WEBVTT

00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:15.000
[music]

00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:33.000
[music]

00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:08.000
[music]

00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:38.000
[sil.]

00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:53.000
[music]

00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:23.000
[music]

00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:25.000
[music]

00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:18.000
[sil.]

00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:08.000
[sil.]

00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:29.999
[sil.]

00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:34.999
I was named Idanna after my grandmother.
Idanna Savorgnan de Brazza.

00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:39.999
Who was the nice of explorer?

00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:44.999
Pietro di Brazza is not well known in
Italy and almost forgotten in France

00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:49.999
which was his adopted country, but in
my family his memory is very much alive

00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:54.999
because his story has been passed down

00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:59.999
from generation to generation.

00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:04.999
His friendship with the great Makoko
Eloi the first, King of the Bateke

00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:09.999
is central not only to the
history of Congo but also Gabon,

00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:14.999
where many still refer to
Brazza as their white ancestor.

00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:19.999
In Africa ancestors are living spirits,

00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:24.999
more alive than the living.

00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:29.999
For me, it all began

00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:34.999
with a phone call from my uncle
Detalmo, the brother of my mother.

00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:39.999
He was telling me that a Congolese
journalist was about to arrive

00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:44.999
and he wanted me to be there. My
uncle had read a wonderful article

00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:49.999
on Brazza in the magazine
Depeche de Brazzaville,

00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:54.999
and he had written to the editor, presenting
himself as the heir of the explorer.

00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:59.999
So with my husband Terence,

00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:04.999
I immediately drove north to (inaudible),
to the villa where I was born.

00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:09.999
This 88 year old gentleman was thrilled

00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:14.999
to welcome the editor from
Congo, because he had grown up

00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:19.999
with the myth of the explorer.

00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:24.999
When the gorgeous Belinda arrived,

00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:29.999
it was love at first sight.

00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:34.999
She had come to invite him

00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:39.999
to visit King Makoko. The
great Spiritual leader

00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:44.999
of the Batéké people, how extraordinary

00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:49.999
a descendant of Brazza
meeting the current Makoko.

00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:54.999
And Terence immediately said
that he should not embark

00:16:55.000 --> 00:17:00.000
on such a journey alone at his age
and he would gladly join him.

00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:09.999
The beautiful journalist
spoke as if she was casting

00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:14.999
a pebble into a still lake
and my uncle confessed

00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:19.999
that this had always been his dream.
We listened,

00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:24.999
absolutely fascinated because they idea

00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:29.999
of Brazza\'s return to Congo had
such deep symbolic meaning.

00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:34.999
When Belinda left,

00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:39.999
everything had been arranged.
Detalmo would travel to Congo,

00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:45.000
invited by her magazine and
Terrence would go with him.

00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:34.999
Detalmo arrived in the
presidential helicopter,

00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:39.999
while Terrance road
across the Batéké Plateau

00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:44.999
in a jeep. When my uncle step down,

00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:49.999
Terrance could not believe his eyes.

00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:54.999
Detalmo was dressed just like
Brazza in that famous portrait

00:18:55.000 --> 00:19:00.000
made by Nadar in Paris.

00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:09.999
He identified with Brazza so much that now
perhaps he was trying to emulate him.

00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:18.000
[music]

00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:29.999
The reason for this trip
was to meet Makoko,

00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:34.999
Gaston Ngouayoulou, who was a
much loved and respected king.

00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:39.999
[non-English narration]

00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:44.999
Makoko had conceived the visionary
idea of Brazza\'s burial

00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:49.999
next to his blood brother, King Eloi I,

00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:54.999
in the forest of Bembe. He had imagined

00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:59.999
that all the people along the Ogouẻ
River would join his spirit home

00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:04.999
in a grand procession
following his historic path.

00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:09.999
A white man called back
essentially by a black king,

00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:14.999
a bridge between cultures and races,

00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:19.999
a moment of reconciliation
between the west and Africa.

00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:24.999
His majesty was really
pleased to meet my uncle

00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:29.999
because he needed the family\'s consent
in order to implement his dream

00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:34.999
and to be faced now with Brazza\'s nephew

00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:39.999
was for Makoko like talking
directly to Brazza\'s spirit.

00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:44.999
My uncle then met with President

00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:49.999
Sassou Nguesso, who received him
in his Rococo sitting room.

