the African diaspora of Belgium
Notes ongoing...by Beti Ellerson
Women of the screen from the African diaspora of Belgium include a cohort of afro-descendant women which include first-generation Belgium-born or raised of African parents, as well as those who have settled in Belgium after their studies or other sojourns in the country, and have since made it their home.
Monique Mbeka Phoba of Congolese-Kinshasa origins is a trailblazing filmmaker, cultural producer and activist, who has been mentor and inspiration to many. In addition she is involved in co-productions and African cinema organizational functions. Sisters Pauline Mulombe, filmmaker and Cecile Mulombe Mbombe, cinematographer are active in Belgium screen culture, especially in the promotion of African diasporans based in the country. Other Brussels-based women in cinema Congolese origin include Wendy Bashi, filmmaker and journalist, and host of the program Reflets Sud on TV5 Monde. She was a freelance journalist for the program Afrik'Hebdo broadcast on RTBF International (Belgian Francophone radio and television) and is also editor for Glo.be, the Magazine of the Belgian development cooperation. Similarly, journalist Djia Mambu, as film activist, is very involved in the promotion of African cinema throughout the globe, and advocates for positive and realistic representations of people of African origin. Marthe Djilo Kamga is founder and current coordinator of the Massimadi festival in Brussels, and her professional and person paths have revolved around her interest in questions of vulnerability, identity, and equal opportunity. Her interest in art and cultural production (film, performance, photography, etc.) empowers her to reappropriate images and public spaces for people in positions of invisibility. Reoccurring themes in her work are the coexistence of multiple identities and diverse modes of artistic and cultural expression. Kis Keya is the creator of Extranostro, the first Afro-Queer Francophone Web Series. Delphine Wil, born in Germany of a Belgian father and a Belgian-Congolese mother, is a filmmaker whose cultural diversity has shaped her path. She started her professional career as a radio journalist at the Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF) before moving to the audio-visual sector, in addition, she works in the information field in Francophone Africa. Belgium-based actress, stage actor and filmmaker Babetida Sadjo directed the autobiographical film, Bafata which follows her journey back to her childhood and her homeland, Guinea-Bissau, related as a personal tale in the form of a travel diary. Her fiction film Hematome (2021), in which she also interprets the protagonist, recounts the experiences of Judith, who twenty five years later, dares to break her silence that shattered her life in order to find justice for the rape that she suffered as a child.
Cameroonian Rosine Mbakam's Chez Jolie Coiffure, traces the migratory journey of Sabine who works in Matongé one of the most important commercial African neighborhoods in Brussels, where she manages Jolie Coiffure Salon. The film provides the spectator a glimpse of this vibrant Belgian multicultural neighborhood. Also by Rosine, Tu seras mon allié (You will be my ally, 2012) follows the saga of Domé, a 35 year-old woman from Gabon accused of falsification of documents at the Brussels airport.
Monique Mbeka Phoba of Congolese-Kinshasa origins is a trailblazing filmmaker, cultural producer and activist, who has been mentor and inspiration to many. In addition she is involved in co-productions and African cinema organizational functions. Sisters Pauline Mulombe, filmmaker and Cecile Mulombe Mbombe, cinematographer are active in Belgium screen culture, especially in the promotion of African diasporans based in the country. Other Brussels-based women in cinema Congolese origin include Wendy Bashi, filmmaker and journalist, and host of the program Reflets Sud on TV5 Monde. She was a freelance journalist for the program Afrik'Hebdo broadcast on RTBF International (Belgian Francophone radio and television) and is also editor for Glo.be, the Magazine of the Belgian development cooperation. Similarly, journalist Djia Mambu, as film activist, is very involved in the promotion of African cinema throughout the globe, and advocates for positive and realistic representations of people of African origin. Marthe Djilo Kamga is founder and current coordinator of the Massimadi festival in Brussels, and her professional and person paths have revolved around her interest in questions of vulnerability, identity, and equal opportunity. Her interest in art and cultural production (film, performance, photography, etc.) empowers her to reappropriate images and public spaces for people in positions of invisibility. Reoccurring themes in her work are the coexistence of multiple identities and diverse modes of artistic and cultural expression. Kis Keya is the creator of Extranostro, the first Afro-Queer Francophone Web Series. Delphine Wil, born in Germany of a Belgian father and a Belgian-Congolese mother, is a filmmaker whose cultural diversity has shaped her path. She started her professional career as a radio journalist at the Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF) before moving to the audio-visual sector, in addition, she works in the information field in Francophone Africa. Belgium-based actress, stage actor and filmmaker Babetida Sadjo directed the autobiographical film, Bafata which follows her journey back to her childhood and her homeland, Guinea-Bissau, related as a personal tale in the form of a travel diary. Her fiction film Hematome (2021), in which she also interprets the protagonist, recounts the experiences of Judith, who twenty five years later, dares to break her silence that shattered her life in order to find justice for the rape that she suffered as a child.
