Culture, politics and criticism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

01/13/2026

The Democratic Republic of the Congo looks back on a complex political history - accompanied, commented on and often contested by cultural forms of expression. On 14 January, the country will be the subject of the Schelling Forum.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the largest countries in Africa in terms of both area and population. (Image: Lea Sailer / Schelling-Forum)

How is political criticism articulated in a country where power and violence are not only negotiated through institutions, but also through language, sound and symbolism?

This interdisciplinary event brings together experts from the fields of literature, music and political science in a panel discussion to shed light on the role of cultural practices as forms of political criticism in the DR Congo. How can social participation and artistic forms of expression not only reflect political conditions, but also shape and question them? To what extent can literature, music and political science together enable a critical understanding of power and resistance in the Congolese context - beyond Western interpretative frameworks?

The political scientist Dr Lilli Banholzer, the musicologist Clémentine Nkongolo and the literary scholar Prof. Dr Gilbert Shang Ndi (University of Bayreuth/BAdW) will discuss these and other questions - and are happy to talk to the audience!

The event takes place in cooperation with the Forum Africa Centre of the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg.

Place and time

"In the Shadow of Power: Culture, Politics and Criticism in the Democratic Republic of Congo"

When: Wednesday, 14 January 2026, 18:00

Where: Schelling-Forum, Klinikstraße 3, 97070 Würzburg

Participants

Dr Philipp Gieg holds a doctorate in political science and is a research assistant at the Chair of International Relations and European Studies at the University of Würzburg. Among other things, he deals with international relations and is co-editor of the "Handbook Democratic Republic of Congo" published in 2024.

Dr Lilli Banholzer is a political scientist and scientific coordinator of the Bavarian Science Alliance for Peace, Security and Conflict (FoKS). She specialises in research into the causes of political violence and conflict.

Clémentine Nkongolo works at the Archive for African Music at the Institute for Ethnology and African Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). She is responsible for digitising, transcribing and translating the texts of the collection of Congolese singles.

Professor Gilbert Shang Ndi is Professor of Comparative Literature/Cultural Studies with a special focus on Africa and Latin America at the University of Bayreuth. He is an alumnus of the Young Academy of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. He is currently researching networks of tropical coloniality in African and Latin American literature.

Moderation

Dr Julien Bobineau is a cultural scientist and expert on anti-discrimination. His research focuses on European colonial history and its effects, post-colonial theory and (anti-)racism in police and security agencies. He is also co-editor of the "Handbook Democratic Republic of Congo".