00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:54.999
It was there, that the Detalmo
uttered the pregnant words.

00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:59.999
[non-English narration],
it would be wonderful

00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:04.999
in Brazza could return to Congo. And
the president immediately said,

00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:09.999
it will be done, as if he was
granting him a personal favor.

00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:14.999
[sil.]

00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:19.999
When I went to fetch Detalmo and
Terrance at Venice airport,

00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.999
I saw two people completely enthusiastic,
they recounted all their stories,

00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:29.999
the trip had to been an
incredible experience,

00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:34.999
but in reality the situation
was quite different.

00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:39.999
A few months before my
uncle\'s visit to Congo,

00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:44.999
Belinda had gone to stay for a few days

00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:49.999
with Makoko Gaston and the royal family.

00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:54.999
It was then that the king told her his dream
about the burial of Brazza in the forest.

00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:59.999
She had listened carefully
giving him a full support.

00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:04.999
But in her mind she had
imagined Brazza return

00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:09.999
in a completely different way, not
at all in the forest of Bembe,

00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:14.999
but in the capital Brazzaville.

00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:19.999
The dream of Makoko had been
taken over by the government

00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:24.999
for entirely different reasons,

00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:29.999
that\'s why Belinda had gone to seek
my uncle all the way to Italy.

00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:34.999
When she got his letter, where he had written
that he was the only heir of Brazza,

00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:39.999
she immediately thought,
voila, we have our man,

00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:44.999
because she knew that the remains of
any ancestor belonged to the family.

00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:53.000
[music]

00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:33.000
[sil.]

00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:59.999
Of course, I thought an
exhibition on Brazza in Rome

00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:04.999
would be a marvels way for Italians
to rediscover their explorer.

00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:09.999
So I made a proposal to the Mayor or Rome,

00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.999
this is a long story because in
Italy the stories are always long,

00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:19.999
but finally it was decided that this
show would take place at the auditorium.

00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:24.999
I chose this place because it really
mirrored for me the modernity

00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:29.999
of Brazza\'s political ideas.

00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:34.999
But the exhibition space had an immense
wall that begged to be covered,

00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:39.999
and that made me think of the poto-poto
school of painting in Brazzaville.

00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:44.999
I knew that the mandate of this arts center
focused on local culture and traditions.

00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:49.999
After various trials and tribulations,

00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:54.999
I managed to speak over the
phone with one of the artists.

00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:59.999
And I asked him if they could
make a painting 60 feet long.

00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:04.999
He was very excited, when he
replied, of course, Madame,

00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:09.999
as if my question was coming from the sky.

00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:14.999
The magic password was to say
that I was a descended of Brazza.

00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:19.999
So Terrance

00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:24.999
and I decided to go to Congo
to meet these artists,

00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:29.999
but the main reason in fact was to
attend the ceremony of Brazza\'s return

00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:34.999
which was planned for the 3rd
of October, exactly 100 years

00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:39.999
after his death, 1905-2005.

00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:44.999
And uh… just a few days before leaving,

00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:49.999
we were in Rome for our visas, when
we went to say hello to a friend

00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:54.999
at the foreign ministry.
During our conversation

00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:59.999
a friend suddenly said, but don\'t you know

00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:04.999
that Brazza\'s return has been canceled?

00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:09.999
Canceled? The news really shocked me

00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:14.999
and so I quickly called my uncle Detalmo,
wondering why he hadn\'t told me this

00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:19.999
and he was very calm about
it and he said yes… yes

00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:24.999
uh… they had to postpone it, because
the mausoleum is not ready yet.

00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:29.999
Which mausoleum? Where?
On the bank of the Congo

00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:35.000
in Brazzaville he said. We
decided to leave anyway.

00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:50.000
Our life in Congo turned
around the poto-poto school.

00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:04.999
Which was the best way I thought to
explore the heart of Brazzaville

00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:10.000
and of the country itself, through these
artists who quickly became friends.

00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:28.000
[sil.]

00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:29.999
We did our own thing and preferred

00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.999
to keep our distance from the authorities.
But then Belinda got in touch with me.

00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:39.999
She knew everything about
us, when we had arrived,

00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:44.999
the hotel we were staying at
and she invited us for lunch.

