Draft:State of Siege (Congolese documentary)
| State of Siege | |
|---|---|
| État de siège | |
| Directed by | Dieudo Hamadi |
| Written by | Dieudo Hamadi |
| Produced by | Kiripifilms |
| Cinematography | Dieudo Hamadi |
| Edited by | Dieudo Hamadi |
Release date |
|
Running time | 75 minutes |
| Country | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Language | French |
State of Siege (French: État de siège) is a 2016 Congolese documentary film directed by Dieudo Hamadi. The film documents a prolonged student protest at the University of Kisangani during 2011–2012, where students demanded the payment of state scholarships and denounced government corruption in the education sector.
Synopsis
[edit]Filmed covertly over the course of nine months, State of Siege follows a group of medical students as they occupy their university campus in eastern Congo. The film captures their grassroots organizing efforts, confrontations with police, and the emotional and physical toll of sustained civil disobedience in the face of growing repression. The students’ resolve is tested as authorities cut off electricity and water, culminating in armored police raids and mass detentions.
Style and structure
[edit]The film combines guerrilla filmmaking methods with a direct cinema approach, using natural lighting, handheld cameras, and no narration to present events in real time. Hamadi also incorporates first-person narratives drawn from student diaries and audio logs. The result is a visceral and immersive portrait of resistance under siege.
Production
[edit]State of Siege was filmed secretly in Kisangani, using:
- Concealed cameras during police raids
- Covert interviews with injured demonstrators
- Archive footage from state media broadcasts
Due to safety concerns, the film crew operated with a minimal footprint, often filming at night or from hidden vantage points.
Historical background
[edit]The events depicted in the film occurred in the broader context of:
- Widespread mismanagement of education funds in the DRC, where only 1.5% of GDP was allocated to higher education as of 2012[1]
- Heightened student activism following the contested 2011 general election
- Increasing authoritarianism under President Joseph Kabila, including the application of martial law and crackdowns on dissent[2]
See also
[edit]- 19 January 2015 Democratic Republic Congo protests
- Atalaku film, an earlier documentary by Dieudo Hamadi
- The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo (2007 political documentary)
References
[edit]- ^ "UNESCO Education Profile: DRC". UNESCO. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "Student Protest Under Kabila". The Friends of the Congo (FOTC). Retrieved 15 July 2024.