“There is what Congolese novelist In Koli Jean Bofane refers to in the film as an ever-evolving 'algorithm of Congo Inc': an algorithm perfected somewhere between Washington, London, Brussels and Kigali, where Congo Inc. has become the global supplier delivering strategic minerals to take war into space. The thesis of Congo Inc. is that every major war largely consumed and was able to be fought thanks to minerals that were provided by the Congo. In the First World War it was rubber; during the Second World War the high-grade uranium; in Vietnam it was the copper of the endless bullets that were shipped there; and now the strategic materials to take war into space.” (Johan Grimonprez)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
United Nations, 1961: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe, and the U.S. State Department swings into action, sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to the Congo to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup. Director Johan Grimonprez explores a moment when jazz, colonialism, and espionage collided.
What's On
A Sad and Beautiful World Nujum al’amal w al’alam
Cyril Aris
Friday, 18. 09. 2026 / 18:20 / Main Hall
In this sweeping romance set in Beirut, two star-crossed lovers face a decision whether or not to build a family and chart a track to happiness, despite the tragic fates ravaging contemporary Lebanon.