Romuald Adili Amani is an independent researcher, based in Goma, in the eastern North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who has worked for many local and international organizations such as Pole Institute (Intercultural Institute in the Great Lakes region), International Alert, Concern Worldwide, and Vivo International. Adili has studied philosophy and public health, worked as a counselor for women and girl survivors of rape, and volunteers with helping a group of street children. Apart from his research and community work, Adili founded a tour and travel company called Ubuntu Voyages, which directly resulted from participating in Mind & Life events that supported the African philosophy of Ubuntu. The mission of Ubuntu Voyages is to offer opportunities for people from different cultures and backgrounds to meet and connect, to strengthen and spread the philosophy of Ubuntu through tourism; and to go beyond psychological and geographical barriers between people for common interest of happiness in living and working together for a sustainable development; and finally to promote African values, among them solidarity and hospitality. With living in a region that has experienced cycles of violence for decades, Adili has, for many years already, had to cultivate his own resilience and capacity for compassion through the use of mindfulness techniques, even though it isn’t readily available in the DRC. Currently he is working within his community to implement programs that foster mindfulness and contemplatives practices as inner resources to cope with trauma, and to promote a culture of peace in his community, country and the Great Lakes Region in general.
