Bible that belonged to Floribert Bwana-Chui, a young man from the Community of Sant’Egidio in Goma, Congo, who was tortured and killed on the night of 8-9 July 2007 for not bowing to attempts at corruption.
Floribert Bwana-Chui was a member of the Community of Sant’Egidio in Goma, Congo. In 2007, he had graduated and found a job as director of the customs office for checking the quality of goods. An important position in a border town like Goma. His task was to check the quality of foodstuffs in transit on the border and certify their good quality. The arrival of Floribert marked a sudden change of direction for the office, because he, unlike his predecessors, refused to allow himself to be bribed to pass loads of rotten food. The month before his death, his technical service had drawn up a very detailed report on an important consignment of spoiled rice, and this time too he had received phone calls and pressure, even from public authorities, to turn a blind eye and take his fee as everyone had always done. But he remained adamant and had the whole consignment (4 or 5 tonnes of rice) destroyed. He allegedly stated publicly that the health of the citizens was worth more than the amount of money he was offered, because people’s lives are not worth the price. He was killed for his refusal to be bribed.