A Road from Lubumbashi
A film by Dan Banda
Introduction and post-film discussion with filmmaker
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
7:00PM
Union South / The Marquee
1308 W. Dayton St.
Madison, WI
Notes from the filmmaker:
For over 100 years, a wide spectrum of writers and social activists have called attention to the exploitation of resources and people in central Africa, referred to as the Congo Free State, the Belgium Congo, Zaire, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. From Mark Twain and Arthur Conan Doyle to present day websites like Enough and Friends of the Congo, there has been a call for the general population of Western countries to take action to end what are commonly called “the crimes of the Congo.” These crimes include extraction of natural resources, war, slave labor, wide scale corruption, and disease. But, each new generation of users of Congolese resources (people, ivory, rubber, and minerals) seem to suffer from a mass amnesia when linking their consumerism with the continuous exploitation of the Congolese. Today more than ever this is true as technology toys have become king. A Road From Lubumbashi tells the story of our connection to the Congo, brings voice to the Congolese as equal partners in this issue, and provides an idea which consumers and creators of technology can play an active role in reducing the crimes of the Congo.
In the news
The Capital Times: Filmmaker takes on the Congo
(06/19/10)
About the filmmaker:
Dan Banda, a veteran filmmaker, has produced 13 documentaries since 1992. He is best known for his three-part Emmy award winning PBS series, which chronicles the Mexican immigrant experience in the last century. In addition to his filmmaking, Banda has taught communications within the University of Wisconsin system, and has a five-year appointment as a Fulbright cross-cultural specialist. When asked what ideology he follows to address complex human issues, he quotes comedian Gracie Allen, “Never put a period where God has placed a comma.”
This event is presented by the African Studies Program in collaboration with the Wisconsin Union Directorate. It is free and open to the public.