01 ISSUE XI
MAY 2026
MAY 2026
Colonialism’s Persistent Legacies of Resistance
The film “Africa Apocalypse” explores the brutality of a late 19th-century massacre in Niger and the present-day insistence by victims’ descendants for justice.
By Trevor Pimentel
In 1898, France sent a colonial military officer, Paul Voulet, to Niger with the specific task of connecting its West and Central African colonial possessions by securing a path to the Chad River Basin. Despite being given specific directions to both avoid “antagonizing the natives” and violating the territorial arrangement made with Britain a short time prior, Voulet embarks on a campaign that can be described as nothing short of barbaric.
Still from the film Africa Apocalypse.
As captured by the film “Africa Apocalyse,” the sheer scope of Paul’s campaign of terror - his own naming for the mission - beguiles belief: Murder. Torture. Dismemberment. These are only a few scant words that describe, yet fall short, of capturing the truly diabolical character of Paul's assault on the indigenous, which notably only increased in severity as he, in direct violation of direction from the French Foreign Minister, crept into the British-controlled territory. Hundreds were murdered, and people turned into refugees.
The film came out in 2021, and after its release, a group of Nigerians, known as the Niger Communities Group on Reparatory Justice for Colonialism, launched a campaign to have descendants of the victims provide testimonials to the UN Special Rapporteur on Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence, seeking reparations from the French government.
Near the end of the film, Femi Nylander, a Nigerian-British activist and actor who travels to Niger and guides the viewer through the story, says: “The heirs of Voulet… are still at work today, still killing people. From the people of Niger, I learned that the past will never lie down. We can not simply forget the injustices of history; we must confront them if we ever hope to be free.”
On March 30th, 2026, I went to an in-person screening of the film here at The New School. This was the second time it was screened here; the first time was online in 2021, in part due to Covid restrictions.
The screening included a short introductory commentary by the event's moderator, New School anthropology professor Ann Laura Stoler, who introduced director Rob Lemkin. Stoler cited Lemkin as an auteur and activist who uses media tools to galvanize public attention to underrepresented or simply disregarded struggles across the globe. (An interesting fact about Lemkin is that he happens to be related to the progenitor of the term genocide, Raphael Lemkin, a distant uncle.)
After the screening, Lemkin returned to the stage to provide an update on the progress of the reparations activist campaign, which he and Nylander have been directly affiliated with since 2021. The key update centered on the French government's recent reply to the special rapporteur's case, in which it stated its willingness to “talk about the idea of reparations.” Lemkin explained that the French government’s actions have also led to a reemergence of interest amongst French society and journalists to discuss the ideas of colonial genocide. Resulting in, for the first time, a French dub of the film screening in France next June.
Tragically, however, Lemkin clarified that despite these rhetorical progressions, the actual legal case is suspended in a state of deadlock. The French government does not recognize the military regime in Niger, in power since 2023, as a legitimate government to negotiate reparations with. France argues that this is a prerequisite to moving forward, as international law requires that reparations discussions take place at the bilateral state level. This seems disingenuous, especially as the UN General Assembly’s “Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations” does not limit victim claims to be settled via bilateral state means. In the final moments of the event, Lemkin expressed some frustration at not better representing the elements of resistance, both then and now, that stood in the way of Voulet's path of destruction.
Lemkin explained that he and Femi are currently developing a sequel to “African Apocalypse,” which will not only bring the story up to the present but also further underscore the role of media in depicting social resistance and highlighting the living consequences of colonialism. Or, as Femi puts it during his speech at a Black Lives Matter protest in London, depicted in the film, where he tells the crowd about his visit to Niger: “What I learned is that colonialism isn't a thing from the past, but something that's ruining people's lives today.”
Isabella mizerk-thorrens is pursuing a BA in Global Studies with minors in Fashion Communication and Fine Arts at The New School.