Giresse Ino

Photo Collection

Biography

My name is Giresse Ino. I am a man from Congo-Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC). I was born on May 5, 1988. I am 34 years old and am married with two children, a baby girl and a two-year-old son. We have been living in Dzaleka for six years.

I left my home in Kinshasa to go to Uvira (in South Kivu, on the DRC’s eastern border close to Burundi) after my parents were poisoned to death. The person who killed them was my father’s younger brother. Because of this insecurity—he was also looking to kill me—I relocated to Uvira. That was in 2014. My parents were killed in 2013. The person who helped me flee Kinshasa was a friend of my father’s. They worked together for the presidency at the time of President Mobutu.

After living in Uvira for two years, I met my wife Lydia Kabwe in church. I was interested in her because she spoke French, Lingala, and Swahili. We lived together in Uvira for two years. Then, there were again family problems and threats because of me, Giresse. My father’s little brother found out that I was still alive and living in Uvira. He started sending people to kill me. I quickly understood that I had a serious problem because of my inheritance. If I ever wanted to return to claim the belongings of my father, I would not be safe.

That is what made me leave Uvira towards Malawi. We just started going on our journey without knowing where we were going. We even had to search for places to sleep at night. One night when we were looking for a place to sleep, someone showed us a Catholic Church. The abbot told us that in Malawi, there is a camp where refugees can live with a bit of security. We began our journey on July 25, 2017.

We arrived in Dzaleka in the month of September, 2017.

Without family. Without anything. Just me and my wife.

A Pastor of a church welcomed and oriented us to the camp.

My story is so terribly long. I just made it short. My wife also has her story. She lost her family, her parents, and also her brother because of the war and insecurity in Uvira.

As far as music, music has been important to me from a young age. I started singing when I was young at church and school. We have many singers in my father’s family, and my mother was also a singer. I make gospel music in Congolese rumba, seben, and other styles.

We need your support because of where we find ourselves. It’s a place that is very difficult, especially for our careers. Help us. We have talent, but we are limited. God will compensate you for all that you do.