Summer Solstice Edition · June 2026
"Every battery has a source. Every source has a story. It's time to look up."
A Note From Us
A vision becoming a movement.
Since launching the Nseya Foundation on March 1st, we have been humbled by the community that has gathered around this work. What began as a vision is steadily becoming something real — and none of it is possible without you.
This edition is full. Dance for Congo. Congo's minerals. The political moves happening right now. A FIFA comeback 52 years in the making. A Juno-nominated Congolese artist taking the Montreal stage. Our tote bags. Our podcast. And what's coming next. Stay with us.
Dance for Congo — April 2026 · Montreal
Event Recap
Dance for Congo: A Beginning That Moved Us
Movement as a catalyst for awareness and community.
In April, we brought together our community in Montreal to dance, learn, and stand in solidarity with Congo. The room was filled with joy, culture, connection, and purpose — people came to move, and left informed and inspired.
"Dance for Congo, organized by the Nseya Foundation, was such a fun event to be part of. Not only did it get us all moving together, but it was also very informative. The dance instructor, Melo Mat, was highly skilled and made everyone feel comfortable. I left feeling refreshed — and it warmed my heart to have contributed to such a good cause."
— Attendee, Dance for Congo · April 2026Melo Mat — Dance Instructor
"Dance first, think later."Melo Mat's philosophy is simple and powerful: movement breaks down barriers before words ever can. His instruction created a welcoming space where participants of all backgrounds felt genuinely comfortable from the very first step. We are grateful for everything he brought to this event.
The question we kept hearing afterward: "When is the next one?"
We heard you. Dance for Congo #2 is coming to Montreal this July. Details dropping soon — follow @danceforcongo to stay close.
Melo Mat in session — Dance for Congo · April 2026
DRC national football team · FIFA World Cup 2026 · Houston
Culture Rising
Congo arrived at FIFA — and stopped the world.
52 years in the making. And they came dressed.
For the first time since 1974, the Democratic Republic of Congo's national football team walked onto the world stage — into Houston, in matching black blazers with leopard-print shoulders. The internet stopped. The world took notice. And then they scored their first-ever FIFA goal. Against Portugal. If you know the history between Congo and Portugal, you know that was far more than sport.
🏆 Into the Round of 16 — Léopards vs England · July 1st
The Léopards have made it through — and we are here for every second of it. They face England on July 1st. To our Léopards: we see you, we are proud of you, and we are sending every ounce of love and fire from Montreal. Allez les Léopards. 🇨🇩
Congolese fans at FIFA 2026 — a sea of flags and pride 🇨🇩
More Than Football
They play with their hands over their mouths. There is a reason.
A gesture the world should understand.
Throughout this tournament, Congolese players have been seen making a striking gesture after scoring — hand over the mouth, fingers pointed to the head like a gun. It is not simply a celebration. It is a declaration.
The gesture is a tribute to Patrice Lumumba — Congo's first democratically elected Prime Minister, who was brutally assassinated in 1961 for daring to demand true independence from colonial powers and the Western world. Lumumba was silenced. These players refuse to let the world forget.
Who Was Patrice Lumumba?
Lumumba was a visionary leader who believed Congo's immense wealth should serve its people — not foreign powers. He was kidnapped, tortured, and executed just months after independence, with the documented involvement of Belgian and U.S. intelligence. His murder robbed Congo of its most powerful advocate at the most critical moment in its history.
When Léopard players stand on that pitch and make that gesture — they are carrying Lumumba with them. The world is watching. Congo is being seen.
The gesture heard around the world — a tribute to Patrice Lumumba 🇨🇩
From the football pitch to the global stage, Congolese culture is rising — bold, informed by history, and refusing to be silenced.
"Congo is being seen." 🇨🇩
Kizaba — Juno-nominated Congolese artist
Must See · Montreal
Kizaba takes the main stage at Nuit d'Afrique.
A Juno-nominated Congolese artist. A night not to miss.
Kizaba — Juno-nominated Congolese artist and ambassador of Congolese music and culture — will be performing on the main stage at Festival Nuit d'Afrique, one of Montreal's most celebrated cultural festivals.
Live Performance
Kizaba
Festival Nuit d'Afrique
Main Stage · Montreal
July 15, 2026 · 8:00 PM
Congolese music. Montreal stage. Don't miss it. 🇨🇩
The Nseya Foundation is proud to spotlight Congolese artists who carry our culture to the world. When Kizaba takes that stage on July 15th, he carries Congo with him. Be there.
What's Happening in Congo
A minerals deal. Deportations. Ebola. Connect the dots.
We're not here to tell you what to think. We're here to give you the full picture.
This year, the U.S. brokered a peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda — framed as ending over 30 years of conflict in eastern Congo. What received far less attention: the deal came bundled with U.S. access to Congo's critical minerals, estimated at up to $24 trillion in value.
Cobalt. Coltan. Lithium. These are Congo's minerals — in your pocket, on your wrist, under your hood — and most people have no idea. When foreign interests extract resources or shape policies without proportionally benefiting local communities, Congolese people bear the cost.
