An occasionally hilarious report on the rocky relationship between the Chinese and the Congolese during the restoration of a road in Congo.


Lao Yang is Chinese. Eddy is Congolese and speaks fluent Mandarin. The pair work for a company commissioned to build a road between Kolwesi and Lubumbashi, capital of the Katanga province. Following the construction work, Bram Van Paesschen captures with impish virtuosity the sometimes cruel comedy of relations between new colonizers and former colonized.


The Chinese Railway Engineering Company has descended upon the Democratic Republic of the Congo to restore the road between Kolwezi and Lubumbashi. As Head of Logistics, Loa Yan is responsible for the building materials. His interpreter is a Congolese named Eddy. The government is supposed to provide the materials, but it is not coming through on its promises. This means that the Chinese are forced to deal with local companies, all of which have their own agendas and ways of working. The film follows this illustrious duo through the never-ending process of absurd negotiations. It is not only the language barrier that complicates things; the cultural differences in particular make any kind of cooperation almost impossible. The Chinese, who have flown in just for the project, often talk about the Congolese in blatantly racist terms, and the Congolese in turn seem reluctant to lift a finger for their Chinese bosses. All of which drives Loa Yan to distraction. The big boss is due to visit, and the road is nowhere near finished. Recurring excerpts from a local radio show give a crystal clear commentary on the developments. In the beginning, the DJ still refers to "our Chinese friends," but as time goes on his view of the Asian visitors sours markedly. This occasionally hilarious report of a less than stable working relationship also reflects the unstoppable rise of China.


A film by Bram van Paesschen, 2011, Belgium, 77 min

Director: Bram van Paesschen
Photography: Emmanuel Gras
Editing: Bram van Paesschen, Dieter Diependaele
Sound: Jeroen Van der Stock, Pieter Deweirdt, Yves De Mey
Production: Bart van Langendonck for Savage Film
Involved TV: Channel RTBF

CONTACT
Savage Film
Bart Van Langendonck bart[at]savagefilm[dot]be
Bruxelles - Belgium
Email: bart@savagefilm.be

World Sales
Maelle Guenegues


Source:
IDFA 2011
http://www.idfa.nl/industry/tags/IDFA2011.aspx?id=A15EE1FA-4FA4-4C18-8655-826FDD28D64D

Visions du Réel 2012
http://www.visionsdureel.ch/en/film/f/empire-of-dust.html