Pat Robertson, a conservative televangelist, immediately jumped into the efforts to assist in the 1994 Rwandan crisis that shook the world. ?Operation Blessings International, a ?non-profit? organization created by Robertson, was captioned in hundreds of pictures that portrayed droves of doctors aiding children dying from Cholera after fleeing to Zaire.
What these pictures, reportedly, captured were volunteers from the medical charity group Medicins?Sans Frontieres, (MSF), who, when questioned about Operation Blessing, remembered little to no presence from the organization.
One of OBI’s former pilots explained that the reason for the lack of presence in the crisis was due to the multitude of stops at Robertson’s diamond mine in the Congo.? This story was originally investigated by the Virginian authorities, most of whom received large endorsement checks from Robertson during election season, who declined prosecution against him.
That was not the last Pat Robertson would hear about?his, alleged,?misallocation of funds. Yesterday’s Toronto Film Festival featured a documentary written and directed by filmmakers Lara Zizic and David Turner entitled ?Mission Congo.??
With?Mission Congo, filmmakers David Turner and Lara Zizic conduct a deep investigation based on years of research into what Operation Blessing actually accomplished. They interview aid workers, eyewitnesses and even the pilots of Robertson’s airplanes who describe a different mission: diamonds. With the help of a brutal dictator and ex- Navy SEALS, Robertson was diverting his planes away from refugee camps to a different part of the Congo to extract precious gems.
This film delves into the secret side of the Rwanda rescue efforts claimed by Robertson. Millions of dollars were collected via donations from Robertson’s loyal following; a small portion spent on the rescue efforts mostly resulting in abandoned schools, medicines not useful in the Cholera epidemic, and failed farming opportunities. ?The rest of the funds were allegedly consumed by large machinery needs, and food and medical relief for the diamond mining crew hard at work, far from the epidemic and catastrophe devastating the Rwandan people. The film is expected to play several more times this weekend at the festival. There is no word, as of yet, if and when the film will be released to the public.
Edited and published by CB
