Local activists, on the ground on the DR Congo, changing their circumstances...

[the_future_modernes]

Western journalist tend to play up stories of Western humanitarians, mostly white, coming in to save the poor grateful people from themselves. This film was so fucking empowering. Such a middle finger in the eye of the narrative. Dude, when every study abroad post you see for African and South and Central America is for volunteering, while Europe and Australia are for learning and vacations, it grates on you. When every NGO and spokesperson for some charity org that is featured is white... When every fictional movie and documentary focuses on the compassionate white person who is always there to help out the benighted person of color whose country just can't get it together...it builds on you. It joins the where is your history, you don't have one! chorus that you get from you are born. It joins the lack of heroes on your entertainment, it joins the outright racism in everyday interactions, it joins the narrative. I have seen countless profiles of extraordinarily humanitarian white kids saving their poor cousins around the world. There is a serious lift in my heart to see the extraordinary "poor cousins" saving themselves.

Witness: Witness - The Children's Parliament

Childrens Parliament: An organisation run by children for children has made it their mission to fight for children's rights in DR Congo.

Children's Parliament is a local organisation run by children for children. Their mission since its conception in 1999 is to fight for the rights of children. As teenage students, the parliamentarians dedicate their free time to this noble task and receive no payment, despite enormous obstacles and risk to themselves. Members of Children's Parliament are elected by their peers and delegates are chosen from different neighbourhoods, schools and districts. What unites them is their will to make a difference for Congo's children.

We wanted to make a film that would personify the myriad of problems faced by youths in Eastern Congo and hold out a candle of hope for their future, in the form of two leaders of the Children's Parliament.

Child-for-child

We first met the parliamentarians, Alimasi and Museke while filming another documentary on international aid in Congo. We were trying to find examples of Congolese aid organisations, and came across the Children's Parliament. When we first met them, they were in their office joking around with each other, like ordinary teenage boys. From the moment we asked them about their organisation, it was clear they were far from ordinary.
When we asked about what they did, they eloquently explained their mission and the problems they were trying to address, with a depth and understanding far greater than the foreign aid workers we had spent most of our time interviewing. They discussed their belief that the future of Congo must be led by its children. Unlike many foreign NGO workers tainted with cynicism, these boys are articulate and funny, but deadly serious about their work. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and drew us in immediately.
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