Cameroonian Rosine Mbakam's Chez Jolie Coiffure, traces the migratory journey of Sabine who works in Matongé one of the most important commercial African neighborhoods in Brussels, where she manages Jolie Coiffure Salon. The film provides the spectator a glimpse of this vibrant Belgian multicultural neighborhood. Also by Rosine, Tu seras mon allié (You will be my ally, 2012) follows the saga of Domé, a 35 year-old woman from Gabon accused of falsification of documents at the Brussels airport.
In the short drama, Tout le monde a des raisons d'en vouloir à sa mère (Everyone has Reasons to be Angry with their Mother) filmmaker Pauline Mulombe reveals the myriad realities of three young Afro-Belgian sisters living in Brussels. In the span of two days the film portrays their diverse experiences as they are forced to face their many hang-ups and their darkest secrets. Their African mother, confronted with the opposing forces of Western culture, must deal with her daughters’ realities.
Following is a selection of articles focusing on African women of the Belgium Diaspora published on the African Women in Cinema Blog:
Babetida Sadjo: Hematome
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2022/06/babetida-sadjo-hematome.html
Following is a selection of articles focusing on African women of the Belgium Diaspora published on the African Women in Cinema Blog:
Babetida Sadjo: Hematome
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2022/06/babetida-sadjo-hematome.html
Rosine Mbakam
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2021/10/rosine-mbakam-les-prieres-de-delphine.html
Kis Keya: Creator of Extranostro
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2020/07/kis-keya-creator-of-extranostro-first.html
Djia Mambu: Journalist and Film Critic
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/05/djia-mambu-journalist-and-film-critic.html
Marthe Djilo Kamga
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/03/words-of-marthe-djilo-kamga-director-of.html
Wendy Bashi
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/07/wendy-bash-chronique-congolaise.html
Rosine Mbakam - Tu seras mon allié (You will be my ally, 2012)
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/07/cinef-4-2018-cinema-au-feminin-kinshasa_27.html
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2021/10/rosine-mbakam-les-prieres-de-delphine.html
Kis Keya: Creator of Extranostro
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2020/07/kis-keya-creator-of-extranostro-first.html
Djia Mambu: Journalist and Film Critic
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/05/djia-mambu-journalist-and-film-critic.html
Marthe Djilo Kamga
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/03/words-of-marthe-djilo-kamga-director-of.html
Wendy Bashi
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/07/wendy-bash-chronique-congolaise.html
Rosine Mbakam - Tu seras mon allié (You will be my ally, 2012)
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/07/cinef-4-2018-cinema-au-feminin-kinshasa_27.html
Delphine Wil
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/07/interview-with-delphine-wil-director-of.html
Monique Mbeka Phoba
http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2014/05/monique-mbeka-phoba-sister-oyo.html
Cecile Mulombe Mbombe, Pauline Mulombe
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2010/07/sisters-act-of-cecile-and-pauline.html
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/07/interview-with-delphine-wil-director-of.html
Monique Mbeka Phoba
http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2014/05/monique-mbeka-phoba-sister-oyo.html
Cecile Mulombe Mbombe, Pauline Mulombe
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2010/07/sisters-act-of-cecile-and-pauline.html