00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:49.999
I remember going to this (inaudible) restaurant
where she handed me the glossy folder

00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:54.999
of the Savorgnan de Brazza
Foundation that had been created

00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:59.999
to raise funds for the mausoleum,
sitting with us around the table

00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:04.999
was also the architected, who
was very pleased to meet me.

00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:09.999
He gave me his card and
invited me to his office

00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:14.999
to see the drawings of the mausoleum.

00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:23.000
[music]

00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:29.999
News traveled fast through the city
that I was a descendent of Brazza,

00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:34.999
and journalist kept stopping me
everywhere, but their questions

00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:39.999
were all about the mausoleum. Madame,
what do you think of the mausoleum?

00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:44.999
And I was a bit embarrassed because
I didn\'t know anything about it.

00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:53.000
[music]

00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:59.999
So I went to meet the
architected his studio,

00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:04.999
when I saw the drawings of this monument,

00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:09.999
I felt sick to my stomach
and I was even more shocked

00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:14.999
when I heard him say proudly.
Madame, it will be all made of

00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:19.999
white Carrara marble, marble of Carrara.
How can this be out there,

00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:24.999
the population has not even drinking
water, women have to walk miles

00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:29.999
to fill in their Jerry cans?

00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:38.000
[sil.]

00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:44.999
I felt of the mausoleum
was an incredible slap

00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:49.999
in the face of poverty.

00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:54.999
And my indignation grew when I walked
into the Lycee Savorgnan de Brazza,

00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:59.999
which has over 4000 students.

00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:04.999
This high school had once been famous

00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:09.999
all across Africa.

00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:18.000
[sil.]

00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:29.999
The truth was that the
ceremony of Brazza\'s return

00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:34.999
was scheduled to take place in
the presence of several African

00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:39.999
heads of state and of course,

00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:44.999
of President Sassou in a grandiose public
relations event to transform the image

00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:49.999
of one of Africa\'s most corrupt
rulers into a man of peace,

00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:54.999
and all this in the name of Brazza,
with the blessing of France

00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:59.999
and the Batéké.

00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:04.999
Everything was now clear. And I
ask myself, but how can Brazza

00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:09.999
return to this country?

00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:14.999
Then a woman in the market stopped me.

00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:19.999
What do you think of the two kings,
she said! Two Kings? Which two Kings?

00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:24.999
There are two Makoko, but
how is this possible?

00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:29.999
Yes, because after the murder of his
majesty Makoko Gaston Ngouayoulou

00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:34.999
and she said these words in a
whisper, a new king has been chosen

00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:39.999
by the Batéké, the new King
whose name was (inaudible)

00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:44.999
had been elected according
to strict traditions

00:36:45.000 --> 00:36:50.000
and naturally he resided in
Bembe, the ancient royal seat.

00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:59.999
But the new king had been
betrayed by the president,

00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:04.999
who had appointed his personal
(inaudible) as Makoko.

00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:09.999
This not only

00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:14.999
insulted the century\'s old
traditions of the Batéké,

00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:20.000
but also the memory of Brazza.

00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:29.999
The truth was that the
government was preparing

00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:34.999
for new presidential elections two
years later and wanted to divide

00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:39.999
the Batéké, because they formed
about 60% of the population.

00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:44.999
But the Batéké didn\'t seem
to be divided by this,

00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:49.999
nearly all stood united behind
their legitimate spiritual leader.

00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:58.000
[non-English narration]

00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:23.000
[sil.]

00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:29.999
As days passed I had a voice
growing louder inside me,

00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:34.999
telling me that I still had to learn more.

00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:39.999
When Makoko Gaston realized that his
dream of Brazza burial in the forest

00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:44.999
had been replaced by the
mausoleum in Brazzaville,

00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:49.999
he rebelled. The king
had a strong influence

00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:54.999
over the people and everyone spoke of his
sudden death as murder by the regime.

00:38:55.000 --> 00:39:00.000
[music]

00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:13.000
[music]

00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:24.999
Only three days were left

00:39:25.000 --> 00:39:29.999
before our flight back to
Italy, but at that point,

00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:34.999
I felt absolutely compelled to
go and meet the new Makoko.

00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:39.999
But how to do that? To travel to Bembe

00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:44.999
about 100 miles north of
Brazzaville was not an easy thing.

00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:49.999
I needed a four wheel drive and it
was impossible to rent such a car.

