Festival 2011
Debate+Film
The African
Metropolis on
Film
In this block: A procura de Pancho
Sunday Oct 9 14.00 hr. 2011
|
Since the independence of most of the continents nations in the 1960’s, Africa is known for its political and economic turbulence. The actual famine in the North Eastern region, ongoing civil wars and the series of revolutions in the Arabic world, strengthen our Western preoccupations.
Meanwhile, Africa appears to be a booming continent: economic growth, democratization and new developments in media and communication provoke a growing middle class and an increase in education. New powers like Brazil, India and China are eager to get involved in the economic growth of Africa: they enter into trade agreements to secure commodities and farmland. African countries like South Africa and Nigeria rapidly become an important party in world economy.
Western countries do not know how to react properly. Suffering from their colonial past and with mixed feelings about 50 years of foreign aid, they tend to neglect new opportunities.
The explosive growth of the African cities is one of the greatest challenges on the continent. Due to neglected economy and infrastructure on the countryside, an immense migration towards cities created large metropolitan areas. Cities are functioning because of an informal economy besides the official one.
The African metropolis hardly knows any planning or structure. Profit seeking is the background for decision making. As soon as new developments are announced, opportunism rules among governments, investors and building industry. Successful, well-functioning social economic structures are neglected and literally demolished.
Even the work of the famous Portuguese/Mozambican architect Pancho Guedes is a victim of speculation and deterioration. While it was just this architect who tried to give an African identity to contemporary architecture.
How are film makers looking at recent developments in the African metropolis? What is the focus of the youngest generation of film makers while working in African cities?
Are they observing in an objective, analytical way? Is there a tendency to confirm preoccupations in film? To romanticize the informal city or the beauty of poverty? Is there a new style of activism to be found in film? Are there any new perspectives on the African city opened in recent films?
Are there any differences between African and Western film makers? Between a film addressing an African audience and a film addressing a Western audience?
Hilde Heynen, professor Architectural Theory at University of Leuven will reflect on the films; the discussion with film makers Karim Soliman, Petna Ndaliko en Lotte Stoops will be moderated by Jord den Hollander.
Following films (shorts and fragments) will be screened during the debate:
- Sketch (5 minutes, Karim Soliman, Egypt 2011);
- Grande Hotel (10 minutes fragment, Lotte Stoops, Belgium 2010);
- Theatre Brulé (7 minutes, Petna Ndaliko Katondolo, DR Congo 2004);
- A Procura de Pancho (10 minutes, Christopher Bisset, South Africa 2010)
The African Metropolis debate is organized in collaboration with AFRICA IN THE PICTURE festival Amsterdam: www.africainthepicture.nl
Tip: before and after the debate you can visit; Grande Hotel, Garbage Dreams and Ekümenopolis. The short film Pancho Guedes, an alternative modernist is screened with Für den schwung sind Sie zuständig.
|
related links
|
