The Maji-Maji Readings

"Maji-Maji" was the battle cry of the 1905 – 1907 resistance movement led by the prophet Kinjikitile against German colonial rule in the south of what was then German East Africa. An estimated 300,000 people, about one third of the population, died over the course of the clashes. To coincide with the centenary of the beginning of this oft-forgotten war, the Berlin theatre ensemble abok, headed by Philippa Ébéné, commemorated the uprising and its suppression with a series of staged readings in 2005.

In his documentary short, Cuban director Ricardo Bacallao asks the ensemble of actors from the African diaspora about their experiences within the theatre and film sectors. The conclusion is sobering: the obstacles that most of them encounter in their profession have a long tradition and are rooted in Germany’s insufficiently examined colonial past, which continues to have an impact today.

Source: 72. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)