What can you hope for in a country torn apart by war, disease, corruption and the selfishness of the rich and powerful? What else if not a miracle!
In the Democratic Republic of Congo miracles are proposed daily in churches across the country. These "churches of awakening" are a mix of american-style born again christian and traditional African beliefs and are led by messianic "prophets" or "apostles" who claim to cure supposedly incurable diseases, obtain visas for the European
Eldorado or even bestow immediate prosperity. This film goes right to the heart of Kinshasa, where the practise of violent rituals reflects the misery they are meant to cure. The tragi-comic discourse held by the preachers, hovering between obscene cynism, megalomania and surrealism, feeds the desperate naivety of their followers.

Original Title : Miracle Merchants
Country : République démocratique du Congo
Theme : Religions
Production : Belgium
Date : 2006
Length : 52 min
Director : Gilles Remiche
Production : Les Films de la Passerelle

2011 | FIFDH Paris, France
* Category: Non competitive
Screenings:
FIFDH Paris 2011 / Thu 10 March / 19h00
FIFDH Paris 2011 / Sun 13 March / 12h00
www.festival-droitsdelhomme.org/paris/index.php?option=com_extend&view=article&id=81:marchands-de-miracles&catid=12:edition-2011&Itemid=168&lang=en