The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Middletown man from the Congo granted asylum
A man fleeing persecution in The Democratic Republic of Congo learned Thursday he has been granted asylum.
Toto Kisaku, who lives in Middletown, fled Congo three years ago to escape political persecution for speaking against the government through musical performances. He’s been working with Quinnipiac University law students Brendan Lawless and Thai Chhay and Associate Professor of Law Sheila Hayre to plead his case. He traveled to New Jersey Thursday to receive the decision.
“It’s a really great feeling, great moment, great time because I spent almost two years and three months waiting for that moment,” Kisaku said. He’s now on a path for legal permanent residence that can lead to citizenship, Hayre said, and give him much needed stability.
“These are the stories of the refugees that come to us,” Hayre said. “Their stories are almost always powerful. Notwithstanding all the horrible trauma they’ve been through, they’ve been able to get out. So many of them have these amazing stories but we don’t really hear them. We were just lucky he wanted to tell his story. I think for most of us it would be the last thing we would want to tell. I’m glad he’s able to share it because it’s more telling than one would think.”
Kisaku is a performance artist who traveled around the capital, Kinshasa, spreading the word about religious leaders in the country who were persecuting children they accused of witchcraft and sorcery.
When pastors accuse Congolese children of witchcraft, they demand money from families, often poor, in exchange for exorcisms, he said. This abuse is leaving tens of thousands of children orphaned as families abandon them out of fear they are devils, he said, and the government remains complicit.
Kisaku’s performances mix musical theater with comedy and dance. One day during a performance, Congolese police broke up the performance and arrested two of Kisaku’s musicians. Kisaku was found and kidnapped days later during another performance when an officer recognized him. He spent seven days in a dark cell and was supposed to be executed, but a guard helped him escape.
“I think my presence here in the U.S. is to try to use my voice for people who stay in Congo to understand what really happened,” he said. “(Congolese people) don’t come just because the U.S. is a beautiful country, it’s because they need safety. If they try to go outside of the U.S., it’s like every door is closed. Everybody wants to go outside to find a safe place.”
Hayre, Lawless and Chhay took on the case pro bono as one of the school’s law clinics.
“I’m so glad, but it also makes you worry about the other folks who go through this process without legal representation,” Hayre said. “My heart goes out to those folks with legitimate claims who struggle without legal counsel.”
He won’t be able to go back to Congo for a while, but Kisaku said he can do much needed work here. “The U.S. needs my voice right now because a lot of things happening in Congo and U.S. is part of that,” he said. “More war in the world doesn’t mean the peace will come. We have to think about the present because that’s the future. We have to take care of tomorrow. It’s really, really important.”
Kisaku will perform his new production, “Requiem for an Electric Chair,” at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas June 22 and 23 in the Iseman Theater in New Haven.
It explores his detention experience in Congo, his escape and journey to the United States.
“I hope he’s eventually able to go back and see his country in better shape than he left it,” Hayre said.