The Basandja Coalition Free Congo Tour
Basandja California and European Tour
Friends of the Congo in partnership with the Basandja Coalition is undertaking a Spring tour in the United States and Europe from April 16th to May 31st. Due to its successful tour in the Fall of 2024 in the United States and Canada, the Coalition is returning to California (Los Angeles and San Francisco) for two weeks of film screening, presentations, workshops and photo display from April 16 – 30.
The delegation will embark on a European Tour from May 1 to May 31st starting in London, England and then make stops in Brussels, Belgium, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Paris, France and Lisbon, Spain
They will share their organizing and movement building experiences from the frontlines of the rainforest, mining communities, conflict zones and urban centers in the DRC. The delegation is made up of members of the Basandja Coalition and their allies: Petna Ndaliko Katondolo, Filmmaker, Activist and Educator; Samuel Yagase Bayombe, Indigenous Leader and Stella Ramazani of Yole Africa.
The delegation will participate in a special Congo cultural exhibit (Congosonic) organized by the William Grant Stills Art Center and the city of Los Angeles.
Congosonic takes you on a journey beyond colonial borders into the heart of Congolese music and its profound impact on what we play, listen to, and dance to.
The delegation will screen films concerning the Congo Basin Rainforest (exploring the role of Indigenous knowledge and wisdom in combating the climate crisis) and the challenges of mining communities (tying the accelerated quest for critical minerals that power the green and/or clean energy transition to cobalt diggers). In addition, the delegation will showcase a photo display of 27 photos taken by displaced women from the east of the Congo in the Bulengo displacement camp. The display will be complimented by a photo book that will be available for sale during the tour.
Friday, May 2nd , 5pm – 8pm, The Africa Centre, 66 Great Suffolk Street, London Hosted by the United Tech and Allied Workers, Screening of Lwanzo and discussion with representatives from Basandja, Friends of the Congo and special guest Jeremy Corbin, Member of Parliament, UK
Saturday, May 3rd, 11Am – 6 PM The Africa Centre, 66 Great Suffolk Street, London Hosted by the United Tech and Allied Workers, Voices from Congo’s cobalt Mines, films screening of Lwanzo and interviews with women miners
Sunday, May 4th, 12 noon – 5 PM, Pelican House, 1 Pelican Estate, Bethenal Green, London E2 6EX, Solidarity For Congo hosted by National Education Union and Educators For Congo, Screening of Mikuba, Mahindule Photo Display and Panel Discussion
Friday, May 16th, 7 PM, Brussels, Belgium, Cinema Aventure, Galerie du Centre, Rue des Fripiers 15, 1000 Bruxelles, Film Screening of Lwanzo (Cobalt) and Basandja (A Tree Prayer). Post screening discussion with Petna Ndalkio
Thursday, May 22nd, 3 – 7 PM, University of Amsterdam, Oudezijds Achterburgwal 237, 1012 DL Amsterdam, Netherlands, Film screening, Basandja followed by discussion with Petna Ndaliko, Samuel Yagase and Stella Ramazani
Friday, May 23rd, 4 PM – 6:30 PM, Utrecht, Netherlands, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 8, 3584 CS Janskerkhof 2-3 Room 0.21 Film screening, Mikuba and discussion with Friends of the Congo and Basandja Coalition
Mwalimu Ndaliko Katondolo (Petna), was born in Goma, DR Congo, is a filmmaker, educator, and an ancestral ecologist. His multi-genre artistic works are acclaimed for their decolonial Africanfuturistic style, which engages historical content to address contemporary sociopolitical and cultural issues. In 2000 he co-founded Yole!Africa and in 2005 he founded the Ishango Encounter (formerly known as Salaam Kivu International Film Festival). Ndaliko Katondolo teaches and consults regularly for international organizations, addressing social, ecological and political inequity among marginalized groups through culture and Art.
Samuel Yagase is a grassroots leader mobilizing rural communities for justice and dignity in the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 1992, he co-founded GOVA – Group of Village Organizations for Autonomous Development. In 2022, Samuel and GOVA became co-founding members of the Basandja Congo Basin Coalition for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.
GOVA formed as a collective initiative between the community, intellectuals, and traditional leaders for autonomy and self-determination after experiencing pain, disrespect, and broken promises with international aid organizations. Samuel works to promote dialogue and collaboration between the two medicines (Traditional and Modern) which strengthen the communities’ fight against many injustices (including traditional customs that discriminate against women) in a region where extractive industries continue to oppress and harm the local communities.
Samuel’s life has been dedicated to improving matters related to environmental racism, health, education, and local governance. He serves on the board of the Climate Justice Resilience Fund and is featured in the short film called ‘Mabele Na Biso’ (Our Land). Since the film was made in 2012, his region has been experiencing a dramatic increase in flooding due to the climate crisis, destroying health centers, schools and agriculture. Samuel is part of a collective call for governments, large NGOs, and multinational corporations to prioritize the wisdom of those on the frontlines. With the reality of the climate emergency and new global focus on the Congo’s ‘carbon bomb’ in the peatlands, Samuel hopes there will be a fast shifting of power so there can be true collaboration for climate solutions and resilience.
Please contact Friends of the Congo at info@friendsofthecongo.org or Phone 202-584-6512 for media inquiries and more information about the Basandja Free Congo Tour.
