgium we still have a long way to go when it comes to talking about our mental health. Covid-19 made this really clear for me. During this period I think we almost had four lockdowns. In my opinion, the second lockdown hit us the hardest. By this I mean that a lot of people were getting depressed. (I personally was just really angry because all the things I planned that year were getting cancelled: my year-end trip to Rome, several concerts and much more.) The problem during this lockdown was mainly that many people felt alone and missed social contact, but the government only tightened corona measures. In the news there was only a place for virologists, but not for psychologists. Later on, this did change, but for many that may have been too late. It regularly appeared in the news that someone had taken his\/her life, but I don’t know if suicide rates effectively increased during that period. What I do know is that psychologists’ waiting lists were enormously long, preventing many from being helped. If we ever go through a pandemic again, I really hope we don\u2019t make the same mistakes again. The government should have taken the mental health of its population into account sooner. It is not okay to have no physical contact with your friends and family for so long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this letter, it seems like I am criticising our government a lot, but don’t get me wrong, I am generally very happy with what they are doing. There has been some discord in the population, but that distrust is only very minimal when compared to America’s situation. In America there is little to no trust in the government and a social security system would therefore maybe not work at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, there is always room for improvement. Our social security system demands huge amounts of money. When I look at the numbers, I sometimes wonder how long we can keep that up. The war between Ukraine and Russia is also putting additional pressure on the system. This is due to many Ukrainians fleeing here. They are then given a living wage, but cannot yet contribute anything. Towards the future, most will master our language better and get jobs. I wonder if you often talk about that war with your friends or are there other conflicts that interest you more?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lastly, I would like to ask a few questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m already looking forward to your reply. Have a nice day!
Greetings, Marieke <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Letter 2<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salut Marieke;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
J\u2019esp\u00e8re que cette lettre vous trouvera en bonne sant\u00e9. Je suis ravi de faire partie de ce projet d\u2019\u00e9change inter-\u00e9tudiant. Je trouve encore plus int\u00e9ressant le fait que nous vivons dans des diff\u00e9rents coins du monde, avec diff\u00e9rentes cultures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Je m’appelle Remezo Mususa Patrick, j\u2019ai 29 ans. Je suis inscrit en sixi\u00e8me ann\u00e9e de m\u00e9decine \u00e0 l\u2019Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Bukavu (UCB). J\u2019habite dans la ville de Bukavu, province du Sud-Kivu \u00e0 l\u2019Est de la R\u00e9publique D\u00e9mocratique du Congo (RDC). Je suis de nationalit\u00e9 Rwandaise, ma famille vit \u00e0 Kigali Rwanda. J\u2019ai un fr\u00e8re et deux s\u0153urs. Je suis un \u00e9tudiant \u00e0 plein temps et je suis le pr\u00e9sident de l’Association des Etudiants Rwandais \u00e0 l\u2019UCB. Par ailleurs, je m’int\u00e9resse \u00e0 l\u2019histoire, la culture, la musique, la mode et le textile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Selon mon exp\u00e9rience, je trouve que la Sant\u00e9 et le Bien-\u00eatre de la population du monde entier ( surtout dans les pays les plus pauvres) doit \u00eatre la priorit\u00e9 car une bonne sant\u00e9 est essentielle pour le d\u00e9veloppement. Ce sujet m\u2019est venu \u00e0 l\u2019esprit en 2018 quand je fais mon tout premier stage m\u00e9dical \u00e0 l\u2019h\u00f4pital. J\u2019ai vu combien les gens souffrent pour payer les soins m\u00e9dicaux jusqu’\u00e0 se trouver oblig\u00e9s de vendre leurs biens. En RDC les soins m\u00e9dicaux sont co\u00fbteux voir un luxe, ce qui pousse les gens \u00e0 consulter les tradipraticiens. Il existe un institut national de s\u00e9curit\u00e9 sociale mais pour des raisons pas claires la population ne profite rien de cette institution. La RDC est un pays ravag\u00e9 par la guerre \u00e0 l\u2019Est du pays, o\u00f9 plusieurs groupes de rebelles op\u00e8rent depuis plus de 25 ans. Les cons\u00e9quences sont profondes en termes d\u2019instabilit\u00e9 socio-\u00e9conomique, de perte des vies humaines, des enfants orphelins sans abri, des veuves sans protection et des familles bris\u00e9es. La guerre cause des d\u00e9placements et pousse la population \u00e0 migrer et se concentrer dans des villes. Les villes sont surpeupl\u00e9es et il est difficile de maintenir l\u2019hygi\u00e8ne et l\u2019assainissement d\u2019o\u00f9 vient la source des maladies infectieuses. A part les personnels des organisations non gouvernementales (ONG), je ne connais aucun autre groupe de personnes avec une mutuelle de sant\u00e9, couvrant les soins m\u00e9dicaux.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
