PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
London, 3 February 2014
CROSSINGS
The journey to peace
10 – 28 February 2014
Pullman Hotel London St Pancras, 100-110 Euston Rd, London, NW1 2AJ
Peacebuilding organisation International Alert is pleased to present Crossings: The journey to peace. Featuring
images by award-winning photographer Carol Allen Storey, this exhibition offers a compelling glimpse into the
lives of cross-border traders in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and illustrates their potential to
contribute to peace in the region. The exhibition is hosted and sponsored by Pullman Hotels.
According to Dan Smith, Secretary General of International Alert:
“The exhibition highlights the importance and transformative potential of cross-border trade, which is not only
a source of livelihood for millions, but a platform for building trust, regional integration and reconciliation
between the peoples of this divided region”.
Despite the vast mineral wealth of DRC, its people are some of the poorest in the world. Decades of conflict
have left the country devastated. And although the M23 rebel movement was defeated in November last
year, armed groups continue to control large areas in the east of the country. This insecurity, combined with
the inability of the state to govern the country, means that roads and other infrastructure remain dilapidated,
millions of people are unable to access basic public services, and young people struggle to find jobs.
Yet despite these troubles, life goes on in eastern DRC. In a region where economic opportunities are limited,
small-scale cross-border trade is one of the most important means for ordinary people to feed, clothe and
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educate their families. According to research by International Alert, cross-border trade provides an income
for at least 45,000 small-scale traders across the eastern borders of DRC, three-quarters of whom are women.
This trade is also a daily reminder of the positive economic links between DRC and its eastern neighbours,
Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, despite the political tensions between them.
In the words of Uwimana Butoyi Naima, President of the Network of Cross-border Traders in the Great Lakes
region:
“Government officials from Rwanda and Congo just have to make peace. Follow our example. We, women
from both countries, have made peace”.
So central is cross-border trade to the people in this region that in June 2013 the World Bank announced $1
billion in new funding to help these countries provide better social services, fund hydroelectricity projects and
generate more cross-border trade.
Through the photographs and interviews, Crossings: The journey to peace challenges predominant narratives
about eastern DRC, which focus on ‘conflict trade’ and ‘rape’ above broader lived experiences.
ENDS
NOTES FOR EDITORS
For interviews and image enquiries:
Ilaria Bianchi
Head of Communications ̶ International Alert
Telephone: +44 (0) 207 627 6858 / +44 (0) 7910 255 256 Email: ibianchi@international-alert.org
Julia Karlysheva
Communications Officer ̶ International Alert
Telephone: +44 (0) 207 627 6880 / +44 (0) 7570 812207 Email: jkarlysheva@international-alert.org
All photos: © 2013 Carol Allen Storey for International Alert
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL ALERT
International Alert is one of the world’s leading peacebuilding organisations, with nearly 30 years of experience
laying the foundations for peace. In eastern DRC, we integrate peacebuilding into local development
programmes. Since 2009, with support from the World Bank and Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have
been helping cross-border women traders in the region to gain confidence and defend their rights, promoting
trust building, integration and reconciliation in the Great Lakes region. Find out more about our work here:
www.international-alert.org
ABOUT CAROL ALLEN-STOREY
Carol Allen-Storey is an award-winning photojournalist specialising in chronicling complex humanitarian and
social issues, especially among women and children.
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346 Clapham Road, London SW9 9AP, UK