Film on Congo rape victims to be viewed in Coral Gables

A film that will be shown on Wednesday depicts the horrors of rape in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo.

BY SUE ARROWSMITH

Special to The Miami Herald

In 2002, Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo for the first time after a volcano erupted in Goma, killing dozens of people.

The Brown University graduate was planning to attend medical school and decided to gain experience at HEAL Africa, a holistic hospital with a community development program in the area that had been destroyed.

Instead, he discovered another calling, after learning about hundreds of Congolese women receiving treatment for injuries after being raped by soldiers in the war-ravaged country.

He decided to attend the MFA film program at Columbia University instead and returned with two colleagues the following summer to begin filming instructional videos on the surgeries performed.

``I had never seen rape on such a widespread scale and decided to make a film about the women who had survived these horrifying acts of violence,'' Perlmutt said.

Lumo: One Woman's Struggle to Heal in a Nation Beset by War became a sensation in film festivals around the world and earned several awards.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Books & Books will screen the film at the Riviera Theater's Area Stage, 1560 S. Dixie Hwy. in Coral Gables. HEAL Africa founders, Dr. Jo and Lyn Lusi, will discuss.

Lumo documents the struggle and healing, both physically and emotionally, of a young woman who is shunned by her fiancé and abandoned by her family after being raped.

Like many women at HEAL Africa, she underwent several operations to repair vaginal fistulas, or tears.

The film also captures the hope, strength and courage of the women at the hospital as they bond and help each other cope.

``After you watch this film, you have immense compassion for these women and their courage,'' said Lyn Lusi, HEAL African's program manager.

Established in 1994, HEAL Africa is primarily funded by UNICEF.

The hospital and its development work address the root causes of illness and poverty in the Democratic Republic of Congo, providing a safe place for many war victims.

``I wanted the film to focus not on the problem of sexual violence in Congo, but rather on how these survivors and the staff of HEAL Africa dealt with their traumatic experiences,'' filmmaker Perlmutt said.

``We shot the film over the period of five months and managed to capture the recovery process of one special young woman named Lumo.''

The screening of Lumo, also sponsored by the Shitowa Foundation, will include Congolese music to help launch National Congo Week in Miami.

A suggested donation of $10 will benefit HEAL Africa.