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Genre/Form: | Comedy films Videocassettes French films Fiction films Feature films Drama Comedies Features |
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Material Type: | Videorecording |
Document Type: | Visual material |
All Authors / Contributors: |
Ngangura Mweze.; Véronique Heuchenne; Gérard Essomba Many; Dominique Mesa; Jean-Louis Daulne; Herbert Flack; Cécelia Kankonda; David Steegen; Jacques Besse; France Duez; Frank Struys; California Newsreel (Firm); Films-Sud (Firm); Sol'Oeil Films. |
OCLC Number: | 42201278 |
Language Note: | In French with English subtitles. |
Notes: | Originally released in 1997 as motion picture. "Mweze Ngangura (Films Sud -- Sol'oeil Films), Isabelle Mathy (Pétrouchka Films), Georges Kamanayo (Vidéocam) présentent a la Diaspora Africaine ..."--Credits screen. |
Credits: | Camera, Jacques Besse ; editor, France Duez ; sound, Frank Stryus ; music, Jean-Louis Daulne. |
Cast: | Gérard Essomba Many, Dominique Mesa, Jean-Louis Daulne, Herbert Flack, Cecelia Kankonda, David Steegen. |
Awards: | Festival Panafricain du CineÌma et de la TeÌleÌvision de Ougadougou (FESPACO) 1999: Award of the City of Ouagadougou, Best Actress (Mesa), Grand Prize - Etalon de Yennega, IBP/CICIBA Award, OCIC Award. |
Description: | 1 videocassette (93 min.) : sound, color, black and white ; 1/2 in. |
Details: | VHS, NTSC. |
Series Title: | Library of African cinema (Videocassette) |
Other Titles: | ID |
Responsibility: | Films Sud -- Sol'oeil Films ; un film écrit, réalisé et produit par Mweze Ngangura ; scripte, Véronique Heuchenne. |
Abstract:
Reviews
Educational Media Reviews Online (1)
Pieces d'Identites

The movie opens as Mani Kongo, King of the Bakongo, embarks on a trip to Belgium to find his beloved daughter, Mwana. The king had intended for Mwana to study medicine abroad, but when the Congo economy collapsed, he could no longer fund his daughter's education and lost touch with her. Outfitted in full regalia and as much dignity, the African king walks into a society that neither respects his title nor values his humanity. On Belgian soil he finds his wallet stolen and his sacred crown in the hands of an unscrupulous antique dealer. The loss of his regalia- his "identity pieces," and the failure to locate his daughter begin to eat away at the king's self image. Meanwhile, Mwana who has just been released from prison, has begun dancing at a strip club in Brussels to appease the racist, misogynist police, who ask her to spy on customers in an effort to catch a masked thief. Through a series of delightful if implausible coincidences, Mani Kongo reunites with his daughter, and both regain their self-esteem and sense of purpose in life.
Pieces d'Identites will appeal to a wide variety of audiences who appreciate dramas, romances, comedies, or thrillers. Despite its high entertainment value, it should not be discounted for classroom use. The film is set against the historical backdrop of colonialism, and uses actual Belgian newsreels dating from the late 1950's, just before the Congo was granted its independence in 1960. While the script employs some fantastic plot devices, the depicted plight of Congolese immigrants to Belgium is not far from reality. Mweze Ngangura, himself a Congolese emigrant living in Belgium, hopes that his film speaks meaningfully about his own experiences and the universal problems of cultures and identity. Professors of history, social studies, or African studies may find this movie to be an engaging tool capable of drawing undergraduate students into serious study of modern cultural and political issues.
Pieces d'Identities, a rare combination of fun and fortification, is available in French with English subtitles for $195.00. Highly recommended.


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Related Subjects:(5)
- Kongo (African people) -- Kings and rulers -- Drama.
- Fathers and daughters -- Congo (Democratic Republic) -- Drama.
- Fathers and daughters.
- Kongo (African people) -- Kings and rulers.
- Congo (Democratic Republic)
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