Film Screening for the Women of Walungo, DR Congo

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One year after the film's premiere, I pulled out all the stops to show my film, *Voices of Violence*, to the people of Walungo who had participated in the filming. Through this screening, I wanted to demonstrate my respect and gratitude to the women who had placed their trust in me—women who, for the very first time, had shared their traumatic life stories on camera. I remain deeply impressed by their courage, their will to live, and their strength; indeed, I grew very fond of all of them during the filming process. Furthermore, I wanted to travel to the DR Congo once again to verify that the funds raised had truly reached these "Simama women," and to see how their lives had been transformed by the donations collected alongside the film project.

 

I began the technical preparations for the screening in Cologne, while simultaneously coordinating the on-site logistics in eastern Congo. With the assistance of Therese Mema Mapenzi, I was able to secure the church community hall in the small neighboring town of Walungo for the event and finalize all arrangements prior to my arrival in Bukavu. With the film stored on a hard drive—along with a large, portable screen, a powerful sound system, and a high-luminosity projector—I flew to Burundi, crossed the border into Bukavu, and then traveled on to Walungo with Therese Mema Mapenzi. The reunion was a source of immense joy, and the film screening itself was an experience I will never forget. I could barely recognize the women, so profoundly had they changed in appearance—looking well-nourished, laughing, and radiating strength and newfound self-confidence.

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