ABOUT

SYNOPSIS

The Congo is all at once overexposed and invisible, its precious resources being stripped and exploited by the outside world while remaining in the shadows of the daily news cycle. THIS IS CONGO (working title) is an unblinking and unfiltered look into one of the world’s longest standing, ongoing wars and those who are surviving within it. With over two years of heart-stopping cinéma-vérité footage, this feature length documentary challenges the Western idea of the Congo, while never shying away from the brutal reality of violence and atrocities that cycle through the breathtaking landscape. With the powerful voices of three fearless characters - a mineral smuggler, a national army commander, and an internally displaced survivor of war, we begin to see the paradox of the Congo; beauty and brutality, illumination under darkness.

Weaving historic archival footage throughout the narrative, we are able to see the rich history of the DRC that was crafted by different generations with different agendas; each more unstable and erratic than the one before. From colonization to the now growing humanitarian efforts, we see that often the result is the same; exploitation and corruption are inescapable regardless of intention when a land is as rich and vast with natural resources as the Congo.

With over 5 million deaths, the world’s bloodiest conflict since WW11 is happening now. Trapped in a violent and corrupt cycle fueled by the countries immense mineral wealth, Congo is a playing field for dodgy politics, outside interests, and armed rebel groups. Meanwhile its population lives in abject poverty. Over the past two years, this cycle of conflict has continued with the Rwandan and Ugandan backed M23 rebels threatening peace and stability in and around Goma. Through a myriad of diverse characters, the film documents this cycle.

CHARACTERS

COLONEL MAMADOU NDALA - THE SOLDIER

Mamadou, the soft-spoken, seemingly shy, yet influential and fearless frontline Commander of the Congolese army, was born under the reign of Mobutu. He grew up fighting on the frontlines, and will never stop. With unprecendented access, we follow Mamadou to the frontlines where he continues to fight the M-23 throughout the lava plains north of Goma, winning small victories along the way. He is regarded as a Messiah by those who have benefited from his protection. A practicing Muslim, Mamadou leads hismen by example, winning battles and leaving a legend in his wake. Despite the complicated history over which he has no control, he paints a very human portrait of the African soldier, a role he has proudly taken on since he was thirteen. For him fighting is far from futile, it is the path to a better future for his country and his people. Through his arc we meet a myriad of armed rebels, including the M23 whom we ultimately see Mamadou defeat.

On January 2, 2014, Mamadou N'dala was murdered in an ambush on his vehicle in the North Kivu province while trying to oust another of eastern Congo’s myriad of armed groups, the ADF-NALU. Shrouded in mystery, the details of Mamadou's death are still currently being uncovered. All the evidence surrounding the days events have fueled rumors that the highest levels of the Congolese government may have played a role in his tragic end, fearing Mamadou's growing power with his support amongst the population.

In THIS IS CONGO, we will see how Mamadou's heroic efforts fighting the M23 ended one cycle of war and how his death is the start of another. We follow Mamadou's arc as he unknowingly morphs from hero to victim, and is torn apart by the individuals and ideals he has dedicated his life to protect. After getting to know him intimately in the film, this recent horrific turn of events exemplifies the chaotic and turbulent reality of today's Congo.

HAIKIZA NDABA - THE DISPLACED

Hazika, a fifty-eight year tailer, carries his 75-year old sewing machine with him everywhere he goes. He lives a life of displacement, continuously running to survive a war that has surrounded him for the past 15 years. Hakiza carries not only his machine but also the weight of displacement and loss having buried four children during the conflict. We are with him as he goes from one displacement camp to another, at one point suffering the heartbreaking loss of a pregnant niece to a cholera outbreak due to the devastating conditions of the camps. Still, he continues moving, clothing those around him, earning at most a few dollars a day. Hakiza's journey through the constant cycle of war leads us through Congo's past, present and future as he eventually returns home to his abandoned village.

MAMA ROMANCE - THE MINERAL DEALER

Mama Romance is a dealer of illegally mined minerals with a disarmingly warm smile that understands and navigates the black market better than most. Sourcing her minerals from remote mining villages in the highlands of Congo's South Kivu province, Mama Romance brings us directly into the illegal mining trade. From seeing the minerals being excavated from deep in the earth by the hands of the locals, negotiating prices in back-alley markets, and crossing borders where minerals flow onto the international market in Nairobi, Mama Romance puts her family and livelihood at risk by exposing the inner workings of the business. Formerly a milk seller, we learn that smuggling was a necessity in providing food for her family and paying her childrens' education. She hopes that one day, Congolese will be able to work legitamately on the international marketplace.

SUMMARY

These three individuals live the story of a country plagued by instability and exploitation. By giving voice to the often unheard, feared and exoticized Congo, they are putting themselves at risk to create a true reflection of one of the most complicated conflicts in the world. Theirs is not a universal story but one that only those faced with the reality that they live everyday can tell. Their dedication in telling these stories is bold and creates a small footprint on the landscape that others will study but ever truly comprehend. Mama Romance, Hakiza, Mamadou and the rich characters that surround them ultimately prove that volatility does not always breed futility but often resilience throughout the generations who have lived and died due to the never-ending cycle of brutality generated by this conflict.

HISTORY

Eastern Congo is arguably one of the richest areas of land on earth, encompassing some of the world’s largest deposits of copper, gold, diamond, coltan, rubber, cobalt, cassiterite, uranium oil and tropical hardwood. Similarly, Congo’s wealth has been its curse in that since the beginning of the country’s history, wars have been waged over these resources.

One of the earliest accounts of exploitation began in 1482 during the Age of Exploration, when Portuguese explorer Diogo Cao reached the mouth of the Congo river and enlisted the Congolese people in the extraction of minerals. Four hundred years later during the Industrial Age, Welsh journalist and explorer Henry Stanley lead an extensive survey of the country and formally charted the Congo River. This prompted King Leopold II of Belgium to colonize the land under the guise of humanitarian and philanthropic endeavours, convincing the international community that this was the right step. In all actuality however, this declaration allowed him to place personal claim on Congo and its property and he began extracting minerals, ivory and rubber on a massive scale. Eventually he instated the “Congo Free State,” which has been to this day known as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The “rubber boom” of the 1890s and the growing demand for tires in the auto industry had a devastating affect on the Congolese people, diminishing the population by alarming rates. Violence and oppression was as vast and commonplace as the minerals and resources themselves. The Atomic Age brought new attention to the Congo when the US began mining for uranium. Radioactive ore was excavated in such staggering quantities that without it the “Manhattan Project,” a US led research and development campaign that produced the first atomic bombs during WWII may have never been possible. And more recently, the media’s eye was turned on the Congo once again over the nations “Blood Diamond’s.” Now in the Age of Information and a steady increase of supply and demand for electronics, metals such as coltan and cassiterite are pouring out of the Congo, to a devastating effect despite President Obama’s “Dodd Frank Innitiative” which made steps towards holding corporations accountable for their supply chains and banning the use of “conflict minerals”.