A personal account of the challenges that many immigrants encounter in the process of integrating into a strange and complex new society is the subject of the lecture by Georges Budagu Makoko which will take place at the Rockland Public Library on Thursday, October 6 at 6 pm. He was born in the southern Kivu province of Eastern DR Congo and spent his early years living among extended family in his native village, and later moved to the urban areas of the Congo to further his education. He lived for many years in war-torn Congo and Rwanda. After barely surviving the atrocities in the region, he sought and was granted asylum in the United States, taking up residency in Portland, Maine. In 2011, I became a citizen of the United States. He is now married with 2 children, living in Portland and working for Avesta Housing. Makoko’s lecture is free and open to all.

Makoko recently published a book entitled “Ladder to the Moon: A Journey from the Congo to America.” His book is a unique and fascinating account, depicting a transformational journey that took him from his tiny village in the Congo to “the greatest country in the world.” One of his goals in writing this book was to describe the extent of the conflict in his region, which has caused millions of people to run away from their native homeland and seek refuge elsewhere in the world. He has also detailed some of the difficulties that many immigrants encounter in the process of integrating into a strange and complex new society.