Then, just weeks after the deal was signed, 15 Latin Americans — from Peru and Ecuador — were deported not to their home countries, but to Kinshasa. A country they had never been to. Some had active legal protections. They were locked in a hotel near the airport. A Congolese politician asked the question that deserves an answer:
"What have the Congolese done to you that you would reduce this already devastated nation to a dumping ground for U.S. immigration and security policies?"
One month later — Ebola breaks out in northeastern DRC. $112 million in U.S. aid appears within days. We present the facts. You decide what story that tells.
The people of Congo are not a backdrop. They are not a dumping ground. They are the story — and they deserve to be treated as such.
Historical Education
Understanding the past to shape the future.
Congo's resources have fuelled the world for centuries.
Ivory Extraction
Congo's forests held vast elephant populations. Ivory was harvested at enormous scale and exported to Europe and Asia for piano keys, billiard balls, and luxury goods. This trade laid the groundwork for exploitative economic structures that persisted for centuries.
Rubber & Colonial Rule
Under King Leopold II of Belgium, the Congo Free State became a forced-labour extraction machine. Congolese people were compelled to harvest rubber under brutal conditions. Millions of lives were lost or destroyed. Congo's rubber fuelled the global industrial revolution.
Minerals & Modern Extraction
Congo's uranium was used in the Manhattan Project. Coltan — essential to every modern device — is still predominantly sourced from the DRC. The pattern of extraction without proportional local benefit has continued into the present day.
Why History Matters Now
Understanding this history means making informed choices. As consumers, donors, and global citizens, we have the power to support organizations, policies, and businesses that ensure Congo's people benefit from Congo's wealth.
Shop Now
Look Up & Live
Carry your values wherever you go. Our official tote bags are now available through Zeffy. We offer custom orders and pre-orders every two weeks.
Outside Montreal? Contact us for shipping.
100% of every purchase goes directly to our mission — no fees deducted.
$30 CAD
Listen & Watch
Are they really free? A new podcast worth your ears.
Congo's Independence Day arrives at the end of June. We have questions.
What does independence actually mean when the conditions of colonialism never truly ended? We launched a podcast series to explore exactly that. Episode 2 is live now on YouTube — The story they never taught you: when Congo met Portugal.
Can we truly celebrate Independence Day? — Ep. 2
Watch Episode 2 →Coming This Fall 🌿
We are working on something that will nourish your mind, body, and spirit — connection, culture, wellness, purpose, and transformation. Clear your calendar. Details coming soon.
Our Mission Growing
Bringing Clean Water to Communities in Congo.
This is not convenience — this is survival.
Over-exploitation of Congo's land and resources has left communities in destitution. Mining operations in regions like Lomami — rich in gold and diamonds — have stripped the earth while families living nearby are left without access to something as basic as safe drinking water. These communities are currently forced to use contaminated water sources for drinking, cooking, and daily survival.
The Nseya Foundation is currently in active discussions with a Canadian foundation building sustainable water wells across the DRC — with a focused effort on eastern regions and communities directly impacted by mining extraction.
💧 What One Well Does
For $6,000 USD, one well can provide clean water to 1,000+ people — including livestock and crops — for over 15 years.
Each well is built to a depth of 10+ metres, is 1.5 metres wide, and takes 6–8 months to complete. This is durable, community-changing infrastructure.
$6,000
Cost of one sustainable well
1,000+
People served per well · 15+ years
"We're in early stages, but we need support to move this forward. If you feel called — please contribute, connect us to resources, or share this mission."
The Sanctuary
A sanctuary for survivors. A future for Congo's children.
Not a retreat. A refuge.
Eastern Congo has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world — a direct and devastating consequence of decades of conflict and the exploitation that fuels it. The Nseya Foundation is actively exploring land acquisition in the DRC to build a sanctuary: a safe, permanent space for women and young adults who have survived rape and sexual violence.
What the Sanctuary Will Provide
🏥 Medical aid — immediate and ongoing care for survivors
🏡 Rehabilitation & safe housing — a secure place to heal without fear
📚 Education for children — placing young people in school and giving them a future
🤝 Community & empowerment — rebuilding lives with dignity, support, and purpose
We are targeting approximately 5 hectares of land — roughly the equivalent of 45 football fields. Each hectare costs approximately $5,000 USD, bringing the total land investment to approximately $20,000 USD — to build something that will serve generations of survivors and their children.
5 ha
~45 football fields · Target sanctuary land
$20K
Est. land investment · $5K per hectare
Every fundraiser, donation, tote bag purchased, and newsletter shared brings this closer to reality.
We are grateful for your patience, your curiosity, and your love for Congo. Every event, every tote, every share, every donation — it all matters. We are busy planting seeds.
Seeds of hope. Seeds of opportunity. Seeds of change.
Ariane Kamba
Founder, Nseya FoundationNseya
Change for Congo · Fondation Humanitaire
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