Daniel Anum Jasper has been making street art in Accra, Ghana since 1986. He is well known for his signature … More
Category: Film
Interview: Omolola Ajao’s journey in making The FUFU Film Project
As a young African woman filmmaker in the diaspora, Omolola is invested in protecting and transmitting West-African cultures and traditions through a three part film series where each project bleeds into the next as a cosmic web of storytelling. In this interview we speak to her about facing her work and the experience that come with that, especially as a young woman filmmaker operating in a western space as well as the drive to bridge the generational gap in indigenous knowledge by preserve it in film.
Film Review: Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart Delivers Nollywood Class Act
Lionheart all in all is a good film- I would not stop anyone from seeing it. It does, however, suffer from a leaning towards the safe which ultimately leaves the film somewhat flat, with the characters underdeveloped. The humor sprinkled throughout the film keeps it light and interesting, and the acting is certainly believable. It is the kind of film one would watch with family on a lazy Sunday afternoon, reveling in its quietness.
Film Review: Protecting Cultural Heritage Through Food in “Burkinabè Bounty”
Iara Lee’s 2017 documentary, Burkinabè Rising: The Art of Resistance in Burkina Faso did a great job at providing much … More
Film Review: Examining Music Making as an act of Resistance in “Mali Blues”
What Mali Blues achieves as a film is a vivid exposition of the musical landscape of Mali. By following each of the four subjects, the film, brings you the past and the present sounds in all its rich diversity.
Film Review: Remembering the love for African Music Ancestors on “Wahenga”
On Amil Shivji’s documentary film, Wahenga, we are privy to a series of conversations between old musician, their memories of the past and their quest to revive a fading musical tradition by becoming the ancestors.
A Life Dedicated to African Filmmaking: 30 Years After Kwaw Ansah’s Heritage Africa
Kwaw Ansah’s seminal film, Heritage Africa, is three decades old this year. eight years before the making of Heritage Africa, … More
Film Review: Instant Cult Classic “Lucky” Provides Polarized Lens to Examine Youth Culture in Accra
The film, released in September 2018, follows two young men as they attempt to survive the relentless tirade of trauma that can be Accra, Ghana’s capital and in the process, provide a polarized lens to examine millennial lifestyle and culture through honest and direct depiction of varied lived experiences.
Film Review: Using Composition to Paint a Portrait of Tanzania in Transit
‘Tanzania Transit’ may be one of my favorite films of 2018. Aside from the bonus of this documentary gifting me … More
Film Review: Foreshadowing the fall of Jacob Zuma in “The Giant Is Falling”
The giant fell. Today’s viewers of the 2016 South African documentary The Giant is Falling will be aware of this. Jacob Zuma resigned as South Africa’s President in February 2018 after unrelenting pressure from various citizen and political movements. However, with the benefit of hindsight/foresight, ‘The Giant is Falling’ plays like a cautionary tale warning that the giant only fell. It wasn’t slain.