00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:54.999
There is no tourism in Congo.
Only big business,

00:39:55.000 --> 00:39:59.999
oil, wood, diamonds, but then
something strange happened.

00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:04.999
I was sitting at dawn in the
hotel lobby trying to find

00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:09.999
a way to go to Bembe, and I was even thinking,
\"Do I have the strength to go by foot?\"

00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:14.999
When a Congolese gentleman came up
to me with a surprising question.

00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:19.999
Have you been to Bembe he asked! No,

00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:24.999
it\'s a big problem for me. Excuse me,

00:40:25.000 --> 00:40:29.999
but why haven\'t you gone there?
I can\'t find proper transport

00:40:30.000 --> 00:40:35.000
and I have very little time.

00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:49.999
And now, a later, a white impeccable
four wheel drive arrived,

00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:54.999
the driver was dressed in red, the color
of the Batéké and he said proudly,

00:40:55.000 --> 00:40:59.999
I am a Batéké. So he
knew the road very well.

00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:04.999
I quickly got in the car and in the
back there was a photographer.

00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:09.999
I felt there was something
strange behind all this,

00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:15.000
but I kept quiet and asked no
questions and we drove off.

00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:24.999
At the sign of Bembe we turned right and almost
immediately we found ourselves on a track of sand

00:41:25.000 --> 00:41:29.999
already devastated by the first rain,

00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:34.999
without that driver the journey would
have been absolutely impossible.

00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:39.999
I felt, I was truly following
Brazza\'s footsteps

00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:44.999
because he himself had walked the
trail across the Batéké Plateau.

00:41:45.000 --> 00:41:53.000
[music]

00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:49.999
In our conversation the issues like the force
king and the mausoleum were not mentioned,

00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:54.999
as if we both knew that it wasn\'t
necessary. I felt completely

00:42:55.000 --> 00:43:00.000
at ease part of the family and understood
that whatever I said pleased him.

00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:38.000
[music]

00:43:40.000 --> 00:43:44.999
We were about to leave,
when we heard shouting,

00:43:45.000 --> 00:43:49.999
Madame… Madame, come back

00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:54.999
the king wants to plant
the flower with you.

00:43:55.000 --> 00:43:59.999
[non-English narration]

00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:04.999
We rushed out of the car but there was so much
confusion that I had no idea what was happening,

00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:09.999
and then I saw the Makoko
appeared like a vision,

00:44:10.000 --> 00:44:14.999
and everyone was amazed because
the king traditionally comes out

00:44:15.000 --> 00:44:20.000
only on very important occasions.

00:44:25.000 --> 00:44:29.999
Makoko made a gesture towards me

00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:34.999
and I sensed he wanted to dance.

00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:43.000
[music]

00:44:45.000 --> 00:44:49.999
I lowered my eyes and saw that he was
reaching with the point of his right foot

00:44:50.000 --> 00:44:54.999
to touch my right foot and we
danced without toes touching

00:44:55.000 --> 00:44:59.999
for 30 seconds, a minute at the most,

00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:04.999
but for me it felt like an eternity.

00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:09.999
This was a sacred ritual for
the transmission of the power,

00:45:10.000 --> 00:45:14.999
the consecration of the King occurs,

00:45:15.000 --> 00:45:19.999
when the queen and king dance
with their toes touching,

00:45:20.000 --> 00:45:24.999
that\'s how the queen transfers has
a spiritual power to the new king,

00:45:25.000 --> 00:45:29.999
but the queen is not his actual consult,
but rather the supreme priestess,

00:45:30.000 --> 00:45:34.999
who embodies the divine force
of nature called (inaudible).

00:45:35.000 --> 00:45:43.000
[sil.]

00:45:50.000 --> 00:45:54.999
I couldn\'t stop thinking of the trust that
Makoko Loi I(ph) had placed in Brazza,

00:45:55.000 --> 00:45:59.999
thanks to which France had
obtained its colonial empire

00:46:00.000 --> 00:46:04.999
in equatorial Africa.
What was happening now

00:46:05.000 --> 00:46:09.999
with the complicity of France was
a disgraceful abuse of history.

00:46:10.000 --> 00:46:14.999
[sil.]

00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:19.999
When I got back home to Florence,
I called my uncle Detalmo

00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:24.999
of course and told him everything,
you\'re the only one I said,

00:46:25.000 --> 00:46:29.999
who can do something, how can
you allow the burial of Brazza

00:46:30.000 --> 00:46:34.999
in such a mausoleum and in the
presence of false Makoko?

