The short film "Unwatchable" (2011) is a visceral campaign video by Save the Congo that recreates the harrowing true story of Rebecca Masika Katsuva
But do not mistake this for a happy ending. The short film "Unwatchable" (2011) is a visceral
The protagonist is a woman named Masika. She is 34 years old. She lives in the hills above the town of Sake, in North Kivu province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. If you were to hold a camera to her face, you would see a hollow dignity—a woman who has survived what the United Nations calls “the capital of rape in the world.” She lives in the hills above the town
Masika personally adopted and cared for dozens of children, many of whom were war orphans or born from rape and abandoned by their communities. Masika’s husband, broken by the shame and trauma
When the soldiers finally left, they had not just violated a woman; they had blown apart a family. Masika’s husband, broken by the shame and trauma instilled by their culture, rejected her. In many communities in the DRC, rape carries a profound stigma. Survivors are often cast aside as "damaged goods," abandoned by their families and left to fend for themselves. Homeless, traumatized, and shunned, Masika was left with nothing but her pain.
Armed militiamen invaded Masika's home, murdered her husband, and gang-raped Masika and her two young daughters (aged 9 and 13).
Mama Masika, as she was known, passed away from a heart attack on February 2, 2016, but she remains an enduring symbol of courage and resilience in the face of unimaginable horror.