Congo My Foot

Film

by Okepne Ojang & Kyle O'Donoghue

Details

South Africa and Cameroon / 2008 / 24mins / Documentary / French, Lingala and English

The members of Tino La Musica, a Congolese band based in Cape Town, live and rehearse in a rundown block of flats until they are evicted just before the outbreak of xenophobic violence. The double impact of these events causes the band to fall apart, yet its members struggle to reunite and find the will to sing and dance again.

Trailer

About the Directors

Okepne Ojang

Okepne Ojang was born in Cameroon in 1978 and moved to South Africa in 1998. Ojang was introduced to film informally and after a number of years learning the ropes, he acquired a solid understanding of the production of documentaries and short films. With a home video camera, he decided to start filming the members of a Congolese band (Tino La Musica) with the intention of making a short film about their success. Shortly after he began filming, xenophobic violence erupted and his film about a band became a film about much more. The film, Congo My Foot, is the result of this project. Okepne Ojang passed away in April 2016. Learn More

Kyle O'Donoghue

Kyle O’Donoghue is a South African born documentary filmmaker. His work has taken him to every continent and he has a particular interest in telling stories which reflect strong environmental messages. As an expedition cameraman he has kayaked a first descent of a tributary of the Amazon and filmed a 70 day ski expedition in the Canadian Arctic. He has also spent 10 seasons in the Antarctic with polar explorer Robert Swan. He believes that telling personal, well crafted stories is one of the best ways to leverage and create real change. Learn More