A film about Africa made in 1918 is bound to be a film about colonialism made by colonialists. There were simply no other voices with the means to be heard. In Kitega, capital de l’Urundi (which we now know as Burundi), we observe the European administrators in their ‘noble’ struggle against the ‘uncivilised conditions’ trying to bring ‘order’ to the land. The locals are little more than extras who must rejoice on command when the administrators grace them with a visit. Play the drums, show off your naked bodies, dance, Savages! It’s an interesting enough ethnographic and historical curiosity, but it is in many ways completely unsurprising. So why did we include it in our programme? What struck us most about Kitega, capital de l’Urundi was not how typical it was for 1918 – because that was exactly what we expected. But it is still quite typical of most coverage of Africa today, a hundred years later – and it was that dismal thought which made us want to show this film here in Bologna. Whether you turn on the Discovery Channel or head to the cinema to see an acclaimed documentary, if the subject is Africa it seems like the terms of reference and the metaphors remain exactly the same in 2018. The dark-skinned others remain trapped in a savage, undeveloped wasteland, and it is only with the good grace and intelligence of the white people that there is any hope of change. Isn’t it about time for hashtag ‘ustoo’ and ‘blackpeoplesburden’? Anyway. Please enjoy our exotic presentation. The natives in one region even have a child king, can you believe? And we can discuss it in the bar afterwards over some gin and tonic – an essential prophylactic against the scourge of malaria.

Karl Wratschko