{"id":174195,"date":"2025-04-02T14:49:45","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T12:49:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/?p=174195"},"modified":"2025-04-03T18:20:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T16:20:32","slug":"i-pray-in-church-for-my-family-glodi-fled-civil-war-in-congo-now-he-is-a-graduate-student-in-serbia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/i-pray-in-church-for-my-family-glodi-fled-civil-war-in-congo-now-he-is-a-graduate-student-in-serbia\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;I PRAY IN CHURCH FOR MY FAMILY&#8221;: Glodi fled civil war in Congo, now he is a graduate student in Serbia!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Glodi Beja Bakulikira<\/strong> is <strong>27 years old<\/strong> and has been living in <strong>Belgrade<\/strong> for the past <strong>ten years<\/strong>. He was born in <strong>eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)<\/strong>, a country plagued by <strong>three decades of conflict<\/strong> over <strong>mineral resources<\/strong>, with multiple <strong>armed groups<\/strong> vying for dominance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since early <strong>February<\/strong>, a <strong>new wave of violence<\/strong> has erupted as the <strong>M23 rebel group<\/strong> captured <strong>Glodi\u2019s hometown of Bukavu<\/strong>, along with the city of <strong>Goma<\/strong>, where he had lived with his family as a teenager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;My entire family is there,&#8221;<\/strong> Glodi told <strong>BBC Serbian<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Describing how he feels when reading the news every day, he says it is <strong>&#8220;hard to put into words.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;My mornings start peacefully\u2014I study for exams, go to work, visit church\u2014it seems like a normal life, while the lives of the people I love are in danger.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To raise awareness about the situation in his home country, Glodi and his friends organized an <strong>informational event<\/strong> in <strong>mid-March<\/strong> at <strong>Student City in Belgrade<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite being separated by more than <strong>5,000 kilometers<\/strong>, <strong>Belgrade and Kinshasa<\/strong>, the <strong>capital of the DRC<\/strong>, share <strong>long-standing cultural and political ties<\/strong> that flourished during the <strong>Non-Aligned Movement<\/strong> in the era of <strong>socialist Yugoslavia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reminders of this connection can still be seen today\u2014<strong>a street and a student dormitory in Belgrade bear the name of Patrice Lumumba<\/strong>, the <strong>first Congolese prime minister<\/strong> elected after <strong>decolonization in 1960<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\">FIND OUT MORE: <\/mark><\/mark><\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fserbiantimes%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0d6fCd8g9oKAzmnEezkEHTkfqSmXpM9BUD2NzdHLzeX4X4Rzxnm6WiB4PvQRMUASkl&#038;show_text=true&#038;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"250\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Is Happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A renewed conflict between the <strong>Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups<\/strong>, who have lived in <strong>DRC, Burundi, and Rwanda<\/strong> for centuries, reignited <strong>over a month ago<\/strong>. The <strong>Tutsi-led rebel group M23<\/strong>, supported by <strong>Rwanda<\/strong>, launched an <strong>armed offensive in early February<\/strong>, seizing control of the <strong>two largest cities\u2014Goma and Bukavu<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Glodi\u2019s <strong>mother, brothers, and sisters<\/strong> remain in <strong>Bukavu<\/strong>, and he communicates with them <strong>daily<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>**&#8221;My mom tries to stay strong for me, telling me everything is fine, but I know that\u2019s not true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I get most of my information from my siblings, who say there are frequent power outages, and they\u2019ve been advised not to leave their homes because armed rebels are on the streets,&#8221;** Glodi explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hospitals in <strong>Goma<\/strong> have been <strong>overwhelmed<\/strong> with patients, while <strong>lifeless bodies<\/strong> have been seen lying on the streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>United Nations<\/strong> has urgently dispatched <strong>$40 million<\/strong> in <strong>humanitarian aid<\/strong> to address <strong>food, water, and power shortages<\/strong>, as well as the <strong>growing refugee crisis in Burundi<\/strong>, where <strong>tens of thousands of Congolese<\/strong> have fled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Around <strong>70,000 people<\/strong>, including <strong>entire families<\/strong>, are <strong>crossing the Rusizi River<\/strong>\u2014the natural border between <strong>DRC and Burundi<\/strong>, reports <strong>BBC News<\/strong>. At least <strong>20 people<\/strong> have <strong>drowned<\/strong>, with <strong>many more<\/strong> feared lost in the waters, though their deaths have not been officially recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>ethnic tensions between Tutsis and Hutus<\/strong> have existed for so long that they seem <strong>everlasting<\/strong>. These divisions intensified during <strong>Belgian colonial rule<\/strong> over <strong>Burundi, Rwanda, and Zaire (former name of the DRC)<\/strong>, when the <strong>Tutsis were considered superior<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Armed conflicts<\/strong> have plagued the <strong>DRC<\/strong> since the <strong>mid-1990s<\/strong>. The <strong>First Congo War<\/strong> ended in <strong>1997<\/strong>, a year before <strong>Glodi was born<\/strong>. That same year, the country\u2019s name changed from <strong>Zaire to the Democratic Republic of Congo<\/strong>. The following year, in <strong>1998<\/strong>, <strong>Glodi was born<\/strong>, and the <strong>Second Congo War (1998\u20132002)<\/strong> erupted. This conflict, also known as the <strong>&#8220;Great African War,&#8221;<\/strong> involved <strong>Burundi and Rwanda on one side<\/strong> and <strong>DRC supported by Zimbabwe, Namibia, Chad, Libya, Sudan, and