MOVIE

Talking about Rose. Prisoner of Hissène Habré

2015 · 30 min · Documentary

"Parler de Rose" (Talking about Rose), narrated by Oscar-winning actress Juliette Binoche and directed by Isabel Coixet examines the life and death of Rose Lokissim a prisoner of Hissène Habré, the former dictator of Chad. Survivors of Habré's jails remember Rose as a brave inmate who took care of the sick and kept up the prisoners' morale. She also delivered clandestine messages to the outside world to inform relatives of their loved ones inside. Ultimately, Habré's political police, the DDS, learned of the messages and murdered her. Among the DDS files uncovered in 2001 by Human Rights Watch was the police report of Rose's last interrogation. Rose's questioners wrote that Rose said that even if they killed her, "Chad will thank her and history will talk about her." Now, 29 years later, Rose's courage is finally being remembered as Hissène Habré stands trial beginning 20 July 2015 before a special court in Senegal, where he has lived since he was overthrown in 1990.