Black Africa White Marble

Brazzaville, in the Republic of Congo, is the only African capital to retain the name of a European: Pietro Savorgnan di Brazza, the Italian-born explorer who set out for Central Africa in 1875. Although, Brazza’s efforts lead to the establishment of a French colony, he is still revered in Congo as a model of European-African relations that stands in contrast to Henry Stanley, who claimed a neighboring Congo region for Belgium.
Using an innovative blend of animation, puppetry, archival material, and original documentary footage, BLACK AFRICA WHITE MARBLE focuses on Brazza’s incredible original journey through the Congo and a present-day David-and-Goliath story centered on Brazza’s common European and African descendents.
A century after the mysterious death of the pacifist explorer Pietro di Brazza, the President of the Republic of Congo plans to transfer the explorer’s remains from his grave in Algiers to a multi-million dollar marble mausoleum in Congo’s impoverished capital of Brazzaville.
However, one woman stands in the way. Idanna Pucci, Brazza’s Italian descendent, is initially excited by this tribute to her ancestor. But when she visits Congo, Pucci discovers an insidious hidden agenda behind the plans. Touring the country, she witnesses first-hand how Congolese citizens suffer at the hands of the corrupt government. Worse still, forces are working to marginalize King Makoko, spiritual leader of the Bateke people, with whom Brazza had been particularly close. Unable to ignore these injustices Pucci unites her relatives in a plan to make the memorial benefit the Congolese people, and restore authority to King Makoko.
BLACK AFRICA, WHITE MARBLE sheds a harsh light on Central Africa’s colonial past and its troubled present in all of their fascinating complexities.