AFRICAN NARRATIVES FILM SERIES
The Lauder Institute and Penn’s Center for Africana Studies are pleased to present African Narratives, a new film series that showcases global African cinema. The series will feature films that explore the diverse complexity of African life and culture and/or highlight the work of its new and established filmmakers. Each showing includes light refreshments and a post-film discussion/Q&A.
This event is open to all members of the Penn Community. Valid penncard required. Register below.
UPCOMING EVENTS
A SCREENING OF THREE SHORT FILMS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13
5:30 PM
The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
This screening will feature (3) short films, In the Language of Our Mothers, Is It Because I’m A Girl, and Echoes From Home. The films’ crews were made up of Penn students and students of the FilmAid Kenya film training program at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. These films were directed by Peter Decherney, FilmAid’s lead film instructor, and Penn alumna, Jean Chapiro. Learn more below:
In The Language Of Our Mothers
Directed by Jean Chapiro
Sadia is a Masalit composer who immigrated from Sudan to Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya, in 2017. Since 2003 the Janjaweed, a Sudanese Arab militia group, have been systematically attacking the ethnic-African Masalit tribe. With the rise of the civil war in Sudan in April of 2023, Sadia uses music to inspire the Masalit community both in Sudan and in Kakuma. She composes songs in Masalit, her mother language, not only as a means of resilience but also to pass on her tradition and her culture to the next generation.
Is It Because I’m A Girl
Directed by Peter Decherney
Nao.G is the first South Sudanese woman hip-hop performer in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp. She overcame family abuse and social pressure to create music and poetry that heals her and empowers others.
Echoes from Home
Directed by Peter Gitau
Echoes of Home: The Burundi Drummers of Kakuma explores the remarkable journey of a group of Burundian refugees living in the Kakuma refugee camp. Set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most challenging environments, this film is a celebration of the enduring power of culture, music, and the human spirit in the face of adversity.
Please contact sydswr@wharton.upenn.edu with any questions about this event.
Past Screenings
- September 11, 2024: The screening on this date will be Pray the Devil Back to Hell, a documentary that chronicles the remarkable story of the Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country.
- March 28, 2024: The screening on this date will be Sankofa, directed by Haile Gerima. Gerima is an Ethiopian filmmaker who lives and works in the United States. He is a leading member of the L.A. Rebellion film movement, also known as the Los Angeles School of Black Filmmakers. Since 1975, Haile has been a film professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
- February 7, 2024: The screening on this date will focus on Nelson Mandela and his legacy in South Africa. The post-film discussion will be led by Penn faculty, Dr. Sara Byala and Dr. Audrey Mbeje.
