The Story from American Public Media

Hope for Congo?

Monday, December 11 2006 by | Send to a friend

Hope for Congo?

Voters in Congo, photo: Mvemba Dizolele

Last week, Congo installed the winner of its first multi-party presidential election in 40 years: Joseph Kabila is now the leader of the war-torn country.

Mvemba Dizolele describes the Congolese response to their historic elections as 'giddy'. Mvemba is an American citizen who was born and raised in Congo. He talks with Dick about his detention as a young man by the dictator who had employed his father, why he became an American…and what it was like to encounter a pygmy taller than he is.

Mvemba Dizolele

Mvemba is an independent journalist and photographer based in Washington DC.

• See a gallery of Mvemba's photographs of the election
• Read some of Mvemba's diary entries about his first return to Congo in years
  
• Learn more about Mvemba's work
  
• Read Mvemba's blog

LISTENER RESPONSE - NATHAN SHAW

Nathan Shaw heard the story called Choice Mom, Donor Dad.

In that program, Dick talked to a woman who had conceived a child using donated sperm, and a man who had fathered, by his own estimate, up to 400 children from his time as a donor.

Nathan Shaw wrote in to thank us for airing the story. He recently found out that he is the product of a “donor dad.”

I would like to commend [the donor dad] for what he has done. I am 22 years old. When my parents found out that they could not have a child on their own, they turned to a donor. As a result I was able to come into existence. I would most like to commend [him] for having the courage to actually meet his donated children.

I found out that I was not who I thought I was when I was 19 years old, well after I had gotten used to who I was. Nothing would make me happier than to be able to not only thank the man that donated, regardless of his reasons, but to also see where I come from. Why do I have blonde hair and blue eyes? Am I of Scandinavian decent? What will I look like when I am older?

- Excerpt from Nathan’s e-mail to The Story

Listen to the original story, Choice Mom, Donor Dad.