The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo

John Prendergast, Co-Chair of the Enough Project, an initiative to end genocide and crimes against humanity, will introduce Lisa F. Jackson's powerful documentary The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo and discuss the film's issues with Robin Wright Penn.

Winner of the 2008 Sundance Special Jury Prize in documentary, and shot in the war zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo, this extraordinary film shatters the silence that surrounds the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Many tens of thousands of women and girls have been systematically kidnapped, raped and mutilated by soldiers from both foreign militias and the Congolese army. American filmmaker Lisa F. Jackson, a survivor of rape herself, travels through the DRC to understand what is happening and why. (US 2008) 76 min.

John Prendergast is an activist and author who has participated in numerous peace processes in Africa, including his service at the National Security Council and the Department of State during the Clinton administration. He co-founded the Enough Project, as part of the Center for American Progress, to help build a permanent constituency to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity. Actor Robin Wright Penn is active as an advocate for the Enough Project and its programs.