2012 Italian film
Black Africa, White Marble is a 2012 Italian documentary about Congo-Brazzaville made by Clement Bicocchi.[2]
The documentary is framed around the plans of Sassou Nguesso to transfer the remains of Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza from his grave in Algiers to a $9 million mausoleum in Brazzaville. The documentary follows a visit to Congo by one of Brazza's descendants, the Italian writer Idanna Pucci. Pucci, a niece of Emilio Pucci, highlights the fact that Nguesso's memorial plans do not benefit the people of Congo. Worse, they diminish the status of the current King Makoko, spiritual leader of the Bateke, whose ancestor had signed the pact with Brazza in 1880. In Pucci's words:
I didn't want Brazza, who was a man of peace and who gave his entire fortune to the people of Congo, to be used to marginalize the current King Makoko, who is the revered spiritual leader of the majority tribe... We will give you Brazza, I told [Nguesso], only if you sign a protocol of provisions that benefit the population, You restore the Lycee Savorgnan Brazza school. You build a road to Mbe, where Makoko lives. And you put a statue of the original King Makoko right next to the statue of Brazza at the mausoleum.[3]
The film was shown at the African Film Festival, Inc. in 2012 and 2013.[4] It won the Silver Punt Audience Award for best documentary at the 33rd Cambridge Film Festival.[5] It was also shown at Lights, Camera Africa! 2015.[6]
References
- ^ "19th Annual New York African Film Festival April 11 to 17".
- ^ Charles Peterson, '"A Disgraceful Abuse of History": A Review of Black Africa, White Marble', West Africa Review, No. 22, 2013.
- ^ Joanna Molloy, ‘Black Africa White Marble’: Tale of writer Idanna Pucci’s battle with dictator Sassou Nguesso, New York Daily News, April 13. 2012.
- ^ Black Africa, White Marble.
- ^ Naman Ramachandran, The Forgotten Kingdom wins Cambridge Golden Punt, cineuropa, 1 October 2013.
- ^ Lights, Camera Africa 2015 Film Synopses, The Guardian, 18 September 2015.
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