ARTAFRICAman stepped onto a bus in Tunis and set off a bomb that reduced himself and twelve
members of the presidential gaurd to embers.How these stories enter the global consciousness, how they are depicted (in the news/
on social media/in film) has a significant impact on public perception. Without any
contextual reference, such incidents are far too often assimilated into Islamaphobic
rhetoric, antagonising relations further. It is important to remember that these
incidents are grounded. That they don’t just happen.“You speak about democracy and democracy in Egypt,” says Farraj, the protagonist
of Anna Roussillon’s documentary Je suis le peuple, “But what about your democracy?
Does it provide you with bread? If you didn’t have work, would you still speak of
democracy? If only we could have democracy for breakfast and for dinner!’Beneath the horrific violence and sheer shock of these events, there is an undercurrent
of humanity. So how did we get here? Cinema has a way of bringing these stories out,
of helping people understand them. It also has the ability to alienate, spread fear,
and harbour hatred. It is our responsibility to to pay attention to these perspectives,
to pay attention to the person.PAYING ATTENTION TO THE PERSON / STAFF WRITER: SC 3/20
FEATURE / CARTHAGE FILM FESTIVAL“Cinema has a way of bringing these stories
out, of helping people understand them. It
also has the ability to alienate, spread fear,
and harbour hatred. It is our responsibility to
to pay attention to these perspectives, to pay
attention to the person.”