The Greatest Silence

Lisa F. Jackson's documentary The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo won Sundance Film Festival's Special Jury Prize. Watch a clip from the movie and it is not hard to see why. In the documentary, Lisa Jackson (herself a survivor of gang rape) interviews several women and girls who have been raped in the eastern Congo. Some of the women are elderly grandmothers; the girls are quite young as well. Although rape cases have been reported in the media, these stories have never before been told in such a personal way. Disturbing though it is, it is necessary to watch the interviews that Jackson conducts with the rapists. The men are Congolese soldiers and seem to have no sense of wrong-doing whatsoever. They arrogantly confess their crimes to her, offering justifications that illuminate the disturbing reality of gender relations in the Congo. But this is not just about the Congo. All over the continent there are examples of how civil war and ethnic violence gives rise to brutal abuse against women. The instability is a catalyst, but violence is incubated in archaic cultural beliefs and practices that are often sheltered from criticism in times of peace. Could a black African filmmaker do the same? While watching the clip, I found myself wondering if it would be possible for a black African film maker to make such a documentary. Would she or he be able to get access into the eastern Congo (a war zone as it has been until recently), get the stories and come out alive? Would the soldiers tell their stories? I would like to think so, but I am not so sure.