INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND CONGOLOESE LITERARY FESTIVAL
WHEN
—
WHERE
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Raum 2249A
LANGUAGE
FRENCH
PROGRAMME
Focussing on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its specific context, the conference explores how literature in all its forms (prose, poetry, and theatre) can help people come to terms with experiences of violence. In this sense, the contributions analytically “dissect” violence, examining its origins and its manifestations in literary texts from the Congo and the Congolese diaspora: they consider how literature gives voice to the suffering, grief, and despair caused by violence, while also articulating resistance, rebellion, resilience, and reparation. Given the historical and ongoing violence, persistent traumas, and injustices arising from the trade in enslaved people, colonialism, dictatorship, and extractivism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the question of how literature might contribute to reparation and to the “healing” of multiple forms of destruction and injury is particularly urgent.
Integrated into the conference programme, a festival of literature complements the academic sessions with readings and discussions featuring Charles Djungu-Simba and Richard Ali A Mutu K., Nadège Kusanika and Fiston Mwanza Mujila, In Koli Jean Bofane, and Joëlle Sambi, as well as a round-table discussion on publishing and the book market.
The event is organised by Humboldt University of Berlin and the German Research Foundation in cooperation with the Käte Hamburger Centre CURE, the Wallonia-Brussels-East Belgium Delegation, and the Austrian Cultural Forum Berlin.
