Vesna Faassen & Lukas Verdijk

2017 MODULAR INSTALLATION FOR TEXT, VIDEO AND CONVERSATION

Not a single Dutch-language book by a Congolese historian has ever been published in Flanders so far, and this fact received remarkable little attention. The publication When we speak about colonisation comprises a collabortion with Congolese hiatorians, educated and employed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It included essays by Donatien DIBWE dia Mwembu, Sindani KIANGU, Pamphile MABIALA MANTUBA-NGOMA, Jean-Marie MUTAMBA MAKOMBO and Jacob SABAKINU Kivilu. This is the first Dutch-language book to appear in Flanders by Congolese historians, educated and employed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Several historians were asked to select one of their articles (whether previously published or not) for this project. The five authors of the book accepted this request, each of them selecting an article that they considered significant for the Dutch-language debate in Flanders.

The installation includes video documentation of the authors (‘Wanneer we spreken over kolonisatie’ / ‘Quand on parle de la colonisation’) reading their essay, made in collaboration with and filmed by Paul Shemisi Betutua and Nizar Saleh Hirji.

“To create a multi-vocal narrative around the theme of (de/post-)colonisation, is the goal of the book project When we speak about colonisation by artists Vesna Faassen and Lukas Verdijk. Up until now, mostly white Dutch speaking historians had a voice in the Flemish debate around the colonial history. With their project, the artist-duo aims to change the agency and agents present within the debate. On the one hand, this means they let Congolese natives tell their story from their own perspective. On the other hand they want to activate the ideas behind their publication project in several ways. The book itself, in this sense, merely focuses as a starting point for a versatile dialogue – for which reading groups, talks, lectures and presentations are being organised. Before, such events took place at spaces such as Mu.ZEE (Ostend), Festival Congolisation #3 at the Pianofabriek (Brussels) and Framer Framed (Amsterdam).”