Tom DeVriendt
“Lobi” is a Lingala word meaning both ‘yesterday’ and ‘tomorrow’. Nine young film makers/artists* looked into this yesterday and tomorrow. Drowned in much noise Congo’s Cinquantenaire celebrations passed as fast as they came. In Lobi (hier/demain) the film makers also look at these celebrations – sideways. Convinced that a “direct dialogue” is long-overdue and time has come to find a common language allowing them to both tackle a shared past and create a new imaginary of the future, the nine film makers produced a poetic and enigmatic movie. The result of an intensive collaboration during the months of February-March 2010, the movie’s coarse images slowly but surely pull you in.
