This is My Africa

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | June 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment

What do Chiwetel Ejiofor, Colin Firth (he lived in Nigeria as a little boy), Yinka Shonibare, and Paul Boateng, have in common? They are all part of a movie that focuses on African culture and what it means to them. Zina Saro-Wiwa (daughter of Ken Saro-Wiwa), a presenter for BBC and Radio 4 also serves as adviser to both British Council’s Music Unit, and The Africa Center in London, explores the perceptions of 20 people, black and white, the African continent (interestingly, she also performs under the pseudonym, Copperqueen). » Read more…

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On the Rumba River

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | June 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment

On the Rhumba River is the story of an orphan, Antoine Kolosy, who found his calling in upbeat songs he made up on his battered old guitar. The church began to persecute him and the Belgian colonialists banned his songs. He started boxing but his heart was in the music. He released his first album in 1948 and was launched into stardom. His style was a sort of congolese rhumba that quickly caught on. » Read more…

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10 Days In Africa

Written by Laura Adibe | May 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Filmmaker Regi Allen journeys to Ghana, Senegal and Cote d’ Ivoire on a 10-day journey to explore his roots and the myths about black identity and culture. » Read more…

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Battle of the Souls

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | May 1, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Directly from film school in Amsterdam in 2005, Matt Bish returned home to Kampala to direct his maiden film, Battle of the Souls, a film inspired by his young brother, Roger Mugisha. Without a professional cast and crew, he assembled one that has today made the first Ugandan feature film. » Read more…

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As Old As My Tongue

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | April 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment

This is a documentary of a living legend, Bi Kidude, who is probably the oldest singer on the world stage today. She sings the traditional Taarab and Unyago music and is very popular internationally.

Bi Kidude was born at least ninety years ago (she isn’t sure what year she was born and estimates she could be as old as 113) and lives in Zanzibar, a strongly Muslim island. She has been the center of controversy for her constant challenges to traditional Muslim values for women. » Read more…

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Black to Our Roots

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | April 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment

This is the story of a group of Atlanta teenagers who raise money to travel to Ghana to learn more about their ancestors. In the process they learn about the stereotypes and misconceptions that surround Africans and African-Americans.

The story also follows the story of Sylvia Dorsey, a 17-year-old girl from the housing projects who learns more about herself from the trip and rediscovers the power of who she is. » Read more…

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Bling: A Planet Rock

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | April 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment

American hip hop artists travel to Sierra Leone to see the source of the diamonds that create the “Bling” and fueled the 10-year civil war in which over one million people were killed, maimed, raped or displaced. » Read more…

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Kassim The Dream

Written by Laura Adibe | April 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Kief Davidson directs the story of Kassim “The Dream” Ouma, a former junior middleweight boxing world champ. Kassim, born in Uganda, had been trained as a child soldier at six years old and forced to commit unspeakable atrocities until he was eighteen. Eventually, Kasim comes to the United States and tries to start a new life for himself, although the memories of his past continue to haunt him. » Read more…

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A Walk to Beautiful

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | April 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment

A Walk to Beautiful, the award winning feature-length documentary, tells the stories of five Ethiopian women who suffer from devastating childbirth injuries and embark on a journey to reclaim their lost dignity. » Read more…

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All About Us

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | April 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Based on a true story, this film focuses on the struggles that a couple must go through as they try to secure distribution for their latest film. Unable to secure a distribution deal for their latest film, Ed and Stacey Brown are forced to reconsider their cinematic dreams. » Read more…

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Angels in the Dust

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | April 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment

There is nothing more heartwarming than a story where a person is willing to give up the finer things in life to help those less fortunate. Angels in the Dust highlights one family that was willing to do just that (Oprah should have featured her on The Big Give as a story of inspiration). » Read more…

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