a chair of philosophy at the Panzi Hospital of Doctor Mukwege

© AFP – ALAIN WANDIMOYI
Doctor Mukwege has decided to open a chair of philosophy at Panzi Hospital (illustration image)

“The capital of rape”. Eastern DRC has sadly been so named because of the widespread sexual violence inflicted on civilians during the various waves of conflict. In Bukavu, the victims are treated in particular at the Panzi hospital of the famous doctor Mukwege. The French philosopher and psychoanalyst Cynthia Fleury came to inaugurate, in partnership with the Nobel Peace Prize winner, a “humanities and health” philosophy chair at the Panzi hospital. A chair which aims to study in particular the methods developed to take care of women victims of sexual violence. The inaugural conference took place at the University of Bukavu in a packed amphitheater.

Janneth and Judith came to attend the inaugural conference. Both still students, they are already preparing to take care of victims of sexual violence. ” We are interested. Being future social workers and social workers, it gives us material on trauma healing and mental health. We are much more interested in vulnerable resilience and victims of sexual violence. That’s why we’re very interested in it. »

A chair that will materialize in particular through the work of researchers on the methods used by Panzi in order to derive protocols, explains Cynthia Fleury. ” This is a key issue for Africa, for replication, for the Central African Republic, for other places. But it is a key issue for the world. I believe very clearly that here is really inventing protocols of resilience in the very very broad sense. And here we learn from you, together. And that’s also what we’re looking for, obviously independently of everything that will be created for Panzi and for South Kivu. »

► Read also : The portrait of Dr. Denis Mukwege

A chair funded and supported by the French Development Agency. “ We know of course that we have here an absolutely unique place, an absolutely crucial place, underlines Rémy Rioux, the director of the AFD. It is a place where part of the future of Africa is being played out, obviously, where part of the future of the world is being played out; And probably a part of our humanity and even of the living if we go beyond the human person. It is believed that there is a time here in this region of the Great Lakes to act. We have the feeling, but under your control, Doctor, that it is time to put forces behind the living, behind those who fight for life with such force. »

The first doctoral students are expected in Bukavu in September.

art therapy

Doctor Mukwege has worked for more than 20 years alongside women victims of sexual violence in eastern DRC. Over 55,000 raped women were treated at Panzi Hospital. Here, Dr. Mukwege and his teams apply a particular approach, the holistic model. That is to say, comprehensive care for survivors: physical care, but also psychological, socio-economic and legal care.

And among the treatments provided, art therapy. However, this approach remains very empirical and the Nobel Peace Prize winner wishes to see his method studied. Doctor Mukwege looks back on his first meeting with Cynthia Fleury in France and the approach that led them to the creation of this chair.