The City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division and Book Soup present a WeHo Reads event featuring John Prendergest & Fidel Bafilemba, with Ryan Gosling & Chou Chou Namegabe (Congolese journalist), discussing and signing Congo Stories: Battling Five Centuries of Exploitation and Greed

Featuring the life story of Dr. Denis Mukwege, winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. From the author of the New York Times bestselling and award-winning Not on Our Watch, John Prendergast co-writes a compelling book with Fidel Bafilemba--with stunning photographs by Ryan Gosling--revealing the way in which the people and resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been used throughout the last five centuries to build, develop, advance, and safeguard the United States and Europe. The book highlights the devastating price Congo has paid for that support. However, the way the world deals with Congo is finally changing, and the book tells the remarkable stories of those in Congo and the United States leading that transformation.  

Through Gosling's photographs of Congolese daily life, Bafilemba's profiles of heroic Congolese activists, and Prendergast's narratives of the extraordinary history and evolving social movements that directly link Congo with the United States and Europe, Congo Stories provides windows into the history, the people, the challenges, the possibilities, and the movements that could change the course of Congo's destiny. (Grand Central Publishing)

Tickets (available on Eventbrite) include one entry and one copy of Congo Stories to be received at check in. A book signing will follow the talk. Free parking validation will be provided at the event.

20 free tickets (which do not include a copy of the book) will be provided to West Hollywood residents upon providing proof of residency via a government ID, lease or utility bill. Please confirm your address is in West Hollywood by visiting www.weho.org/streets. There is a limit of 2 tickets per person, and tickets may not be resold. These tickets can be reserved in advance until tickets no longer remain by emailing Mike Che, Arts Coordinator, at mche@weho.org. The physical tickets must be picked up by 6 pm on the night of the event, or they will be released to those on standby.

Questions about the event? Please call Book Soup at 310-659-3110 or visit www.booksoup.com

For more information on the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Reads program, please visit www.weho.org/wehoreads.

RSVP: Yes

COST: Yes

CONTACT: Michael Che, 323-848-6377, mche@weho.org