What culture is for development?

Self-reliance is often placed in the context of material self-reliance, i.e. earning a living and providing for the basic physical needs. Nevertheless, I believe that it is often forgotten that it also requires an intellectual and emotional autonomy. In other words: self-confidence, analytical skills and the ability to think and take distance with one’s own reality, development of creative potential, the ability to transform traumatic experiences and release them, an attitude geared towards positive thinking and the creation of its own destiny.

Rebuilding one’s personality and self-esteem is a necessary step to reconciliation with others. To have confidence and trust the others, we must have confidence in ourselves. It is only when this condition is met that the process of forgiveness and consolation can begin.

For example, in Goma, my home town, there are many youth in the street. Many of them have fled the combat zones and the chronic instability of their village of origin, others are orphans (of war, HIV/AIDS, or simply because of the high mortality rate), a third category is abandoned children or children who had to leave the family home because of poverty. Finally some of them are ex-soldiers, forcibly recruited when they were children. If you look at them, you can feel pity. But if you see only the poor kids in them, you won’t understand them.

These young people have developed skills and impressive defensive mechanisms. Despite the hope that they have left behind them, they work and believe in their future. They are determined to move forward and full of inspiration. They want to help to rebuild the future of their communities. They recognize and affirm that the DR Congo has many problems and they can be agents of change. They express criticism of their leaders and actors of society but at the same time, are proud of their community and their culture. Like everyone, these kids are willing to say something for themselves and for others.

That is why I have created a cultural and artistic centre in Goma. You should see these kids, painting, dancing or playing music. They forget their origin, ethny, fear, rivalry and together use their energy in positive actions.

Investing in culture is investing in development. Culture creates dialogue and places of community life where people can meet and talk to each other. It supports and builds common identity and helps people become aware of their power to build their own future. Development can be based on an artistic and cultural awakening, in order to give to the community social self-sufficiency and creativity so that they create by themselves their future. Culture and art bring people together. It can help to express feelings and has the power to heal many injuries.

Art and culture can play a central role in peace promotion too. They open to the difference and the other. They can create debate and reflection on essential social and political issues; they raise awareness and can be the ground where alternative opinions will grow.

For example, we organised each year a film festival in Goma. It meets an increasing success, this year many local politicians where present, we screened one of my movie about police in Goma. It was followed by a debate where the chief of the police faced the attendance and had to answer their question. When you know that one of the biggest problem in town is the impunity with which policemen commit crimes such as armed robberies, rapes or even assassinations… This was a very strong and symbolic moment. But truly believe that there was more understanding and tolerance between these people at the end of the debate.

Concretely what does it mean?

create any change in societies if people do not realize and experience it, if they are not given the means to access or understand it.

One should invest in artists and in artistic work to help the community to find its own identity. Investing calls for caution, by this I mean to give the artists and cultural associations the possibility to do what they want and not what other people say that they should do. Too often, donors have a precise picture of what art should say or show and only fund the initiative that matches their expectation.

For example, I have been invited several times to bring my artistic expertise in psychosocial projects lead by INGOs that use art to support child soldiers, victims of violence or refugees. Once I have been asked to run a workshop with child soldiers. The program managers asked me to support and encourage children who had been gathered to paint and draw. At the end of the day, they were given marks. The children who were receiving the best marks were the one who had drawn bombed houses or soldiers with guns because it was what had the more impact among the donors and was the most likely to bring in money.

For me this is not artistic or cultural activities, it is marketing. We should find an alternative to this way of funding cultural and artistic activities. We should also think of another way of writing these projects that would give voice to the artist and not only the program managers and communication advisors. Instead of giving money to managers who will implement artistic activities, it should be the other way around: money is given to artists who will learn to manage their project. This will give the freedom of creativity to the artist and sustain the community. We could indeed build the administrative and financial capacities of these associations or persons so that they meet the regulations of donors of managing money and are able to report efficiently on their activities.

I am fully aware that solution to development issue won’t be found at an individual or even associative level.  The solution must be found by putting our strengths in common. For this reason the individual projects and associations should also be supported in creating a network where they can share experience and best practices. They should be supported and encourage to build partnerships with organizations or individuals pursuing the same goals in order to create a network of artists and activists working together to build a better world.

To conclude
I speak from my experience as an artist and as a human being that had lived through several conflicts.

Art and culture are key elements of the development of a region and its population. Because art and culture are an important tool to democratize and pacify a country or even the world. By bringing people together, by entertaining them sometimes, by raising debates and alternative opinions, art and culture can effectively fight against totalitarianism and teach people dialogue and mutual respect. Art can be the last island of peace in an area torn by violence and if used properly has the power to raise in each individual the awareness that he/she is an actor of his/her life and of the society and has the right and duty to transform it for a better world

Petna Ndaliko Katondolo
Filmmaker

Art centre in Goma defies war

February 2009 -
The town of Goma in Eastern Congo seems to have the odds against it. In 2002 it got partly destroyed after the eruption of the Nyaragongo volcano. In the past months it has been surrounded by rebels. In spite of all that, the Katondolo brothers are still running a cultural centre.

