The 80-year-old artist Lucie Kamuswekera lives and works in Goma, in eastern Congo. She has been embroidering since childhood, a skill she learned from Italian missionary sisters during the colonial period. On rough jute sacks, she depicts the history of her country—from colonization to the present—with striking scenes of violence, injustice, and resistance. Her work is both artistic and historical: a tangible memory of Congo's painful and complex past.
Lucie's life story is closely intertwined with that of her country. She experienced the twilight years of Belgian colonial rule, the turbulent independence, and the decades of armed conflict that followed. In 1997, she lost her husband to violence; she herself had to flee and build a new life in Goma. Embroidery became more than a craft for her: it became a form of mourning, resistance, and political expression.
During the Ghent Festivities and in August, her work will be exhibited at St. Nicholas' Church in Ghent, an initiative of Amnesty International, Amsab-ISG, and the Conflict and Research Group of Ghent University. This exhibition will offer visitors a powerful and intimate glimpse into Congo's past and present, embroidered with sharp observations and personal stories.
Kamuswekera's paintings are raw and honest: she depicts the cruelty of colonial oppression, honors figures like Patrice Lumumba, and spares her compatriots when she denounces corruption and violence. Her work is a unique testimony and an urgent call not to turn a blind eye to what is still unfolding in Congo today.
Read the interview with Lucie Kamuswekera in MO*magazine here
© Lucie Kamuswekera
Practical
📍 St. Nicholas Church - Ghent
📅 From July 19 to August 29, 2025
🕒 Open daily from 10am to 4pm
🎟️ Free admission – no reservation required
Discover more in the catalogue
More information about artist Lucie Kamuswekera and her work can be found in the catalog published on the occasion of the exhibition " Lucie Kamuswekera: Embroidered Past, Imagined Future in Congo" at Amsab-ISG in 2023, a collaboration with researchers from Ghent University and Ohio State University.
The trilingual catalogue (NL - FR - EN) is now available again for €5.
Buy the catalogue in our webshop
The exhibition is a joint initiative of Amsab-ISG, Amnesty International and the Conflict Research Group UGent.
With thanks to the lenders: Amsab-ISG - Felicitas Maria Becker - Karen Büscher - Maarten Hendriks - Margot Luyckfasseel - Sam Kniknie - Sarah Van Beurden.
