The 15th edition of the African Diaspora Film Festival took place in New York on November 23 through December 9. The festival screened at Anthology Film Archives, the Teachers College at Columbia University, the Thalia Theater, and other venues.

The festival centerpiece film, Pierre-Yves Borgeaud’s Youssou N’Dour: Return to Goree follows the world music superstar as he travels from his home in Senegal to Atlanta, New Orleans, Luxembourg, and back, to assemble musicians for a concert on the island of Goree. This was a major port for the transport of slaves to America, and the film makes connections between this historical circumstance and the music that resulted, and the massive influence on American jazz and blues.

Other African film screened at the festival were Iron Ladies of Liberia, Niger Slaves, Delta, Oil’s Dirty Business, Ezra, Escape from Luanda, Sotigui Kouyate - A Modern Griot, and Zanzibar Soccer Queens.

Niger Slaves - Niger/Greece
A voyage into the hermetically closed vaults of our modern, civilized world. One of the first documentaries to be made on this subject reveals the bleak reality of thousands of slaves who, at the dawn of the 21st century, live in this African country. The government of Niger claims that there are no slaves, the United Nations Organization has no evidence, the major non-governmental organizations are unaware of the issue… The camera, however, after roaming the deserts of the Sahara, has recorded the faces, the words, the thoughts and the dreams of these “non-existent” slaves. The phenomenon has its roots in the customs of the tribes of the Tuareg, the Fulani, the Manga and the Hausa who live there. It was nurtured by the practices of the Europeans who, in the 16th century, imported to their mines and plantations 11 million African slaves. Today, the practice thrives on the indifference of “civilized countries” while the poverty of Niger perpetuates the phenomenon.

Iron Ladies of Liberia - US
After nearly two decades of civil war, Liberia is a nation ready for change. Iron Ladies of Liberia is a fascinating documentary by African director Siatta Scott Johnson and Daniel Junge who follow Liberia’s newly elected president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf — the first ever freely elected female head of state in Africa — and her closest aides — other extraordinary women she placed in leadership positions in all areas of government — as they strive to improve the daily life of their people, renegotiate the debt, face internal corruption and multiple other social, economic and political crises during their first year in office.

Zanzibar Soccer Queens - UK/Tanzania
Women’s passion for football transcends traditional boundaries in this timely and provocative portrait of Woman Fighters, a team of predominantly Muslim women in Zanzibar. Their individual stories of aspirations, shattered dreams, friendship and self-determination reveal a community of strong-willed African women determined to redefine their identities and personal goals through playing soccer. Their involvement with soccer goes beyond the pitch, and provides a gateway to new experiences - they travel, party on the beach, and play soccer with men. For some of the players, having their name on the shirt is a great achievement. We observe their regular training sessions, soccer matches and a self-help initiative to sustain the team. This is a rare and fresh insight into the lives of women who cross the prescribed boundaries of how a woman should behave and dress. Their passion for soccer reflects a desire to be themselves and a passion for life!

Delta, Oil’s Dirty Business - Greece/Nigeria
At the delta of Niger river in Nigeria, where a vast proportion of the planet’s oil is excavated, bombs attacks, abductions and murders form part of daily routine. This documentary portrays the image of “development”, the way giant multinational petroleum companies would define it. Petroleum leaks in the river destroy flora and fauna, poison the food chain and consequently wipe out the 27 million indigenous people of the area - the Ijaws, the Ogoni and the Itsekiris. The inhabitants dare to ask the self-evident, they demand an end to it. As a response, they are massively and brutally attacked by Special Forces of the army and the police, which are armed by the oil companies. The camera meets at the river militia of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and presents to the world for the first time shattering images of their speed boat patrols and of their heavy weaponry. The Delta of the Niger is a lost paradise. As the documentary reveals, it is a place where despite the natural beauty, contemporary “globalized” hell prevails.

Sotigui Kouyate - A Modern Griot Chad/France
Through testimonies by Peter Brook, Jean-Claude Carriere, Jean-Pierre Guigane, and Sotigui Kouyate himself, the film dresses the portrait of one of Africa’s greatest actor now based in Paris. From Africa to Europe, the film unveils the multiple facets of Sotigui Kouyate, actor, musician and modern griot.

Ezra - France/Nigeria/Austria
Winner of the Golden Stallion of Yennenga - FESPACO 2007, this emotionally powerful feature tells the story of a former child soldier attempting to find internal peace after the horrors he had witnessed and committed as a combatant in Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war. “One fateful morning, seven-year-old Ezra skips his way to school and is kidnapped by rebels. They take him into the jungle and train him to be a soldier. Seven years later, Ezra sits in front of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, where he is asked to piece together a jigsaw puzzle of facts from the night of a devastating attack on a village. What is supposed to be a confession soon becomes a trial as his mute sister, Onitcha, chooses to reveal a secret she has kept from her brother. Aduaka creates a deftly observed world and draws impressive performances from his young cast to bring audiences into close contact with the life and mindset of a child combatant. With an estimated 300,000 child soldiers worldwide serving in armed conflict today, Ezra is an important and timely story that rarely gets depicted on the screen.

Escape from Luanda - Angola/UK
Angola was at war for decades. An estimated 1.5 million were killed, 500,000 of whom were children. With funding from the Angolan government, the Music School in Luanda is Angola’s first and only school of its kind. It houses some 150 students, most of them desperately poor. Many face disapproval and outright rejection from their families, who can’t see a future in music. Despite this, the talent, drive and dedication of the students is inspiring. Escape from Luanda follows three central characters as they work their way through the school year, culminating with the end of year concert and exam results.

Visit the Film Festival’s website to learn more about these movies and others.