La RDC, comme la plupart des autres pays Africains, subit un d\u00e9fit post-colonial, impos\u00e9e par un nouveau syst\u00e8me politique \u00e9tranger \u00e0 la culture sociale. Les dettes coloniales accroissent la d\u00e9pendance de pays et les difficult\u00e9s \u00e0 se relever. A cela s’ajoutent les conflits sociaux et politiques et la mauvaise gestion des ressources et budget national. Tout ceci freine le d\u00e9veloppement et rend la vie plus difficile \u00e0 la population. La population jeune est majoritaire aussi en RDC, cependant le niveau de ch\u00f4mage est de plus en plus en augmentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Le COVID-19 nous a \u00e9galement ramen\u00e9 un autre lot des moments difficiles: une crise socio-\u00e9conomique qui a touch\u00e9 le pays, la crise alimentaire car la RDC est un grand importateur de nourriture dans la r\u00e9gion. La sant\u00e9 mentale est un sujet qui n’a pas une place dans une soci\u00e9t\u00e9 o\u00f9 les gens cherchent par tout le moyen comment nourrir leurs enfants, cela n\u2019a jamais \u00e9t\u00e9 l\u2019objet de discussion dans une famille. Mais on commence \u00e0 l’\u00e9voquer de plus en plus dans la soci\u00e9t\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nous avons encore un long chemin \u00e0 parcourir pour arriver \u00e0 mettre en place un bon syst\u00e8me de sant\u00e9 qui fournit des soins m\u00e9dicaux accessibles \u00e0 tout le monde et \u00e0 des co\u00fbts abordables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sur ce, je voudrais aussi te poser quelques questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
En attente de votre r\u00e9ponse, passez de bon moments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salutations, Remezo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Letter 3<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hi Remeso, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hope you\u2019re doing great when receiving this letter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Firstly, I want to say that I\u2019m sorry for starting my previous letter with the wrong name. I thought Patrick was your first name. My fault! Secondly, I\u2019m really glad I received your letter today. After reading your letter, I couldn\u2019t wait to write one immediately back, so that\u2019s what I\u2019m doing right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your letter made me realise even more how lucky I am to be part of this project. I agree that it\u2019s so interesting to compare our different societies and their problems. It\u2019s easy to search these things on the internet of course, but reading this from someone personal is so much more special. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ll answer your questions right away. Belgium’s colonial past was a fierce point of discussion within our country several years ago. It began with statues of Leopold II that were being vandalised by people. His hands were being covered in red paint or his head was removed, things like that. When this happened, I think I was 15 years old so I didn\u2019t really know what it all was about. This changed at school during the course history. The teacher first showed us how this part of Belgium\u2019s history was taught in the past. Back then, Leopold II was extolled, everything he did was good and had made Belgium rich. In addition, he had given Congo schools, hospitals, etc. The real facts were kept hidden. My generation learned the real consequences of his actions. Later too, in various courses at university, this topic was discussed, but much more extensively. I also learned how this colonial past caused generational trauma within the Congolese population. The older generation looks at this issue differently. They don\u2019t understand the anger from people when they see that we still have statues of Leopold II. This, of course, does not make them bad human beings. That’s just the way they were taught at school. That way of looking at things is hard to penetrate with our own vision\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To continue with the things you write in your letter: I find it interesting that the Congolese population doesn\u2019t use the national institution of social security. Does this institute ensure that people are reimbursed part of the medical expenses? Why do you think they don’t use it? Is there some kind of distrust towards the government? I am very curious about this. If you can compare this institution with the system we have in Belgium, surely this could help many people pay for medical expenses. People shouldn\u2019t have to sell their belongings before they can pay for medical care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given the history between Belgium and Congo, do you think Belgium needs to support your country financially? Personally, I do think we owe that to you, but I don’t think the majority of Belgians agree with that. Do you think your country would improve faster if the colonial debts were settled, or would it take much more than that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m also very sorry to hear that there\u2019s still a war going on in your country. When I hear things like this, it makes me angry that the news often focuses so hard on what is going on in Europe and ignores other problems. Since as early as last year, there has been a particular focus on the war between Ukraine and Russia. All the other problems in the world seem to be minimised as a result. I wonder if there are volunteers trying to do something about this war and its consequences? I can\u2019t imagine that the population continues to put up with all this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I understand that mental health is a more Western idea, but it seems to me that there are still a lot of people in your country that suffer from post-colonial trauma or stress because of war conditions. So isn’t there a place provided to be able to talk about that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have asked several questions throughout this letter. Hopefully you can give me an answer to them.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take care and I look forward to your next letter!
