In my experience, it is always a pleasure to go back to the source: returning home to savor familiar foods and visit the places where I used to study, work, play and pray. The CICM missionary presence in the diocese of Boma, and especially in the Kangu parish, has marked the lives of so many people—myself included. A CICM mission station was established in Kangu in 1899. Kangu is a small community located in the center of the Boma diocese, in the westernmost region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite the poverty of the people, the area is considered to be very beautiful. Kangu has earned the nickname “The hill of schools” because it is where several local primary schools are situated. Most of the students of these schools are from distant villages. Some middle-class families have the means to afford dormitory housing for their children. There are some students who are able to walk to reach Kangu daily, and others who seek boarding with relatives living nearby. But there are many who live too far to come daily, yet have no place to stay. The difficult situation for those students is what prompted our now retired confrere, Fr. Jean Devaux, to create a program now known as “City of Youth” in Kangu.
In 1979, Fr. Jean initiated a simple but meaningful project to host students seeking their secondary education in Kangu. This well-structured program was developed to give children of low and no-income families the option of continuing their education to the high school level. Students attend school while also receiving an integral formation, as well as boarding, for a significantly reduced cost compared to the school boarding program. It became a very attractive and helpful option for distant and poor families.
Because there is one original dormitory run by the secondary school, and the City of Youth program was somewhat of a replica of that, it was soon known as the “pirate dormitory,” and the students residing there were called pirates. The connotation was also along class lines, with the “pirates” being considered second-class by comparison. I knew this reputation first-hand, having the privilege of becoming a pirate myself after I finished elementary school.
Realizing the Dream
There are many children from remote and deprived areas surrounding Kangu, who long to complete their studies, but simply do not have the means. The structure of the program is simple: families pay only 50% of the cost for board, while 25% is earned through gardening and other farming and sustaining activities, and the final 25% is provided through the generosity of the program’s benefactors. Students understand that they are benefitting from a collaborative effort, and they also know that their own hard work plays an important role in achieving their dreams and goals.
I was once a “pirate,” and witnessed all of this. From 1996 to 2002, I enjoyed the benefits of the City of Youth initiative. The poorer students are often underestimated, and not expected to be as successful in school as their more privileged counterparts. It can be difficult for some of the young students: many suffer poor self-esteem when others mock them in school. In my experience though, when the results of the examinations were posted we “pirates” were proud of our name, and also made our families proud. We worked hard, read a great deal, played well and studied to the best of our abilities.
Once a former pirate who became a lawyer came to visit the school. He told us: “Many people may laugh at you today, and it may challenge your confidence. But you need to continue to work hard. There is no great pleasure in reaping fruits that you did not sow. I was once like you: perhaps poorer than you. But I was not embarrassed to speak out in front of the more advantaged students. Now, as a lawyer, nobody can take away what I have, and I am proud of it. I encourage you to make yourselves and your parents proud.”
Educational resources are scarce in poorer countries. When I was in school in Kangu, we had a library with novels, dictionaries, maps, magazines and newspapers that helped us to cultivate our intelligence. Fr. Jean Devaux had a radio at our “pirate dormitory,” and every evening we gathered in the dining hall before supper to be informed about what was happening in the world. For context and to help familiarize students with the real world, Fr. Jean would choose someone to point out on the map the various areas described on the news. In school, we found that we were the most knowledgeable students concerning matters of current world events.
Before City of Youth, I did not know how to fish or to raise pigs, chickens, and other small livestock. In the program we learned how to cultivate and sell vegetables, fresh fruits, and prepare meat and fish for sale. I recall well the pride of so many parents during family assemblies, when they witnessed how City of Youth had fashioned their children both intellectually and with practical and manual life skills. We not only made our parents proud, but also the founder of the program, Fr. Jean Devaux, cicm.
During a recent trip back to Kangu, I visited the City of Youth premises. The current cook, who was there when I was a student, reminded me of the advice given to us by the lawyer. He urged me to also give some words of encouragement to our young brothers. A couple weeks later I returned with a friend to visit with the students. After some time, I noticed that Charles, a young first-year high school student, was staring at me. Curious, I approached him and asked, “How do you feel here, being a young pirate?” His reply:
“When I arrived here at the beginning of the school year, I felt very small before my classmates. They laughed at me. I was very quiet and could not speak. I was not ashamed, but rather this challenged me to study hard. When the grades of the first semester came out, I became very proud, and those who laughed at me became ashamed and could not say anything. God hears the cry of those who call to him with perseverance. I became convinced that God works with human cooperation. And now, when I see you today, I am also convinced that one day I will be like you—who knows, perhaps more than you? (laughter). Thanks for sharing your time and experience with us. I promise to keep following your footsteps. You had the spiritual and moral support in the person of Fr. Jean Devaux. For us, it is only his name that we know. But we try to carry on his legacy through our elder brothers who did live with him. We are very grateful to Jean Devaux, and to the CICM Congregation for this meaningful work of art that helps us to one day become useful in the Congolese society. We hope that with the support and generosity of good people, City of Youth will continue being a help for poor and less fortunate young children who want to study, but don’t have shelter near Kangu, our beloved hill of wisdom. May God bless Jean Devaux, his benefactors, and all those who labor for God’s people.”
I was impressed, and could not have stated it better. This is the dream realized: at City of Youth there is the hope of a better future through faith and hard work. Fr. Jean Devaux, the lawyer, the cook, myself, young Charles, all the benefactors and collaborators, and countless others before and to come… we are all part of the dream! Thank you for your support, and may God indeed continue to bless the City of Youth.
Brother Raymond Masiala, cicm, is a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo who joined Missionhurst-CICM in 2009. Upon finishing his theology studies in the Philippines this past spring, Raymond was assigned in Asia province where he is currently continuing his internship and doing missionary work in Japan.
