Colonial Traces in the urban space of Kinshasa and Berlin

Lecture by Jean Kamba

Leopoldville Mourning: collective performance with Prisca Tankwey in public space.

Malewa Laba – Congolese cuisine with Laba Adebisi

ACUD Club & Courtyard – Free admission – Start 7pm at ACUD

The city of Kinshasa was called Léopoldville during colonial times. After the country’s independence in 1960, it was renamed Kinshasa. The city still has traces of the colonial era that inexorably shape the daily lives of its inhabitants. Although the architecture and boundaries of the settlements have changed due to the explosive population growth, they are not untouched by the above-mentioned influences, especially with regard to the boundaries between the settlements of the locals and the houses of the whites. Even today, the burden of this separation can be felt. The ‘ Place des évolués (Square of the Developed) ‘, one of the squares or gardens frequented by the “developed” blacks at that time, still has the same pejorative name of “jardin des évolués (garden of the developed)”. This roundtable discussion will look at these places haunted by the spirit of colonisation.

The performance by Prisca Tankwey entitled “Léopoldville mourning” connects the theme with the urban space of Berlin and its colonial past. Tankwey invites us to a collective funeral of outdated views, and a glimpse into a better future.