This Is Congo

Daniel McCabe Canada, Congo, Qatar, VS 2017 91 min.

Director Daniel McCabe first went to Congo in 2008 as a photographer. The photographic documentary series he made about the armed rebels in the Kivu region grew into the visually stunning but tough documentary This is Congo.

When McCabe switched from photography to video, he decided to show not only the rebels, but to also offer three other perspectives on the conflict. One is that of a tailor who is forced to travel from one refugee camp to the next and always has his sewing machine at hand to make a little money. Mama Romance also tries to earn a little something and sells minerals on the black market. The complex situation in Congo is caused by several factors: internal corruption, Western interference, armed militias and the lack of infrastructural and educational development. It is a situation that requires different perspectives. With his approach McCabe succeeds in providing an informative background to the conflict in Congo. When President Joseph Kabila organizes new elections at the end of 2018, this documentary will still be extremely relevant.