By Rob Lemkin – August 17, 2023
In the centre of the square of May Jirgui, a Nigérien town on the edge of the Sahel, five hundred miles east of the capital, Niamey, are the graves of two French soldiers who were shot dead at the spot in July 1899.
LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS
By Rob Lemkin – September 7, 2023
May Jirgui befindet sich ungefähr 700 Kilometer östlich der Hauptstadt Niamey am Rande der Sahelzone. Auf dem zentralen Platz der kleinen Stadt liegen hinter einem hüfthohen Metallzaun die Gräber von zwei französischen Soldaten, die im Juli 1899 hier erschossen wurden.
By Rob Lemkin – September 6, 2023
Au centre de la place de May Jirgui, une ville nigérienne au bord du Sahel, à cinq cents kilomètres à l’est de la capitale, Niamey, se trouvent les tombeaux de deux soldats français abattus sur place en juillet 1899.
By Adam Tyson – July 11, 2023
The all-day event included a screening of the BBC/BFI feature documentary “African Apocalypse” and was followed by a series of talks with director Rob Lemkin on the film’s diverse themes and developments.
By Sabina Barone – December 22, 2022
This film is about ghosts. Ghosts of the past that even while they slumbered have continued to influence the present.
By Bridget Anderson – November 1, 2022
“Migration Mobilities Bristol”
‘African Apocalypse’: the imperial violence behind today’s migration
By Rob Lemkin and Femi Nylander – November 23, 2021
“Colonial accountability in Niger”
Le Monde Diplomatique
By Rob Lemkin and Femi Nylander – Decembre 1, 2021
“Massacres de la mission Voulet-Chanoine. Quelle justice aujourd’hui ?”
Afrique XXI
By Rob Lemkin and Femi Nylander – November 19, 2021
“The Case for Reparations and Revisiting Colonial Atrocities”
The Elephant
By Rob Lemkin and Femi Nylander – November 11, 2021
“Colonial accountability in transition”
Africa is a Country
Saskia Hume May 15, 2021
“Rogue French army captain who turned from promising officer to depraved war criminal”
MAIL ON SUNDAY
Anne-Marie Bissada Mar 5, 2021
“This is deep history that still hasn’t been acknowledged”
THE AFRICA REPORT
Femi Nylander & Rob Lemkin Feb 16, 2021
“Will Macron’s new commission face up to all of France’s colonial atrocities?”
Phil Hoad Oct 30, 2020
“ Startling journey into Niger’s Heart of Darkness. Nylander is doing invaluable work here, disinterring another collectively obscured tragedy and presenting it back to Europe as part of a long-overdue revision of colonialism ****”
Hanna Flint Oct 28, 2020
“Joseph Conrad’s classic novella Heart of Darkness – and the film Apocalypse Now – examined colonial brutality. Yet as a new documentary points out, they missed the most crucial voices – those of the victims ”
Andy Lea Oct 30, 2020
“A harrowing but hugely important film *****”
Kaleem Aftab Oct 30, 2020
“Colonialism is the ultimate cancel culture. It’s cancelled culture after culture after culture”
James Hanton Oct 17, 2020
“With powerful, unsettling imagery and a dedication to hearing those voices which white history has tried to drown out, African Apocalypse is compelling, essential viewing ****”
Cameron Aitcheson-Labarr Feb 18, 2021
“What I found so astounding about the film was how effortlessly it explores a multitude of political issues” THE PLATFORM
Steve Sheehan Oct 30, 2020
“African Apocalypse is one of only a handful of films that recall a history preferably forgotten by the West, but if production companies are serious about changing their own patterns of behaviour, it should also be the first of many. 8 out of 10″
Mathew Anderson
Oct.17 2020
“As rich and articulate as it is deeply shocking. The depth of context given is impressive, but it is with the testimony of the many people whose recollections we hear that this background comes to the fore, punching home the film’s message ****”
Leila Latif Oct 17, 2020
“A revolutionary interpretation of Conrad’s novel.What resonates most in African Apocalypse is the voice of the Nigeriens. The film doesn’t just chart Voulet’s journey but his impact on Niger and the generational trauma still being passed down”.