Greetings, Marieke <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Letter 4<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salut Marieke,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
J’esp\u00e8re que tu es en bonne sant\u00e9 !<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Je m\u2019excuse pour la confusion que j\u2019ai caus\u00e9e, je m’appelle Remezo Mususa Patrick, mais je ne pr\u00e9f\u00e8re pas me pr\u00e9senter en utilisant mon pr\u00e9nom Patrick. Je suis ravi que tu trouves int\u00e9ressant ce projet surtout la discussion sur l\u2019histoire coloniale qui fait la une un peu partout dans le monde.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Premi\u00e8rement, l\u2019histoire coloniale en RDC et en Afrique en g\u00e9n\u00e9ral avait laiss\u00e9 derri\u00e8re des r\u00e9percussions culturelles, \u00e9conomiques, et sociales. Depuis l\u2019ind\u00e9pendance dans les ann\u00e9es 60s la RDC n\u2019a pas connu la libert\u00e9, l\u2019assassinat de premier ministre Patrice Emery Lumumba par les Belges et les Am\u00e9ricains, l\u2019\u00e8re de Mobutu, la guerre de Laurent Kabila pour d\u00e9tr\u00f4ner Mobutu\u2026jusqu\u2019\u00e0 nos jours, la RDC sous l\u2019influence des grands puissances et des multinationales n\u2019a jamais connu la paix \u00e0 cause de son sous-sol riches en minerais indispensable pour le d\u00e9veloppement des technologies pointu qu\u2019on voit aujourd\u2019hui . Cela entra\u00eene une crise politique chronique et une d\u00e9faillance en termes de management du pays. Et comme tu peux le comprendre, la population congolaise souffre beaucoup depuis tr\u00e8s longtemps \u00e0 cause de tous ces d\u00e9g\u00e2ts coloniaux qui p\u00e8sent encore sur le pays ainsi que les guerres, sans oublier la corruption qui gangr\u00e8ne le pays \u00e0 travers les institutions publiques. Je pense qu\u2019avec beaucoup d\u2019efforts on peut faire marcher l\u2019institut de la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 sociale mais il faut beaucoup de sacrifices. Et m\u00eame si cela marche, \u00e7a ne sera pas comme celui de la Belgique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Personnellement, m\u00eame si j\u2019aurais voulu que tous les pays europ\u00e9ens qui furent de pays colonisateurs en Afrique payent des r\u00e9parations, je ne crois pas qu\u2019ils voudraient faire \u00e7a. Tenant compte des dettes coloniales qu\u2019ils ont impos\u00e9es sur ces pays apr\u00e8s avoir leur accorder l\u2019ind\u00e9pendance et une n\u00e9o-colonisation \u00e9conomique mise en place en Afrique, je pense que nous n\u2019allons pas se relever bient\u00f4t surtout sur le plan \u00e9conomique. Depuis le d\u00e9but, c’\u00e9tait une question de puissance et de la richesse qui a pouss\u00e9 les europ\u00e9ens \u00e0 partir conqu\u00e9rir l\u2019Afrique et cette soif de puissance et de la richesse n\u2019a pas quitt\u00e9 leurs t\u00eates ce qui leur pousse encore \u00e0 reconqu\u00e9rir le continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
En ce qui concerne la guerre en Est de la RDC, il y a eu pas mal d’ interventions soit nationales, r\u00e9gionales, internationales, mais rien de tout \u00e7a semble avoir de solution permanente sur les guerres dans la r\u00e9gion. Pour le moment il y a un peu de calme mais il y a encore quelques territoires entre les mains des rebelles, or il y a pr\u00e9sence de la force onusienne (MONUSCO), r\u00e9sidant dans le pays depuis plus de vingt ans d\u00e9j\u00e0. De temps en temps quelques conf\u00e9rences sont organis\u00e9es pour parler des probl\u00e8mes mentaux qui surgissent au sein de la population \u00e0 cause de ces guerres mais en g\u00e9n\u00e9ral il y\u2019a pas une plateforme sp\u00e9cifiquement con\u00e7ue pour parler de ces probl\u00e8mes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alors, qu\u2019est-ce que tu penses sur l\u2019imp\u00e9rialisme et le paternalisme des pays d\u2019occident vis-\u00e0-vis aux pays d\u2019Afrique ? Penses-tu que les institutions internationales pour les droits de l\u2019homme et l\u2019ONU font un travail \u00e9quitable en regard des pays d\u2019Afrique ou des autres pays non europ\u00e9ens ? Savais tu que la plupart des pays europ\u00e9ens y compris la Belgique se sont enrichie gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 la colonisation et aux conqu\u00eates des nouvelles terres ? Quel est ton avis par rapport au racisme qui se voit partout en Europe et aux Etats d\u2019Am\u00e9rique ? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Je sais que c\u2019est ma derni\u00e8re lettre mais si possible essaie de me r\u00e9pondre, quand tu peux. On peut m\u00eame continuer cette discussion en dehors de ce projet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Merci beaucoup et prends soin de toi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salutations, Remezo. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This letter is an exchange between Marieke M from Belgium and Patrick Mususa from the Democratic Republic … <\/p>\n