Stop Filming Us But Listen (2022)

Roffa Mon Amour + Wereldmuseum Rotterdam 

Alongside the exhibition A World in Common, a celebration of contemporary African photography, we will host a film screening with artist talk at Wereldmuseum Rotterdam on Wednesday evening May 15. Presenting 22 artists from the African continent, the exhibition explores how photography and film allow them to explore the legacy of the past and imagine a shared future full of possibilities.

The exhibition is open from 19:30 until 20:45 when the talk starts. The program (talk and film screening) will be in English.

About the film
With the film screening, we explore the film industry in the city of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, where Congolese filmmaker and journalist Bernadette Vivuya seeks funding for her decolonial film. At the same time, a Dutch crew wants to make a film about the conflicting perspectives of Goma but is quickly confronted with the local community’s refusal to be filmed. This sparks a conversation around power and trust, colonialism, and representation.

Stop Filming Us But Listen (2022) explores the history of colonial representation in the Congo and follows the journey of Bernadette and her fellow local artists as they strive to challenge the Western narrative around their city.

About the talk: Decolonizing visual culture

To accompany the film, we are going to have a panel discussion with Faouziat Biera Faous and Julianknxx about power dynamics in the making of images. This will be a conversation about how artists in diaspora communities can navigate the matter of representation. Is it possible to attain a faithful representation of your community? How does a bi-cultural background factor into the making of art? How can you access your heritage across time and distance?