Special Panel Discussion: Peace and Stability in the DRC: The 2016 Elections and Congo's Constitution

Saturday, October 25th, 3:00pm

Free Event!

Special Panel Discussion:

Peace and Stability in the DRC: The 2016 Elections and Congo's Constitution

A central issue of concern to the Congolese populace at large is the transition from the current government to a new one in 2016. President Joseph Kabila's second term in office will expire in December 2016 and per the Congolese constitution, he is not permitted to run for a third term. His political party has signaled that they will seek to change the constitution in order to allow Kabila to run again. Congolese civil society, youth, faith leaders and opposition forces have called for Kabila and his political party to respect the country's constitution. In addition, the United States via Secretary of State, John Kerry and Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region Russ Feingold has called on Kabila to step down at the conclusion of his second term and organize elections to usher in a new government and peaceful transition. A key component of the Peace Framework established by the United Nations and 11 African countries to advance peace in the Congo calls for the Kinshasa government to subscribe to the principles of good governance, which entail respecting Congo's constitution.

Congo in Harlem has gathered a panel of experts to discuss Congo's prospects for a peaceful democratic transition in 2016. Panelists TBA. Moderated by Jason Stearns (Congo Siasa).

BPT: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/881233

Double feature of films about Che Guevara’s time in Congo

Friday, October 24th, 7:30pm

Double feature of films about Che Guevara’s time in Congo

Tatu: Che In Congo

Jorges Fuentes,1997, 56 min.

In 1965, Cuba sent an expeditionary force to eastern Congo to train Marxist rebels in the fight against Congo's American-backed central government. The Cuban Expedition was led by none other than Che Gueverra who, under the code-name "Tatu" ("Three" in Swahili) cemented himself a place in Congo's history. Fuentes' rarely screened film is an account of Che's travels and political influence, as told by the Cubans and Congolese who knew and fought alongside him.

Freddy Ilanga: Che's Swahili Translator

Katrin Hansing, 2013, 24 min.

Freddy Ilanga, a fifteen-year-old Congolese youth, became Che Guevara’s personal Swahili teacher and translator during the Cuban Expedition to Congo. After seven intense months by Che’s side, the Cuban authorities sent Freddy to Cuba, displacing him from his family and abruptly changing his life. Hansing's film captures Ilanga's recollections of his time with Che, and his reconnecting with his family after 40 years of separation.

Followed by post-screening discussion with guests TBA.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/9432188

BPT: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/881119

Examen D'Etat (National Diploma)

Thursday, October 23rd, 7:30pm

Examen D'Etat (National Diploma)

Dieudo Hamadi, 2014, 90 min.

In Kisangani, a group of Congolese high school students takes matters into their own hands after their teachers demand fees to help them study for their national diploma. Together, they rent a house and prepare on their own for a moment that will define their future. With a style that is casual but precise, director Dieudo Hamadi never misses a moment in his heartrending portrait of determination, success, and disappointment.

Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX4TOPjp768

BPT: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/881100

Bwana Kitoko

Tuesday, October 21st, 7:30pm

Bwana Kitoko

André Cauvin,1955, 80 min.

In 1955, just five years before Congolese independence, King Baudouin of Belgium paid his first visit to his nation's prized colony. Belgian filmmaker André Cauvin was enlisted to document the trip, and from this material created Bwana Kitoko (translated from Swahili as "Handsome Man"), a propaganda film that is at once a naked portrayal of colonial exploitation, and a valuable source of insight into the forces that have shaped life in Congo today.

BPT: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/881086

Followed by post-screening discussion on colonial propaganda with Professor Matthew G. Stanard.

Forest of the Dancing Spirits

Monday, October 20th, 7:30pm

Forest of the Dancing Spirits

Linda Vastrik, 2013, 104 min.

Filmed over 7 years among the Aka, one of Congo's pygmy tribes, Forest of the Dancing Spirits is an intimate and expansive portrait of life in a hunter-gatherer society. The film centers on the relationship of Akaya and Kengole, a young couple struggling to have children and find acceptance in their social group. Filmmaker Linda Vastrik's portrayal of her subjects is deeply human, but decidedly unromantic, and offers a rare window into a way of life that is being threatened by the outside world.

Trailer - https://vimeo.com/62894196

BPT: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/881073

Congo In Harlem 6: Soeur Oyo (Sister Oyo) + Opening Night Celebration

Sunday, October 19th, 7:30pm

Soeur Oyo (Sister Oyo) + Opening Night Celebration

Monique Phoba, 2014, 20 min.

Set in the Belgian Congo in the 1950s, Sister Oyo tells the story of Godelive, a Congolese schoolgirl at the Catholic boarding school Mbanza-Mboma, the premiere French language school for Congolese girls. She is to be westernized, following the will of her parents, but the memory of her grandmother intervenes…

Followed by post-screening discussion with filmmaker Monique Mbeka Phoba + Opening Night Celebration with Congolese food and live music by Isaac Katalay and the Life Long Project.

BPT: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/881038