Seeds from Kivu

In the volatile Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the most violent places on earth, a group of women arrive at Panzi Hospital after surviving gang rape and brutal assault by guerrilla fighters who control the area’s mineral-rich territories. In a haunting portrait of physical, psychological and emotional trauma, the women face the painful reality of carrying children conceived through rape. As they confront the heavy burden of unwanted pregnancies and the complex weight of motherhood, their stories speak to deeper questions of agency, dignity and survival. Set against the backdrop of 25 years of conflict driven by the ruthless exploitation of Congo’s vast resources, Seeds From Kivu lays bare the weaponisation of sexual violence, as women become collateral in a violent war.