SKIFF 2015: Muda wa masujaa/Unsung S/heroes

Who we celebrate reflects who and what we value. For more than a century, Congolese values have been determined by outside forces. As our values have been auctioned off to the highest bidders, so too our institutions, our autonomy and our role models.

The theme of SKIFF 2015 is to celebrate the countless unsung local s/heroes—past and present—who contribute, daily, to uplifting Congo. As our nation faces pivotal choices, this festival is a gathering in which we ask ourselves who elects the s /heroes of Congo— will it be the Congolese or will this decision, too, be sold to the highest bidder?

In response to these questions, SKIFF 2015 will organize a series of events, including official recognition of three Congolese whose extraordinary and selfless dedication to our nation and its communities has inspired us all. In celebration of the 10th edition of SKIFF and the 15th anniversary of Yole!Africa, we are introducing three prizes honoring the values of integrity, non-violence, and autonomy:

 The Lumumba Prize—honors an individual who demonstrates extraordinary non-violent leadership in the field of Human Rights work.

 The Uwakili Prize—honors an individual who distinguishes her/him-self in the pursuit of intellectual or scholarly knowledge.

 The Sankofa Prize—honors an individual who puts her/his prestige to the service of the greater good.

Throughout the events of the of SKIFF 2015, including the established events of the festival and the distribution of prizes, our aim is to combat the selective amnesia that

erases Congolese s/heroism from history and to remind ourselves—and the world—of our strength, dignity, and capacity for self-determination.

Highlights of SKIFF 2015:

 Opening night: Virunga (nominated for an academy award) with a panel discussion including the Filmmakers.

 The Congo premier of the award winning exhibition, The Enclave, by Richard Moss.

 Workshops with internationally acclaimed artists including Ben Frost, Mathieu Roy, Nelson Walker and Lynn True, Richard mosses and many, many more celebrated artists and intellectuals from Usa.

 Workshops, performances, and discussions with artists from the American Next Level Project, affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the United States State Department

Scholarly panel including representatives from Goma University, Harvard University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and The University of Wisconsin at Madison

 The world premier of “Les Oublies des Kivu” by Ray Lema, Ballou Canta, Freddie Massamba, and Rodrigo Viana.

 Faustin Linyekula present Cargo  SKIFF 2015 Dance Competition  SKIFF 2015 Congo Film Focus  The unveiling of the new epoch of Yole!Africa.

Welcome to SKIFF 2015 !!!

Avenue Pélican 08 Quartier des volcans Goma Nord-Kivu DRC

+243 997 12 30 55, +243(0) 818 701 393

http://www.salaamkivu.org, skiff@yoleafrica.org.

Festival Directors: Petna and Chérie Ndaliko