Sema, the film that cries out against sexual violence in Congo

Sema which means in Swahili language “Speaks” is a committed film written collectively by the Survivors Movement, an NGO based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which fights for the rights of women against aggression sexual acts committed on women. The film, which lasts 46 minutes, is a means of raising awareness of communities where rape is particularly present, but also, the film is intended for Western countries. Because according to Maud-Salomé Ekila, production manager of the film, “It is the conflicts over minerals financed by the multinationals that have brought rape as a weapon of war to the Congo. The fact of showing the film in these countries makes it possible to make a advocacy directly at the source of the problem “.

The film takes us into the daily life of two survivors of sexual violence, played by Sandra Bonve and Armande Mahabi. Both women face rejection from their respective communities. According to Machérie Ekwa, director of this film, and to whom we owe the film Maki’la, the film constituted a real therapy for the participants in this project. They were able to break the silence, express their pain and give hope to other women victims of this abuse. The film was shot in Swahili with French subtitles.