Queen of Democratic Republic of Congo tours CSI

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Her Majesty Queen Diambi Kabatusuila Tshiyoyo Muata, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, returned to the School of Staten Island (CSI) campus on Wednesday to tour the establishment and share her worldly tales, advocacy work and fervour for re-centering Africa.

After lunch and a tour of the grounds with CSI college, employees and college students, the alumna — who graduated from the Willowbrook college in 1992 — spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of almost 100 individuals on the school’s Heart for the Arts.

“Africa is the mom continent of the planet… of humanity,” stated Muata. “We now have been round for 400,000 years. Humanity spent 80% of her life solely in Africa, so if humanity was 100 years previous, she left Africa at 80 years previous. When you’re 80 years previous, you don’t go away a cradle.”

Muata touched on a number of subjects, and shed mild the significance of schooling throughout a dialog with moderator Zeinab Cisse, a biology main and pre-med scholar in her senior yr.

“Schooling for me is the benchmark of which now we have to construct a way forward for civilization,” stated Muata.

Highlighting the information, knowledge, and treasure that has come out of Africa and unfold around the globe, she additionally spoke to the vital contributions of her motherland.

“I really feel like though I had an exquisite schooling right here and elsewhere, there was such an enormous lacking piece of the human odyssey, which is a chunk that Africa has delivered to the desk,” she remarked. “It’s actually vital to switch Africa within the middle of our dialog as a result of it’s a journey… humanity has had a journey, so we can not amputate the historical past of humanity.”

Muata additionally advocated for world cohesion.

ADVOCACY WORK

Founding father of the worldwide charity Elikia Hope Foundation, the queen focuses on serving to rework the lives of individuals within the Democratic Republic of Congo via offering clear and drinkable water to villages; constructing absolutely outfitted colleges; offering at the least one bike to the chiefs of villages with a view to entry metropolis medical facilities; and caring for youngsters with out properties in seven orphanages.

“Homelessness is a brand new phenomena in Africa. We didn’t have homelessness earlier than as a result of we all the time lived inside group and everyone all the time had a house, or at the least house the place they may lay their head safely,” Muata stated. “Additionally the kids all the time belonged to somebody, so if they’d mother and father that had been gone or incapable of taking good care of their baby, the group would positively determine one other household or generally a number of households to maintain the kid.”

Muata attributes the emergence of homelessness is most African international locations to the period of westernization, the place requirements have change into extra individualistic; it has reworked the concept of youngsters being “ours” to being “yours” to maintain, in line with Muata.

Together with enhancing the lives of hundreds of youngsters with out properties within the metropolis of Kinshasa, the queen’s basis additionally builds water wells in rural areas the place infrastructure has been uncared for for many years.

“Water is the job of girls and lady youngsters. And water is life, so we can not say we select between schooling or water… most individuals will die,” stated Muata. “In a few of my villages, they should stroll two hours to get the place the water beds are closest to the floor, the place they’ll dig the water out and get some clear water. The women have to try this, so after they try this, they’re not in class.”

She defined that the boys oftentimes go to highschool in these conditions, not as a result of the mother and father desire them to go, however as a result of they know that the boys can have higher alternatives for jobs exterior of the villages.

“So as soon as now we have a effectively within the village, the women can go to highschool,” Muata stated.

EXPERIENCE WITH DYSLEXIA

Sharing her expertise with dyslexia and being a mom of two sons who even have dyslexia, Muata is happy with having the ability to communicate six languages and embraces the biodiversity in humanity.

“As a result of now we have numerous brains, it permits us to go additional into our human journey and to have the ability to conquer totally different fields,” Muata stated. “So my dyslexia, I name it a present with a legal responsibility, as a result of studying continues to be troublesome, however now that now we have synthetic intelligence and now we have these computer systems that may learn to you, I’ve no extra downside in doing that.”

Without delay level, Muata recalled the times of being a scholar at CSI, and the way it created for her a “secure house the place (she) can regain her dignity as learner.”

“That’s one factor that the U.S. is nice at as a result of they’re happy with their college students,” Muata stated.

She stated it felt the other to when she was in college in Europe, the place her self worth was “shot.” Later, when she grew to become a scholar at CSI, she stated she was capable of thrive and for the primary time in her life she acquired honors.

“I bear in mind having my mother and father come and my father, who noticed me develop as much as be just like the dummy of the category, see me come first within the class,” Muata stated. “I encourage people who find themselves not with studying difficulties to grasp that it’s a must to go away the door open. In case you see somebody with challenges in entrance of you, don’t assume they’re silly or not clever. All the time go away the door open to variations… to be extra welcoming to individuals who in any other case appear to be awkward or appear not to slot in the mildew. I guarantee you that these would be the ones main the world of tomorrow.”