*Apologies for cross-posting*

Dear colleagues,

You're warmly invited to a screening of the South African film, An Inconsolable Memory (Aryan Kaganof, 2013) on 23 November, 2-5pm at the Lexi Cinema (London, NW10 3JU). The screening forms part of the Being Human Festival, the UK's first festival of the humanities and is presented in partnership with Royal Holloway's Humanities and Arts Research Centre (HARC). 

An Inconsolable Memory is a reconstruction of the history of South Africa’s first opera company, Eoan, and an exercise in getting at the truth, not only showing what it meant to be "a colored" during the apartheid regime, but also evoking the painful memories of that time. Interviews with former members of Eoan, photos, newspaper clippings, sound recordings, archive footage of opera performances and street scenes featuring the residents of District 6 in Cape Town give an impression of the world in which these people lived. By paying attention to the way in which the documentary was made – to questions that were not asked and answers that were not officially given – the painful truth behind the images and faces is gradually revealed. Text boxes containing statements about memories and truths introduce dreamlike sequences that enable contemplation of these terms and their relationship to the complex dilemmas faced by the people who lived under apartheid. Was it better to refuse support from the hated "Department of Colored Affairs," and thereby seal the opera company's demise? Or accept this support and allow the opera company to make history, while simultaneously being condemned as collaborators?

After the film screening, filmmaker Aryan Kaganof and producer Stephanus Muller will be joined by the acclaimed British filmmaker John Akomfrah (The Stuart Hall Project, The Nine Muses, among others) in a conversation with the audience about the film.

The screening is free of charge, but booking is essential. For more info and bookings, visit: http://beinghumanfestival.org/event/memory-reels/

Best wishes,

Stephanie 

Stephanie Vos
Organiser of 'Memory Reels' film screening and workshop
Being Human Festival of the Humanities
www.beinghumanfestival.org

PhD Candidate, Music
Royal Holloway, University of London
E-mail: [log in to unmask]