Postcolonial Dilemna Track #04 (Remix Mix)
2019, 15 mins
In Postcolonial Dilemna #Track4 (Remix mix), a non-narrative journey unfolds through a metaphor of extractivism—defined by Kongo Astronauts as the colonial and postcolonial economic process that operates on both natural resources and human subjects. In Kinshasa, an environmental warning emerges through a machete dance, while a barefoot man ascending a trash-filled jungle path evokes planetary abuse. A masked figure wielding a fiery weapon links violence in eastern Congo to ecological collapse, and a Darth Vader-like character embodies the burden of imposed Western systems.
One spacewalker calls for attention; another appears to lose control. Bebson Elemba burns dysfunctional objects, releasing toxic fumes. We find ourselves in the belly of the beast—yet there is also a flower, an owl, a flock of birds; children make music from garbage. In the final scenes, clay is shaped, evoking past, present, and future possibilities.
For Eléonore Hellio, the film exemplifies how Kongo Astronauts “manifests in the interzone of digital globalization, where past, present and future collide, running headlong into the politics of intimacy and urban lives, momentum…”. Hellio—who worked behind the camera as well as serving as editor—describes the remix as a “psychotronic” work within the “multidimensional world of Bebson Elemba,” a musician, performance artist, and inventor of musical instruments who features in the film. Also appearing on screen are performance artist and designer Michel Ekeba, artist Danniel Toya, and CATPC artist Mbuku Kimpala.