00:46:35.000 --> 00:46:39.999
You\'re still in time to cancel
your consent for the transfer,

00:46:40.000 --> 00:46:44.999
but sadly he didn\'t let
me finish and hung up.

00:46:45.000 --> 00:46:49.999
Alone, I could not possibly succeed

00:46:50.000 --> 00:46:54.999
and so with my brother (inaudible),

00:46:55.000 --> 00:46:59.999
we tracked down all of Brazza\'s decedents and we
invited them to Florence for a family counsel.

00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:04.999
The many relatives

00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:09.999
who showed up were surprised by
the news of Brazza\'s returned

00:47:10.000 --> 00:47:14.999
to the Congo, Detalmo had
not informed anyone.

00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:19.999
So we came to the decision
that if a number of us agreed,

00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:24.999
we would write a letter to
Sassou Nguesso and to Chirac.

00:47:25.000 --> 00:47:29.999
In the end, 15 of us signed the letters
that were sent off by courier.

00:47:30.000 --> 00:47:34.999
[sil.]

00:47:35.000 --> 00:47:39.999
Twenty days letter we received the
sad news of my uncle\'s death.

00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:44.999
[sil.]

00:47:45.000 --> 00:47:49.999
Our letters remind without reply.

00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:54.999
And suddenly on the Internet,

00:47:55.000 --> 00:47:59.999
we saw that the construction
of the mausoleum and resumed.

00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:04.999
This meant that the oil
companies had given more money,

00:48:05.000 --> 00:48:09.999
while the walls of the mausoleum were arising,
we began to notice for the first time

00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:14.999
merciless blogs against Brazza,

00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:19.999
as if he had wanted that mausoleum.

00:48:20.000 --> 00:48:24.999
Brazza was now been linked
to the scandalous monument

00:48:25.000 --> 00:48:29.999
and to the dictator who was creating it.

00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:35.000
Brazza was slowly losing his integrity.

00:49:15.000 --> 00:49:23.000
[sil.]

00:52:15.000 --> 00:52:23.000
[music]

00:56:30.000 --> 00:56:38.000
[sil.]

00:56:45.000 --> 00:56:49.999
It was summer and in the torrid
heat Florence was empty.

00:56:50.000 --> 00:56:54.999
It was then that I suddenly received
a call from a French friend

00:56:55.000 --> 00:56:59.999
I hadn\'t seen in 30 years.

00:57:00.000 --> 00:57:04.999
[non-English narration], he had become
a big lawyer and now he was on holiday

00:57:05.000 --> 00:57:09.999
and so we had dinner together. He
mentioned Sassou Nguesso and told me,

00:57:10.000 --> 00:57:14.999
that he had filed a major lawsuit against
him. I couldn\'t believe my ears.

00:57:15.000 --> 00:57:19.999
What an amazing coincidence. And I proceeded
to tell him in detail what was happening.

00:57:20.000 --> 00:57:24.999
Two days later,

00:57:25.000 --> 00:57:29.999
Erik rank me, when there
are no direct descendants

00:57:30.000 --> 00:57:34.999
and that\'s the case with Brazza,
then all the descendants are equal,

00:57:35.000 --> 00:57:39.999
even one of them can contest
the transfer of Brazza

00:57:40.000 --> 00:57:44.999
from his grave in Algiers to Brazzaville.
In that moment,

00:57:45.000 --> 00:57:49.999
I saw a glowing light, rise on the horizon

00:57:50.000 --> 00:57:54.999
and I asked him, if you would
represent us and Erik said, yes.

00:57:55.000 --> 00:58:00.000
Once back in Paris Ravinetti(ph) descent to communicate
to various authorities in France and Congo.

00:58:05.000 --> 00:58:09.999
I had not heard from
Belinda in almost a year.

00:58:10.000 --> 00:58:14.999
I have an idea she said.

00:58:15.000 --> 00:58:19.999
All the board members of the Brazza
foundation are coming to the opening in Rome.

00:58:20.000 --> 00:58:24.999
I thought of doing… we could have a
meeting with you and your cousins

00:58:25.000 --> 00:58:29.999
and I\'m sure that together
we will find a solution.

