Tâmbukwa is a video work filmed at the mouth of the Chiloango River in Cabinda, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean. At the center of the piece is an embroidered textile bearing the names of indigenous plants recognized by local communities, gathered from a 1916 botanical archive and from conversations held between Cabinda and Luanda.

Through gestures of immersion, washing and listening, the film traces the relationships between water, memory and the transmission of knowledge. Spoken in Kikongo, Fiote and Portuguese, the film intertwines proverbs, personal reflections and community voices to consider water as a place of recognition, care and return. Tâmbukwa invites the viewer into a space where memory is carried through the body, language, and the landscape.

Director: Sheila Ramirez; Cinematography: Pascoal Ncasso; Editing: Sheila Ramirez
Voices: Sheila Ramirez, Maria Leonor de Almeida; Production: Sheila Ramirez
With support from the NESR Art Foundation