N.G.O. (NOTHING GOING ON)
Dir. Arnold Aganze
Uganda/DR Congo, 2017, 83 Min.
Two friends, Tevo and Zizuke, dream of living carefree lives, making easy money and pairing off with mzungu (white) women. At their local hangout, they meet a mzungu woman who suggests they start an NGO. They seize the opportunity, seeing it as the key to their own personal gain. As the two young men fumble to launch their organization, they enlist the help of a beer-swilling elder named “Mr. Heineken”, who instructs them on the lingo of “empowerment” and “capacity-building”. The scam is a huge success — or so it seems — until an international donor sends a filmmaker to document the NGO’s nonexistent achievements and the situation takes an unexpected turn… This light-hearted comedy packs a deep and incisive critique of foreign aid and intervention in Africa.
Post-Screening Discussion with Arnold Aganze, moderated by Keefe Murren, Executive Director, FilmAid
Reception to follow with Congolese food and live music by Nkumu Katalay and the “Life Long Project” Band