Who's Got the Power? - Program 2025
The WHO'S GOT THE POWER film and discussion series in collaboration with Förderverein Filmkultur, at Kino in der Brotfabrik is carrying on this year.
We will start in April with the award-winning documentary The Illusion of Abundance, directed by Erika González Ramírez and Matthieu Lietaert (Belgium/Brazil 2022/2023).

Ganbanaaxu Fedde: A Transnational Anti-Slavery Movement (2024) by Lotte Pelckmans & 3 Stolen Cameras (2017) by RåFILM and Equipe Media
2 June 2025, 7 pm, Kino in der Brotfabrik
Join us on 2 June, when we screen and discuss two short documentary movies from West Africa, both linked by the themes of (social media) activism, slavery, violent repression, and the fight for visibility and recognition of rights, dignity and freedom.
Ganbanaaxu Fedde features interviews with activists from Ganbanaaxun Fedde, a social movement who is fighting for 'equality' in West African post-slavery societies such as Mali. Through four cases, the movie shows how the success of the movement polarized debates about the legacy of slavery in Africa and led to a crystallization of identity politics, ultimately culminating in violence rather than reconciliation.
3 Stolen Cameras features members of the video activist group Equipe Media risking severe consequences as they use their cameras to document the Moroccan kingdoms' violations of human rights in what is known as Africa’s last colony – Western Sahara. This short documentary provides unique footage from an area where the Moroccan authorities have managed to implement a near total media blockade.
- Discussion with Lotte Pelckmans1 (BCDSS Senior Fellow), Mary Aderonke Afolabi-Adeolu2 (BCDSS PhD Researcher), Boluwatife Akinro3 (BCDSS PhD Researcher), and Ana Lucia Araujo4 (BCDSS Senior Fellow)
- Filmmaker's statements
- Cinema ticket fees apply
For more information and registration, see here5.
The Illusion of Abundance (2022/2023) by Mathieu Lietaert and Erika González Ramírez
8 April 2025
The documentary follows three women whose stories highlight the courage and resilience of ordinary individuals in the face of systemic challenges. The female protagonists' stories are a beacon of hope for anyone who wants to stand up for environmental protection in the fight against modern corporate conquistadores.
Máxima Acuña is an indigenous farmer from Peru who lives near one of the largest gold mines in Latin America. She has faced relentless attempts to evict her from her land.
Berta Cáceres from Honduras fought against the construction of a highly controversial dam and paid for her fight with her life. Her daughter Bertha has decided to continue her mother's legacy.
Brazilian journalist Carolina de Mura Campos has investigated the background to the 2019 disaster in Brumadinho. The failure of the dam containing the tailings pond of an ore mine, resulting in a mudslide of toxic waste, led to the devastation of an entire area and the loss of 272 lives in 2019.
- Discussion with BCDSS members Carla Jaimes Betancourt6 and Christian Mader7, as well as Aline Pereira8 from the Global Heritage Lab
- Statement by film director Mathieu Lietaert
One of film director Mathieu Lietaert's central statements:
The way out is to change the core values of society. If material well-being, profit, and prestige remain our focus, we perpetuate endless consumption. But if core values shift to time, love, and creativity, we find a new path.

Links
- https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/person-register-bcdss/lotte-pelckmans-1
- https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/about-us/people/phd-researchers/mary-aderonke-afolabi-adeolu
- https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/about-us/people/phd-researchers/boluwatife-akinro
- https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/person-register-bcdss/ana-lucia-araujo
- https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/outreach/news-bcdss/film-screening-discussion-human-rights-activism-in-western-africa
- https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/about-us/people/investigators/carla-jaimes-betancourt
- https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/about-us/people/research-group-leaders/christian-mader
- https://globalheritagelab.org/person/aline-r-barbosa-pereira/