This February, Alliance Française Port Harcourt will host Art in the Garden City in partnership with Docuscreen Nigeria to present STOFF / LACE RELATIONS. A powerful documentary that unravels the hidden histories of a global trade linking a small Austrian town to the vibrant textile markets of Lagos.
Through the intertwined lives of an Austrian lace exporter and a Nigerian market queen, the film traces how colonial legacies shaped a multi-million-dollar industry enriching Europe while contributing to the collapse of West Africa’s indigenous textile economy. Combining on-location encounters with a compelling sociodramatic approach, STOFF / LACE RELATIONS shifts the lens to ask urgent questions: Who tells the story? Who profits? Who remembers?
Directed collectively by filmmakers from Austria and Nigeria, this documentary goes beyond textiles to explore colonialism, memory, gendered resistance, and the enduring patterns of power that continue to shape our world today.
