RIBA North: The Tree of Authenticity: A film by Sammy Baloji
Date: 28.10.25
Time: 17:00
Location: RIBA North, 21 Mann Island, Liverpool Waterfront, Liverpool, L3 1BP
Discover Sammy Baloji’s powerful new film uncovering colonial legacies in Congo’s rainforest and their impact on the global climate crisis
Nestled in Africa’s largest rainforest lies one of the many graves of the West’s efforts to control nations and nature – one of the world’s largest tropical agricultural research centres. Located on the banks of the Congo River, the Yangambi INERA Research Station was a booming scientific centre in its heyday. Today, it is a mix of jungle and ruin, where questions of knowledge, power over it, and access to it linger.
The Tree of Authenticity is a film by Tate collection artist Sammy Baloji. It recounts the story of two scientists, Paul Panda Farnana and Abiron Beirnaert, who worked at Yangambi between 1910 and 1950. Through their voices, the film looks at how colonialism harmed both people and the environment, and how that damage is still felt today.
Doors open at 17.00. The screening starts promptly at 17.30 and will be followed by a Q&A with the artist.