Sekombi in front of Yolé Africa. Photo: Arne Doornebal
We pass through a street full of stinking, black volcanic mud. Suddenly, we have reached the place. "Welcome to Yolé Africa", says Sekombi Katondolo (26). Bypassing the stage, we enter the building where some people get introduced briefly. They call themselves the Katondolo brothers: Sekombi, Emma Katya, Petna and Modogo. While the lava was still hot and Goma had started rebuilding, the brothers founded Yolé. "The youth was completely abandoned here, there was nothing to do for them. There are places in town where youth can go and learn a profession, but there was nothing for in case they wanted to become a musician or a film maker", says Sekombi.
Yolé Africa was a bustling place, six months ago. Some days the modern dance group practiced, or there were debates and creative art workshops going on. Films and music were produced. On Sundays, there was the cine club and youths could follow painting workshops in the center that was subsidized by Cordaid. "But now our funding has stopped, and since rebels are surrounding Goma we did not manage to get new funding yet", says Petna. He has become quite a well-known film maker over the years. A project to bring music-sessions to the enormous refugee camps around Goma could not be established.
In October 2008 Goma was nearly invaded by the rebel forces of general Laurent Nkunda. But he stopped short of attacking the city. Although Nkunda was arrested on January 22, 2009 by Rwandan troops, several armed groups are still active around Goma. Petna: "Everything you buy in Goma is expensive, because the rebels raise tax on all imports that pass through their area." Within a few months the Katondolo brothers saw most activities in the centre disappear. "Now we only do activities which hardly cost any money", says Petna. "Debating, playing music, dancing. The beamer is still there, so we continue showing films. But music performances outside seem to be impossible at the moment, just like our painting workshops. We've ran out of paint."
Arne Doornebal

Even Nkunda could not hinder the SKIFF festival in Goma

November 2008 -
The words of Petna Ndaliko have become almost prophetic. Just before the SKIFF film festival in Goma, he announced the festival would go on whether there were rebels approaching or not. And indeed: the rebels advanced, but for the festival it was ‘business as usual’.

White armored vehicles of the United Nations patrol Goma, Eastern Congo. Soldiers with the famous blue helmets look in each direction, searching for any possible danger. But what probably does not catch their attention, is the torn poster of SKIFF, the Salaam Kivu International Film Festial. The event, co-sponsored by the Dutch ‘Africa in the Picture,’ ended late October."It was a great festival", says Sekombi Katondolo (26).
Sekombi is the younger brother of Petna, and their cultural center Yolé Africa was organizing SKIFF. "More than nine thousand people attended the festival", says Sekombi. "We showed twenty-two films, held dance competitions, music performances and artistic workshops." The films were screened in different locations in Goma, the city that was nearly destroyed in 2002 when the Nyaragongo volcano erupted. But now inhabitants watched SKIFF-films in the Goma soccer stadium, on the basketball pitch and in several conference halls around town.
At Yolé Africa, Goma’s only cultural center, they say that people who face a crisis period have a strong need for a cultural ‘escape.’ And these days can certainly be described as a crisis period. Rebel forces of General Laurent Nkunda, who has been claiming he wanted to conquer Goma, nearly reached his goal while the SKIFF festival was in full swing. However, Nkunda stopped short of launching the final attack on the city -as for now. "Despite the renewed fighting, we refused to stop the festival", says Sekombi. "It was amazing. During our closing ceremony, thousands of people attended. We think it might have been the biggest public gathering since the president visited Goma."
Arne Doornebal

Film festival defies war in Eastern Congo

October 2008 -
Film maker Petna Ndaliko is one of the founders of the Salaam Kivu International Film Festival which will be held in Goma, Eastern Congo in October 2008.  "Before the war, the Kivu provinces of Eastern Congo were known as a mayor tourist attraction. But now the only thing people know about this region is that it is war-torn." Petna Ndaliko (34) is disappointed about the negative image of his home region. The Goma-born film maker opted for a change. "We want to bring hope back to our region. With that ideal in mind we pushed for the creation of SKIFF, the Salaam Kivu International Film Festival." The festival, partner of the Belgium Afrika Film festival and Netherlands-based Africa in the Picture, will be held for the third time in Goma, on the Congo/Rwanda border.

Petna Ndaliko
Not that the war, which claimed millions of lives between 1998 and 2003, is completely over. A renegade general is still battling government forces less than 50 kilometres from Goma. "Last year the fighting was at only 20 kilometres from the city", says Ndaliko. "The United Nations had declared Goma a red zone, and they refused to fly in our international guests for security reasons. But the festival continued anyway, and some of our guests made it. It was great. People were watching movies even at night!"
SKIFF, co-funded by Cordaid Netherlands, will focus on South-South cooperation rather than North-South. "We bring in famous film makers from elsewhere in the continent. Local talent here can learn from them how hard it is to find funding for films in Africa", says Ndaliko. He hopes that Congo will remain one country and not break up due to the fighting. "We should create the Congolese dream of a unified country. The politicians have shown they failed to do it, so I think art can bring that dream."
Arne Doornebal