Interviews AfrikaFilm Festival 2025 - Sammy Baloji about L'ARBRE DE L’AUTHENTICITÉ (THE TREE OF AUTHENTICITY)

In the heart of the Congo rainforest, the remains of the Yangambi research centre dedicated to tropical agriculture bear witness to Belgium's colonial past and its direct consequences on climate change. Director Sammy Baloji presents a three-part essay, giving voice to the writings of two scientists, Paul Panda Farnana and Abiron Bernaert, who worked at Yangambi between 1910 and 1950. Their stories are complemented by that of a three-hundred-year-old tree. L'ARBRE DE L’AUTHENTICITÉ highlights the legacy of colonial modernity in today's greedy exploitation of natural resources.