Maryam Philpott Oct 17, 2020
“Raw in its fury. Lemkin’s film is beautifully shot, giving a richness to the people and the landscape that allows them to tell this story. The combination of Nylander’s intimate approach and Lemkin’s immersive style force the audience into this film as we confront the terrible deeds *****”
MaryAnn Johansen Oct 30, 2020
“In an intimate yet shattering documentary, Black British activist Femi Nylander searches for “the imperial history they didn’t teach at school,” and finds it. Heartbreaking, provocative, illuminating ****+”
Paul Salt Oct 16, 2020
“African Apocalypse is a fascinating story that is at once a literary study, an explosive exploration of past shame and an urgent warning from history ****”
Soren Hough Oct 27, 2020
“The film’s steadfast interest in the angry testimonies of the descendants of those tormented by Voulet reinforces the historical narrative’s horrifying sense of tangibility”
Shaun Munro Oct 17, 2020
“A multi-faceted character study which not only attempts to get into the mind of its focal killer, but also digs deep into the psyche of Nylander himself. African Apocalypse wrestles with the savagery of western civilisation in uniquely disquieting fashion, while considering how the sins of the national past can be redressed today ****”
Chris Manc Oct 26, 2020
“Sometimes a piece of work is created during a certain moment in time, when the stars align and its creation becomes all the more profound ****”
John Percival Nov 2, 2020
“Every European would be well served by a viewing of African Apocalypse. It tackles a topic most are scared to discuss with a great deal of compassion and humility, while not shying away from the horrific nature of what occurred”.
Jakub Flasz Oct 30, 2020
” Just like Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, African Apocalypse is difficult to sit through. It’s languid, dense and the gruesome subject matter is anxiety-inducing. But – again, like Conrad’s book – it is indispensable ”
Alexa Dalby Nov 1, 2020
“African Apocalypse is a brilliant revelation of a little-known truth behind Africa’s post-colonial history and how that may contribute to today’s Black Lives Matter movement in which Nylander is active ”
DOG & WOLF
Rebecca C Oct 31, 2020
“The filmmakers made a very creative choice in how to tell this story, yes it’s a documentary but the way that it’s put together is much more in a narrative fashion”.
Carol Nahra Nov 3, 2020
” An engrossing narrative with many layers which succeeds in querying colonialism and bringing its often terrible legacy into the here and now”.
Sunny Ramgolam Oct 17, 2020
“The documentary is a timely one. As 2020 has also been a year of acknowledging historical and modern racism, African Apocalypse opens eyes on the continuing impact of colonial powers and the incomplete picture that is presented. A fascinating combination of history and film”.
Alton Williams Oct 27, 2020
“There is hope – the division in the film is supplanted with unity and culminates in some truly stunning scenes of Femi, transformed from a stoic bystander to an active participant in memorial and remembrance”.
Anahit Behrooz Oct 17, 2020
“African Apocalypse works best when it is unafraid, tracing the topography of European violence through statues at Oxford and graves in Niger, and revealing a legacy of colonialism woven into the very fabric of our landscapes. An impeccable act of research and historic intervention”.
Ivan Radford Oct 30, 2020
“ A powerful, informative and thought-provoking watch, one that explores the way that the past still shapes the present, even as its subjects defiantly ensure that it won’t dictate their future.”.
Tolu Ositelu Oct 17, 2020
“Lemkin’s African Apocalypse says as much about the complexities of post-colonial identities as it does about the barbarism of Empire”.
Andrew Murray Oct 17, 2020
“Deeply poignant, insightful and effecting, African Apocalypse is the voice of generations who’ve been silent for decades–and whose stories can finally be heard”.
Hal Kitchen Oct 17, 2020
“One of the more unexpected gems of the festival comes in the form of Rob Lemkin’s extraordinary documentary, African Apocalypse”.
Jane Douglas-Jones Oct 20, 2020
“African Apocalypse’s cinematography is stunning – occasionally reminding us of Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation. The mix makes for a tense and disturbing cinematic experience”.
Ama Biney Oct 25, 2020
“So much of Africa’s history remains to be told in ways that engage our people and make them centre stage, as this film succeeds in doing”.
Tolu Akinsanya Oct 25, 2020
Film review and Rob Lemkin and Femi Nylander interview by Tolu Akinsanya
Charles Williams Oct 27, 2020
“This documentary could happily sit in any future UK curriculum and should be lauded for its unflinching and graphic detailing of a forgotten despot“.
Jim Ross Oct 30, 2020
“AFRICAN APOCALYPSE is not an examination of grainy photographs and dusty historical sources but one of an enduring legacy of oppression and white supremacy“.
Jack Blackwell Oct 30, 2020
“African Apocalypse is a vital look at the barbaric consequences of colonialism that gives important insight into a country often overlooked on the world stage“.
Roxanne Reviews Oct 30, 2020
“This documentary is highly moving, deeply affecting and thought provoking. Learning about the colonial history and spiritual culture of Niger spurred me to do my own research and I hope it has a similar effect on others“.
Femi interviewed by Kelechi Okafor Oct 26, 2020
from 40 minutes into podcast 118 The Fall of Celebrity…. on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom
Naman Ramachandran
Sept. 08 2020
‘African Apocalypse’ among BFI London Film Festival Selections
Rob Lemkin’s “African Apocalypse,” where British-Nigerian poet, activist and the film’s co-writer Femi Nylander travels to West Africa to uncover the secrets of a colonial killer whose spirit lives on…