Afrōtopia (2025, Gabon)
Thursday, October 15, 2026 · 2:15 PM – 5:10 PM EDT
Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square, Portland · Concord, NH
About this event
By David Mboussou with Tiss Waren Mombo, Marcel Sandja, Jean-Claude M’Paka 128 minutes (in French with English subtitles) Overview: Ezekiel, a 25-year-old aspiring filmmaker, lives in the heart of the Congo Basin under the authority of his father, Maurice, a powerful businessman who opposes his artistic ambitions. When Ezekiel is forced to join the family logging business, he discovers that Maurice plans to exploit a sacred forest, the last refuge of an indigenous community. As he uncovers a buried colonial-era family secret, Ezekiel must choose between loyalty, personal freedom, and the fate of his people. Blending tradition and modernity to portray contemporary, cross-cultural Africa, Franco-Gabonese filmmaker David Mboussou’s “ecological manifesto” embraces the healing of historical wounds and explores the stigmatization of African cultures, the sacred link between people, nature, and spirit, and the resilience that shapes our future. Get Tickets 4:23 PM – 5:10 PM SPECIAL POST-SCREENING EVENT: A VERY SPECIAL CONVERSATION WITH WRITER, PRODUCER, & DIRECTOR DAVID MBOUSSOU We are delighted to welcome David MBOUSSOU to the screen for a virtual Q&A immediately following the film. From his home in Paris, David will discuss inspiration for his groundbreaking film. He will also touch on the artistic, cultural and ecological influences that guide his impressive collection of work. In his words: “I wanted to explore the initiation traditions of my country, Gabon, in order to seek a sense of rootedness that I felt was missing. Gabon is a country that has experienced slavery, colonization, and globalization, which means that cultural reference points are largely structured according to a Western worldview. I felt the need to reclaim a more endogenous and local way of seeing the world.African traditions became, for me, the crucible within which I was able to reposition myself in society and in the world – for example, in terms of relationships between elders and young people, our relationship to time, nature, community, ancestors, and the material and immaterial worlds. It was through this process that I discovered that the African worldview is profoundly ecological and resilient, as it is rooted in a search for harmony, balance, and even a kind of symbiosis among all the participants in existence. Indeed, traditions, particularly those of the Congo Basin, emerge from a deep communion with nature, as can be found in traditional proverbs and songs. These are the values that I seek, among other things, to celebrate and promote.”
Event details
- Date and time
- Thursday, October 15, 2026 · 2:15 PM – 5:10 PM EDT
- Venue
- Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square, Portland · Concord, NH
- Category
- Family
- Cost
- Cost not stated
- Age guidance
- Age guidance not specified
- Format
- In person
- Last verified
- October 6, 2026
Accessibility
Wheelchair: Not stated
Assistive Listening: Not stated
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