Lusophone Film Festival "Children's Republic" (Republica di mininus)
Introduction: Prof. Frieda Ekotto (Dept. of Comparative Literature & Afro-American & African Studies, University of Michigan)
Following many years of conflict, a small African country is occupied by children only. República di Mininus combines elements of comedy, biting political satire, fantasy, and allegory. This republic represents a utopian African society populated and governed exclusively by children. It is a society where everyone is educated, healthy, and employed, a society that is efficient and uncorrupt. Assuming adults’ responsibilities and roles, they organize and create the Republica di Mininus, a stable and prosperous territory with its own legislative and police system. The only adult in this new republic is Dubem, a kind of local adviser. Despite this regime being successful, children will have to accept a peculiar predicament: in this land, children do not grow up. (Fernando Arenas, Lusophone Africa and Festival do Rio)
Co-sponsored by: Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies Brazil Initiative; African Studies Center; Department of Afro-American and African Studies; Humanities Institute; International Institute; Department of Romance Languages and Literatures; Sheldon Cohn Fund, Department of Screen Arts and Cultures; and Center for European Studies.
For more information about the Lusophone Film Festival, visit the web site HERE.