00:58:30.000 --> 00:58:34.999
I understood at that moment
how important to us,

00:58:35.000 --> 00:58:40.000
for the government of Congo to save face.

00:58:45.000 --> 00:58:53.000
[music]

00:59:10.000 --> 00:59:14.999
On the left

00:59:15.000 --> 00:59:19.999
of this huge tables sat all
by relatives, face to face

00:59:20.000 --> 00:59:24.999
with the Congolese. Among whom, was
the male Brazzaville and Belinda.

00:59:25.000 --> 00:59:29.999
A giant of a man then stood up,

00:59:30.000 --> 00:59:34.999
Mr. Kamba the spokesman of the foundation.
He waved a sheet of paper

00:59:35.000 --> 00:59:39.999
and said rather solemnly, that it was
the invitation of Makoko campio,

00:59:40.000 --> 00:59:44.999
(ph) to attend the celebration for Brazza\'s
returned. He handed it over to me,

00:59:45.000 --> 00:59:49.999
and I read it, just four lines… Madame,

00:59:50.000 --> 00:59:54.999
does this meet your approval, He said!
In March,

00:59:55.000 --> 00:59:59.999
we sent our latter to your president, it
was never answered. Is this his reply?

01:00:00.000 --> 01:00:04.999
For me it\'s not enough, maybe
it is enough our lawyer.

01:00:05.000 --> 01:00:09.999
I handed it to Ravinetti,
who rose to speak.

01:00:10.000 --> 01:00:14.999
These lines mean absolutely nothing. All
we ask for is a press release stating one,

01:00:15.000 --> 01:00:19.999
\"The legitimacy of the
true Makoko, and too,

01:00:20.000 --> 01:00:24.999
confirming his presence with
the queen at the ceremony.\"

01:00:25.000 --> 01:00:29.999
The Congolese spoke in hushed tones with
each other, 4and then they all agreed.

01:00:30.000 --> 01:00:34.999
It was 2 o\'clock in the morning.
We wrote the text there and then,

01:00:35.000 --> 01:00:39.999
Kamba read it aloud and assured us, it would
be in the papers of Congo within three days,

01:00:40.000 --> 01:00:45.000
we all shook hands in perfect accord.

01:00:55.000 --> 01:00:59.999
[music]

01:01:00.000 --> 01:01:04.999
Days went by

01:01:05.000 --> 01:01:09.999
one, two, three, but our press
release was nowhere to be seen

01:01:10.000 --> 01:01:14.999
in truth. That\'s a real meeting
in Rome, had been staged

01:01:15.000 --> 01:01:19.999
by the Congolese only to borrow
time, we waited and waited,

01:01:20.000 --> 01:01:24.999
after nine days I called Ravinetti,

01:01:25.000 --> 01:01:29.999
(inaudible) time has come
to block the transfer,

01:01:30.000 --> 01:01:34.999
and immediately he sent out a communiqué
to all the authorities concerned.

01:01:35.000 --> 01:01:39.999
Two hours later, the phone rang,

01:01:40.000 --> 01:01:44.999
it was the male Brazzaville telling me,

01:01:45.000 --> 01:01:49.999
that the president wanted to meet
me, he\'s flying back from Bucharest

01:01:50.000 --> 01:01:55.000
and he\'s ready to stop over in Naples.
Can you be there tomorrow at noon?

01:02:05.000 --> 01:02:13.000
[sil.]

01:02:55.000 --> 01:02:59.999
The president was furious.

01:03:00.000 --> 01:03:04.999
I suddenly remembered the group photo Belinda
had taken in Rome with our lawyer Ravinetti.

01:03:05.000 --> 01:03:09.999
The president must have seen that
picture and recognized the lawyer,

01:03:10.000 --> 01:03:14.999
who was suing him in Paris.
He wasn\'t furious

01:03:15.000 --> 01:03:19.999
because we had hired a
lawyer, it was that lawyer.

01:03:20.000 --> 01:03:24.999
Then the door opened and two
giant bodyguards appeared,

01:03:25.000 --> 01:03:29.999
and I understood it was over. The
president did not say goodbye to me,

01:03:30.000 --> 01:03:34.999
and I left in a flash. What a relief!
If they took Brazza anyway,

01:03:35.000 --> 01:03:39.999
we would inform the press that
they were acting illegally

01:03:40.000 --> 01:03:44.999
without the family\'s consent.

