De-traumatizing Afro Sub-Saharan Realities
In an eclectic blend of the experimental, the surreal, non-fiction and hybrids, this segment foregrounds African past and present realities both on the African continent and in the African diaspora. Our Identity as Africans living in a post-colonial Africa, where we are constantly being made to redefine our relationship with the land on which we live - the land taken from us through colonialism and slavery – come under the microscope in this layover segment.
Also highlighted are relationships - relationships we build with each other as people with shared histories, and current realities - the togetherness and unity that comes from knowing that as Africans, we share a lot in common, namely the pain and trauma of events experienced by our forefathers so long ago. How do we interact with each other in the present without carrying the weight of the past? Do we drop the weight of past trauma altogether or is there a way to hold on to these painful histories but in a de-traumatized form?
This layover depicts the strength in unity possessed by Africans and Afro-descended people. It makes a move to shift the focus from a traumatic past to a non-traumatic future of true Pan-Africanism forged by the processes of de-traumatization. The films take us on a journey of decolonization of painful histories and reappropriation for Africans and Afro-descended people. It speaks on the future just as much as it does on the present and the past. It doesn’t seek to hide these histories but show them, as the films depict the strength that arises from the knowledge of these histories.
In conclusion, this layover segment has been carefully put together intentionally to paint a veritably honest picture of the political and social landscape on the African continent from pre-colonial times through the present day, as set against the backdrop of non-fiction, fiction and experimental cinema. We de-traumatize Afro sub-Saharan realties by learning about the past and reappropriating it, working on shaping the present with the knowledge of the past and looking to the future, careful to ensure new histories are created for future generations.
Badewa Ajibade
Guest curator
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African Glory
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Did the first African to reach the Americas arrive as a king and not a slave? West Africa in the 13th century saw the rise of a vast empire — the Manden Empire. One hundred and eighty years before Christopher Columbus, its emperor Abu Bakr II set off to cross the Atlantic with an armada of 2,000 ships. He never returned. Drawing on both fact and fiction, this film sets out to restore the Manden...
The Last Train
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A musician who had come from an uninspiring performance in an empty pub found himself late one evening on the last train to get to his home. His hopes of a peaceful late train ride are suddenly threatened by a passenger who asks him to play his guitar so he can accompany him with his _mbira_ (Sub-Saharan African musical instrument similar to the xylophone).
Ampe : Leap into the Sky, Black Girl
Ampe : Leap into the Sky, Black Girl
Duration: 18 minutesSubscription access
Set in the "sister cities" of Accra, Ghana and Columbus, Ohio, _Ampe: Leap into the Sky, Black Girl_ is a rhythmic love letter to Black girlhood across the African diaspora. Through the lens of the Ghanaian traditional jumping and clapping game, _Ampe_, the film takes us on a journey of sisterhood, loyalty, and nostalgia in a space created for us, by us.
In the Billowing Night
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Jean-René is a retired factory worker who has lived in Mâcon, France, since emigrating from Reunion Island at the age of 17. Today, for the first time ever, the quiet man recounts his story to his daughter. His journey is interspersed with enigmatic dreams and pains that are rooted in the wounds of the French colonial past.
Terra Mater
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There she stands, confidently, like a goddess of technological junk, surrounded by endless mountains of rubbish, plastic, stench and rare earths. An angry appeal to the world to take responsibility for the consequences of capitalism, colonialism and environmental destruction in Africa.
African Glory
Subscription access
Did the first African to reach the Americas arrive as a king and not a slave? West Africa in the 13th century saw the rise of a vast empire — the Manden Empire. One hundred and eighty years before Christopher Columbus, its emperor Abu Bakr II set off to cross the Atlantic with an armada of 2,000 ships. He never returned. Drawing on both fact and fiction, this film sets out to restore the Manden...
The Last Train
Subscription access
A musician who had come from an uninspiring performance in an empty pub found himself late one evening on the last train to get to his home. His hopes of a peaceful late train ride are suddenly threatened by a passenger who asks him to play his guitar so he can accompany him with his _mbira_ (Sub-Saharan African musical instrument similar to the xylophone).
Ampe : Leap into the Sky, Black Girl
Ampe : Leap into the Sky, Black Girl
Duration: 18 minutesSubscription access
Set in the "sister cities" of Accra, Ghana and Columbus, Ohio, _Ampe: Leap into the Sky, Black Girl_ is a rhythmic love letter to Black girlhood across the African diaspora. Through the lens of the Ghanaian traditional jumping and clapping game, _Ampe_, the film takes us on a journey of sisterhood, loyalty, and nostalgia in a space created for us, by us.
In the Billowing Night
Subscription access
Jean-René is a retired factory worker who has lived in Mâcon, France, since emigrating from Reunion Island at the age of 17. Today, for the first time ever, the quiet man recounts his story to his daughter. His journey is interspersed with enigmatic dreams and pains that are rooted in the wounds of the French colonial past.
Terra Mater
Subscription access
There she stands, confidently, like a goddess of technological junk, surrounded by endless mountains of rubbish, plastic, stench and rare earths. An angry appeal to the world to take responsibility for the consequences of capitalism, colonialism and environmental destruction in Africa.
