Study Guide
Study Guide
The “Congo Stories” study guide is designed to integrate into your curriculum, enhance knowledge base, and inspire engagement. Download the study guide below. If you’d like to be notified about study guide updates, please sign up here.
Films and Videos
Explore the Democratic Republic of Congo further through videos and documentaries we recommend for classroom viewing, discussion, and further study.
Merci Congo
Merci Congo, a documentary about the tragic war in eastern Congo and several activists committed to making a difference, is now available for campus or group screenings for only $20 plus return shipping. Screen on BluRay or DVD. Please contact Natalie at nlumf@att.net. Total running time 81 minutes. Director: Paul Freedman.
When Elephants Fight
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been called a geological scandal due to its mineral rich soil. Unfortunately, those minerals, necessary to sustain today's technology, are funding the deadliest war since WWII. Total running time is 90 minutes. Director: Michael Ramsdell.
This Is Congo
The feature-length documentary “This is Congo” provides an immersive and unfiltered look into the world’s longest continuing conflict and those who are surviving within it. By following four compelling characters – a whistleblower, a patriotic military commander, a mineral dealer and a displaced tailor – the film offers viewers a truly Congolese perspective on the problems that plague this lushly beautiful nation. Colonel ‘Kasongo’, Mamadou, Mama Romance and Hakiza exemplify the unique resilience of a people who have lived and died through the generations due to the cycle of brutality generated by this conflict. Though their paths never physically cross, the ongoing conflict reverberates across all of their lives. Total running time is 93 minutes. Director: Daniel McCabe.
City of Joy
“City of Joy” follows the first class of women at a revolutionary leadership center in eastern Congo called City of Joy, from which the film derives its title, and weaves their journey as burgeoning leaders with that of the center’s founders (Dr. Denis Mukwege, 2016 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, women's rights activist Christine Schuler-Deschryver and radical feminist Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues) - three individuals who imagined a place where women who have suffered horrific rape and abuse can heal and become powerful voices of change for their country. A story about the profound resilience of the human spirit, “City of Joy” witnesses Congolese women's fierce will to reclaim hope, even when so much of what was meaningful to them has been stripped away. Total running time is 74 minutes. Director: Madeleine Gavin.
I Am Congo
This groundbreaking six-part series features amazing people living their lives in eastern Congo amid the world’s deadliest war. These are stories of hope. These are stories of the people who call Congo home – in their own words. Click here to watch the entire series. Producer: Enough Project.