Nous, étudiants!

„People often say that the young are the future. Those old people lied to us. They don’t care about us. They’ve locked every door. Young people study to get ahead, but the old people just fail them.“ So fasst Rafiki Fariala die desolate Perspektive als Student an der Universität von Bangui (Zentralafrikanische Republik) für sich und seine Kommiliton:innen am Beginn des Films zusammen. Rafiki hat jedoch bereits begonnen, sich eine Perspektive zu schaffen: Er macht einen Dokumentarfilm über seinen „struggle“. Das Ergebnis ist ein Video voller Wucht und Zartheit, das Eindruck macht. Lange. Umverteilung ist einfach eine gute Idee. (Katja Wiederspahn)

In Anwesenheit von Rafiki Fariala.

WE, STUDENTS – the feature debut by Rafiki Fariala – is an immersive film that takes us to the university of Bagui, the capital of the Central African Republic where the director’s closest friends are studying and where a professor enthusiastically tells them to be the elite of the country. Not all of them will continue on that path, as personal choices or unsolvable problems duly catch up with them. Fariala’s camera shows complicity in grasping the intimate relationships between the group of friends, its sharp eyes alighting on the debates and discussions that inflame a youth seeking to change the system. Inside the campus and in the city, the films shows the fragile balance that students in Bangui need to maintain in order to continue their careers.
WE, STUDENTS finds its strength in this duality, in the capacity to talk about the systemic problems of a country while portraying the friendships and artistic path of the filmmaker. Among these layers, Fariala and his colleagues create a space in which the viewer is invited to share their experiences and concerns about the future of their country. (Rebecca De Pas)

In the presence of Rafiki Fariala.

Rafiki Fariala: MBI NA MO (2017, K)