Angola<\/strong> on the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;Like the Balkans, Congolese people have spent the last three decades either at war or in its shadow,&#8221;<\/strong> Glodi observes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;It\u2019s hard to ever truly get used to something like that,&#8221;<\/strong> he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\">FIND OUT MORE: <\/mark><\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fserbiantimes%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0ELxtp6TZPDCVaD6kh7wmYNDKAFAZCAXesLDZrRoVLuiigL9WvMxbfq7t2wioe1V7l&#038;show_text=true&#038;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"250\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Congolese Student in Serbia<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Glodi moved to <strong>Serbia<\/strong> to study at the <strong>Faculty of Economics in Belgrade<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;I received a scholarship, and I spent my first year learning the language,&#8221;<\/strong> says the <strong>27-year-old<\/strong>, now a <strong>graduate student<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are about <strong>400 foreign students<\/strong> studying in <strong>Serbia<\/strong>, mostly from <strong>Ghana, Angola, Nigeria, and Palestine<\/strong>\u2014countries with which former <strong>Yugoslavia fostered close ties<\/strong> through the <strong>Non-Aligned Movement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like most <strong>foreign students<\/strong>, Glodi lived in a <strong>student dormitory<\/strong> for years. After becoming a <strong>graduate student<\/strong> a little over a year ago, he found a job as a <strong>sales agent<\/strong> and rented an <strong>apartment in New Belgrade<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;Most of my friends are fellow African students, but I also have friends from Serbia,&#8221;<\/strong> he adds in <strong>fluent Serbian<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <strong>Congo<\/strong>, Glodi attended a <strong>Jesuit primary and secondary school<\/strong>. When he moved to <strong>Belgrade<\/strong>, he found a community within the <strong>Jesuit church<\/strong>, located in the <strong>city center<\/strong>, which <strong>BBC Serbian<\/strong> has previously reported on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;I\u2019ve always been religious, and during this time, I find great comfort in going to church and praying for my family,&#8221;<\/strong> he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Family, he admits, is what he <strong>misses the most<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>**&#8221;We have a culture that is very similar to a tribal structure, where relationships between people are much closer than in Serbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I grew up in an extended family setting, and I see all of my relatives not just as cousins but as brothers and sisters,&#8221;** he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the <strong>ongoing war in his homeland<\/strong>, Glodi hopes to <strong>return to Congo one day<\/strong> and <strong>live in his own country<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;Life in Serbia has its advantages, but Congo has a unique beauty,&#8221;<\/strong> he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;I don\u2019t think I will ever feel a true sense of belonging anywhere else or experience the same closeness I still have with my family, even though we are so far apart,&#8221;<\/strong> he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\">MORE TOPICS:<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/marin-le-pen-osudjena-za-proneveru-preti-joj-5-godina-zatvora-i-zabrana-vrsenja-javne-funkcije\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">MARINE LE PEN CONVICTED OF EMBEZZLEMENT: She faces 5 years in prison and a ban from holding public office!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/interview-duricko-the-glory-and-misery-of-my-hollywood-will-i-return-to-serbia-and-why-i-support-the-students-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">INTERVIEW, \u0110URI\u010cKO: The glory and misery of my Hollywood \u2013 will I return to Serbia and why I support the students (VIDEO)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/dokovic-denied-100th-title-by-his-idols-student-mensik-19-overcomes-his-mentor-in-miami-final-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">\u0110OKOVI\u0106 DENIED 100TH TITLE BY HIS IDOL\u2019S STUDENT: Men\u0161ik (19) Overcomes His Mentor in Miami Final! (VIDEO)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/they-are-already-preparing-a-welcome-members-of-the-european-parliament-want-to-host-students-who-are-coming-to-strasbourg-by-bicycle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">THEY ARE ALREADY PREPARING A WELCOME: Members of the European Parliament want to host students who are coming to Strasbourg by bicycle!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/proglasena-vanredna-situacija-u-banjaluci-vise-od-130-klizista-i-odrona-aktivirano-na-podrucju-grada\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED IN BANJA LUKA: More than 130 landslides and rockslides activated in the city area!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: BBC News na srpskom, <strong>Foto<\/strong>: BBC News na srpskom (Privatna arhiva)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Glodi Beja Bakulikira is 27 years old and has been living in Belgrade for the past ten years. He was born in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country plagued by three decades of conflict over mineral resources, with multiple armed groups vying for dominance. Since early February, a new wave of violence has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2169,"featured_media":174196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1181,5908,5909,5910,5911,113,5463,1650,2490,2491],"class_list":["post-174195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-serbia","tag-afrika","tag-ekonomski-fakultet","tag-glodi-beja-bakulikira","tag-gradanski-rat","tag-kongo","tag-srbija","tag-stranci-u-beogradu","tag-stranci-u-srbiji","tag-studenti","tag-studije","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Serbiantimes.info EN","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174195"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":174497,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174195\/revisions\/174497"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}