01:03:45.000 --> 01:03:49.999
But just as I got home the phone
rang once again, and again,

01:03:50.000 --> 01:03:54.999
it was the voice of the male Brazzaville. I heard
that the president did not treat you well,

01:03:55.000 --> 01:03:59.999
I\'m really sorry he said!
But now he wants me

01:04:00.000 --> 01:04:04.999
to dissolve the problem. I\'m
arriving in Rome tomorrow,

01:04:05.000 --> 01:04:09.999
and I ask you to please join
me at the Embassy of Congo.

01:04:10.000 --> 01:04:14.999
I accepted. But at this point I thought

01:04:15.000 --> 01:04:19.999
it wasn\'t enough to demand only
the public recognition of Makoko.

01:04:20.000 --> 01:04:24.999
I felt we should draw
up an official protocol

01:04:25.000 --> 01:04:29.999
adding various conditions to
benefit the population such as

01:04:30.000 --> 01:04:34.999
a proper road to Bembe, the restoration
of Lycee Savorgnan de Brazza

01:04:35.000 --> 01:04:39.999
which was in total disrepair and
other conditions. Otherwise,

01:04:40.000 --> 01:04:45.000
the block of the transfer would remain.

01:04:50.000 --> 01:04:54.999
At the Embassy in Rome, I found myself
seated around yet another lodged table,

01:04:55.000 --> 01:04:59.999
with a dozen Congolese gentlemen, all
dressed like Wall Street bankers,

01:05:00.000 --> 01:05:04.999
some had flown in with the Mayor

01:05:05.000 --> 01:05:09.999
and each held a copy of the protocol.

01:05:10.000 --> 01:05:14.999
And then one of these men stood up and said, \"Our
president will sign as the honorary President

01:05:15.000 --> 01:05:19.999
of the Brazza Foundation.\"

01:05:20.000 --> 01:05:24.999
Naturally, I had to refuse.

01:05:25.000 --> 01:05:29.999
There was great bustling
about cell phones ringing,

01:05:30.000 --> 01:05:34.999
people coming and going. It was just over
midnight, when another gentleman stood up

01:05:35.000 --> 01:05:39.999
and very seriously said,

01:05:40.000 --> 01:05:44.999
Madame Idanna, you must
understand that our president

01:05:45.000 --> 01:05:49.999
can sign as a head of state, only with
the consent of the entire parliament

01:05:50.000 --> 01:05:54.999
and there is no time for that.
That sentence

01:05:55.000 --> 01:05:59.999
I could not accept, it made me hit
the roof and I lost it completely.

01:06:00.000 --> 01:06:04.999
I banged my fist on the
table and began to scream

01:06:05.000 --> 01:06:09.999
at the top of my lungs that their
government was disgusting,

01:06:10.000 --> 01:06:14.999
that with all there billions they should be
ashamed of themselves and I said everything

01:06:15.000 --> 01:06:19.999
I had kept bottled up for months.

01:06:20.000 --> 01:06:24.999
I was absolutely outraged
and then I got up and left,

01:06:25.000 --> 01:06:29.999
enough! It was over.

01:06:30.000 --> 01:06:38.000
[sil.]

01:06:40.000 --> 01:06:44.999
Good news, the president has signed.

01:06:45.000 --> 01:06:53.000
[music]

01:07:00.000 --> 01:07:08.000
[sil.]

01:08:00.000 --> 01:08:08.000
[non-English narration]

01:08:30.000 --> 01:08:38.000
[sil.]

01:08:50.000 --> 01:08:58.000
[sil.]

01:09:30.000 --> 01:09:38.000
[music]

01:10:00.000 --> 01:10:08.000
[sil.]

01:10:20.000 --> 01:10:24.999
[non-English narration]

01:10:25.000 --> 01:10:33.000
[music]

01:11:10.000 --> 01:11:14.999
[non-English narration]

01:11:15.000 --> 01:11:23.000
[sil.]

01:12:05.000 --> 01:12:09.999
[music]

01:12:10.000 --> 01:12:18.000
[sil.]

01:12:20.000 --> 01:12:28.000
[music]

01:12:55.000 --> 01:13:00.000
[sil.]

01:14:20.000 --> 01:14:28.000
[music]

01:17:50.000 --> 01:17:55.000
[sil.]