The Women Of Inga: A Portrait Of Resilience
The women of Inga grow nearly everything their community consumes, from the avocados, oranges and cassava that nourish their families to the medicinal herbs that heal their sick. However, the women have been living without access to electricity, schools, roads or hospitals for many years, despite the construction of hydroelectric dams on the nearby Inga Falls of the Congo River that ironically send power to people far away while bypassing those who care for the local river and forest. The women are now challenging the idea of top-down economic development based on massive infrastructure projects that evict local people and destroy local ecosystems, while plunging governments into debt. They are standing up and refusing to be disposable: their story shows the power of African women’s collective solidarity. Photo Credit: Ange Asanzi/International Rivers
