Totems and Taboos

A young Congolese boxer, Samwa, and his older brother, Nourou, arrive in Brussels for the final of the Afro-European Middleweight Championship to fight against the Belgian title holder. Samwa trains heavily, despite some harsh conditions, under the authoritarian look of his brother. Until the day when the Belgian fight promoters, aware of the fact that the political situation gives the final a symbolical turn, order to Samwa to lose the fight. The day before the match, Samwa and Nourou watch Patrice Lumumba's independence's speech. Samwa decides not to give up but in this power's struggle, one of the brothers will betray the other one.

The Belgian shipping company Red Star Line carried more than 2 million migrants from Antwerp to New York between 1873 and 1934. Most of them were Eastern Europeans who had left their homes and their families due to war and poverty. Through taped interviews, more than 2000 Red Star Line passengers relate the most important journey of their life.