“Hands off the Democratic Republic of Congo, hands off Africa! Enough to suffocate Africa: it is not a mine to exploit or a soil to plunder.” It is the warning raised by the Pope during his visit to Kinshasa. “It is tragic that these places, and more generally the African continent, still suffer various forms of exploitation. After the political one, in fact, an equally enslaving economic colonialism was unleashed. Thus this widely plundered country fails to benefit sufficiently from its immense resources: it has come to the paradox that the fruits of its land make it a stranger to its inhabitants. The poison of greed has made its diamonds bloody.” The exploitation of Africa is a drama in which the most economically advanced world often closes its eyes, ears and mouth. But this country and this continent deserve to be respected and listened to, they deserve space and attention: hands off the Democratic Republic of Congo, hands off Africa! May Africa be the protagonist of its destiny! May the world remember the disasters wrought over the centuries to the detriment of the local populations and not forget this country and this continent. Africa, which is the smile and hope of the world, counts more: if you talk about it more, it will have more weight and representation among nations! A large cheering crowd applauded him.
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