00:00We were cloistered, of course. There were several of us, young and old. When we ate
00:06rice, it was a feast day. But we were deprived of a mother and a father, so it was really
00:14hard. We don't know what a maternal or paternal feeling is. It really hurt.
00:22Noelle was born to a black Congolese mother and a white Belgian father back when the Congo
00:29was a Belgian colony. Noelle, along with thousands of other children at that time, were kidnapped,
00:36separated from their mothers and sent to Catholic institutions. Noelle, along with four other
00:42women who she grew up with, filed a lawsuit seeking reparations. Now, court here in Brussels
00:49has ruled in their favour, saying that this practice during colonial times was a crime
00:56against humanity and an inhumane act of persecution.
01:02We of small nature, five women, who are against a state, an entire state, but it is worth
01:08it. It is a joy and truly a great joy and a great triumph. We are courageous. Don't
01:18take us for little girls. We are great ladies. We have this determination.
