African Encounters: Decolonize Now! Panel Discussion I DOK.fest 2024

DOK.fest München Podcast. Im Kino. Zuhause.

A dialogue on decolonisation between Africa and Europe

In a panel discussion following the film THE EMPTY GRAVE, we brought together the common threads of the four African Encounters films. With the filmmakers from Africa and Europe, we will discuss their views on colonial history. How does colonialism continue to shape our relationship today? And what does the reworking of history have to do with change and progress?

Panelists:

Cece Mlay (co-director THE EMPTY GRAVE), Tanzania
Cece Mlay is a Tanzanian director and works as a creative supervisor at the production company Kijiweni Productions in Dar es Salaam. THE EMPTY GRAVE, co-directed with Agnes Lisa Wegener, is her documentary feature film debut.

Agnes Lisa Wegner (co-director THE EMPTY GRAVE), Germany
Agnes Lisa Wegner lives in Mannheim, Germany. She studied American and African-American Studies and Film Studies in Berlin and at Harvard University.

Zippy Kimundu (co-director OUR LAND, OUR FREEDOM), Kenya
Kenyan filmmaker and editor Zippy Kimundu completed a Master’s degree at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She founded Afrofilms International: a women-led film and TV production company and creative collective in Kenya.

Lieven Courthouts (director THIS IS MY MOMENT), Belgium
Lieven Corthouts is a self-taught filmmaker who travelled the world before living in Ethiopia for 10 years, during which time the two feature documentaries MY FUTURE and LITTLE HEAVEN were made. Together with academy award winning director Orlando von Einsiedel he made the Netflix documentary CONVERGENCE: COURAGE IN A CRISIS.

Raoul Bagopha (expert Misereor), Germany/Cameroon
Dr. Raoul Bagopha comes from Cameroon, studied political science and works in the International Cooperation Department of the Episcopal agency Misereor. There he is involved in various working groups on the topic of decolonization.