“Demain”: Special Film Screening and roundtable

4th of May 2017, Draper’s Hall, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan

On Thursday, 4th of May, IFRA Nigeria organised a special screening of the movie Tomorrow in Draper’s Hall, Institute of African Studies (IAS), University of Ibadan. The screening took place within the scope of a film tour in Nigeria in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Institut Francais du Nigeria (IFN). In Ibadan, it was set in collaboration with the Thursday Film Series movie club powered by the IAS’ students association that screen movies followed by debates with an academic audience every week in Draper’s Hall.

Tomorrow (Demain) was released in 2015 and directed by Cyril Dion and Mélanie Laurent. The film pays attention to the serious ecological, economic, social and political issues faced by human societies in the XXIth century. The film team travelled across 10 countries in various continents to meet individuals and groups imagining innovative ideas to revolutionise practices and lifestyles. The film reached a broad audience with more than one million entries in France and won the 2015 César Award for the best documentary film.

Exceptionally, the screening was accompanied with a roundtable composed of UI students and civil society members that specialise on issues discussed in the film: Education, Ecology and Agriculture, Economy, Democracy. The goal was to ignite exchanges of ideas and thoughts between students rather than relying on academic and corporate expertise.

Panellists took a few minutes to introduce themselves and their associations prior to the screening. Among the panellists were spokespersons of the African Studies Students association (ASSA), a student from the Centre for Petroleum, Energy, Economics and Law (CPEEL), and the Environmental toxicology department. The panel also included members of Starkhouse Nigeria, an association devoted to alternative educational methods, and MitiMeth, a woman social enterprise producing handcrafted accessories out of invasive species (such as water hyacinths) based in Ibadan.

Following the screening, a lively exchange with the student audience began as it turned out that the film had triggered contrasted feelings and opinions. Although the African continent barely figures in the film and appears as a serious blind spot, many students intended to link the challenges raised to Nigerian daily realities and specificities. The panel judiciously reflected upon the observations they make in their respective organisations against the broad findings and experiences depicted in the movie.

In overall, the event was a real success and several students voiced their real appreciation of the format that allowed an open and thought-provoking discussion. Around 30 people from the various departments (social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, energy…) participate in the screening.