Full moon — 17-19 may

17:00 - 19:00 A child of one’s own film screening Amandine Gay

In European medias and public opinion, transracial and transnational adoption is a highly depoliticized subject. Even in mainstream feminist and queer circles, when gay or trans* adoptions are debated, the social, racial and economic dimensions at stakes are rarely if ever tackled. What is more surprising is that European antiracist and Afrofeminist circles have also overlooked this issue. Drawing from the example of the “orphelins de Savé/Savé’s orphans”, mixed race Belgian children from Congo and Rwanda separated from their Black mothers during the colonial era, even when they’d been recognized by their white fathers, and who were later forcibly moved to Belgium on the eve of African independences; this discussion will address the issue of forced migrations in the adoption and foster care systems. It will also reveal the intersections between transnational/transracial adoptions and colonial histories. Ultimately, this panel intends to raise awareness on the permanence of assimilationist discourses and practices towards children of color from the global South. Transnational/Transracial adoptions must be studied from a historical perspective in order to #Flipthescript from « the right to children » to children’s rights.

Amandine GAY is a Montreal-based Afrofeminist filmmaker, activist, and journalist. Following her graduation from the Institute of Political Studies in Lyon with a masters in communication, Amandine joined the Conservatory of Dramatic Art in Paris 16 and began performing in theatre, film and television. Since 2012, Amandine has been working as a screenwriter, making her directorial debut in 2014 with her documentary, Speak Up, a feature-length documentary on European Black francophone women. She is also a contributor to the information website, Slate.fr.

20:00 - 23:00 Ekolongo straat opening Bie Michiels

(excerpt of the show) In her work Bie Michels (b. 1960, Kimwenza, Congo, lives and works in Antwerp) centers on observing, registering, and questioning the representation of the ‘other’. Her paintings, installations and films not only question her own position with regard to the subject, but in the process of her creation she allows ‘others’ to collaborate or comment on them. Thus the gaze or the view of the ‘outsider(s)’ is an inherent part of the final result. These may be artists, experts or labourers, but also people closely involved. The anthropological dimension of her work is not based on a scientific practice to render culture transparently, but is a subjective and ephemeral way to 'read' culture from her attitude of 'amazement'.