26.01.25, 17:00, Colette et Justin (2022)

With Colette et Justin, director Alain Kassanda digs into the caverns of his memory and the fabric work of his identity. Speaking to his grandparents, the titular Colette et Justin, he travels back to the first years of Congolese independence and charts a turbulent period marked by political struggle and moral complexity. In the shadow of Western powers and their economic interests, the revolution was given no light to grow, leaving behind an unfinished decolonial project. Drawing on his personal family biography, Kassandra unravels the colonial power dynamics that shaped and continue to bespeak the DRC. As the archive material crackles, the ghosts of unspeakable wounds float to the surface and the distance between generations becomes visible.

KASKcinema and artistic collective NIDA join forces for the screening of this stunning documentary and provide a decolonial walking tour of Ghent as a supporting act. With Aliou Baldé of Collectif Mémoire Coloniale et Lutte contre les Discriminations at our side, we will walk through Ghent's colonial heritage prior to the screening and consider how this history lives on in the midst of everyday life. Step by step, they build a bridge between past and present and ask pressing questions about our culture of remembrance.

i.c.w. NIDA, a decolonial artistic programme the Collectif Faire-part.