Armed with a camera, a neon sign, and a compelling premise-that poverty is Africa’s primary resource-the Dutch artist Renzo Martens spent three years traveling throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “Who owns poverty,” he asks. The filmmakers and photographers who document it? Western consumers of these images? NGOs? The people of Africa? Confrontational, provocative, and bluntly satiric, Martens’ journey is something of an art intervention. He brazenly encourages impoverished Congolese to enjoy their poverty, organizing them to capitalize on it. Martens also questions the ubiquity of NGO logos, Western photographers who make a living from images of oppressive suffering, and UN soldiers protecting foreign gold mining operations. “Experiencing your suffering helps me become a better person,” he suggests to a desperate, bewildered Congolese man. This is a tough film in every way and truly political filmmaking of the highest order-fearless, divisive, controversial, and necessary. Sean Farnel.

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