The Congo Tribunal – a student exhibition

Have you ever dissected the insides of your smartphone? What you would find inside tells a dark and complicated history of a conflict that has lasted for almost 30 years. The resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo have attracted international economic and political forces whose extractive activities are carried out amidst intense social chaos and brutal violence. How is it that such suffering, loss and turmoil has been waged against millions for so long, in silence and impunity?

The class of Art, Literature & Law invites you to our exhibition, to explore the many aspects of this complex conflict. We offer various pieces which attempt to illustrate the various actors, causes and consequences of the war. We hope to demonstrate how this grave situation in the DRC challenges the sustainability of our global economic system, and questions the capacity of an international legal system that permits such injustice to go unanswered.

Our project is inspired by the film “The Congo Tribunal”, by Swiss theatre director Milo Rau. This film portrays the hearings of real victims, real judges, and real perpetrators involved actual incidents of violence in the setting of a fictional trial. This piece exemplifies how “where politics fail, only art can help”. That is, how art has the power to reveal the faults in the current system, to pre-enact realities and to set the stage for movements for change.
Exact room to be announced!