Afrobeat 'Son' DEDE on MESSENGERS

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Africa-Related New York

Afrobeat saxophonist Dede Mabiaku. On stage in Lagos, at Felabration 2019.

In this episode of 'Messengers with Oyiza,' we are joined by the renowned Afrobeat saxophonist, performer, and bandleader, Dede Mabiaku. Often regarded as one of Fela Kuti’s musical sons, Dede shares vivid stories from the formative years of Afrobeat, reflecting on his life both on and off stage with Fela and leading The Kalafrika Band.

A trained theatre artist with a commanding stage presence, Dede’s journey is rooted in rhythm, resistance, and a deep commitment to African culture. This episode explores lineage, identity, and the evolution of an artist within a global movement.

Dede and Fela in an undated photo. Courtesy of Dede Mabiaku

Dede & Kalafrika Band perform at Felabration 2019 at Freedom Park, Lagos.

Dede reflects on a question on Messengers Podcast

Oyiza Adaba: Host of Podcast series ‘Messengers’.

‘MESSENGERS with Oyiza’ is an engaging interview TV/podcast series hosted by Nigerian journalist and producer Oyiza Adaba. Produced by Africa-Related and recorded remotely from New York and on location, the show blends relaxed conversations with interviews of selected guests who discuss topics about Africa for a global audience. The conversations aim to bridge divides, correct misconceptions, and spark positive discussion about Africa and its people. Each 30-minute episode features inspiring stories, creative graphics, video clips, and background reports. The series focuses on Africa's People, Places and Issues.

For more stories told from an African perspective, follow us at africarelatedinc

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Textile Artist And Teacher Gasali Adeyemo Features on 'Messengers

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Africa-Related New York

Textile Artist Gasali Adeyemo dicusses the Yoruba art of Adire (tye-dye) making.

From modest beginnings to becoming a leading voice in textile preservation, Gasali Adeyemo shares a journey rooted in craft, culture, and continuity.

In this episode of Messengers with Oyiza, Gasali explores the rich history and cultural significance of traditional Nigerian textiles from Adire and Batik to Itinochi and Akwocha and the urgent need to preserve these indigenous techniques for future generations.

He shares his experience styling Viola Davis in the film "The Woman King". He also reflects on his early influences like Nike Art Gallery (@nikeartgallery), the discipline behind mastering textile artistry, and the responsibility of passing down knowledge in a rapidly changing world.

This is a conversation about heritage, identity, and the role of artists as custodians of culture.

Follow Gasali @yoruba_indigo. Watch now on Spotify.

‘MESSENGERS with Oyiza’ is an engaging interview TV/podcast series hosted by Nigerian journalist and producer Oyiza Adaba. Produced by Africa-Related and recorded remotely from New York and on location, the show blends relaxed conversations with interviews of selected guests who discuss topics about Africa for a global audience. The conversations aim to bridge divides, correct misconceptions, and spark positive discussion about Africa and its people. Each 30-minute episode features inspiring stories, creative graphics, video clips, and background reports. The series focuses on Africa's People, Places and Issues.

For more stories told from an African perspective, follow us at africarelatedinc

#AfricaRelated #AfricanArt #art #podcast #conversation  #artist #messengerswithoyiza #Messengers #AfricaRelated #TextileArt #adire #batik  #CulturalHeritage #TheWomanKing #oyizaadaba 

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DELA Screens at Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art Lagos

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Africa-Related, Lagos

From bottle caps to monumental global artworks, the story behind the art is just as powerful as the work itself.

On March 8, 2026, Lagos hosted a screening of DELA: The Making of El Anatsui, a biographical documentary exploring the creative journey of one of Africa’s most celebrated artists. Directed by Oyiza Adaba and produced by Africa-Related over a ten-year period, the screening was held in collaboration with the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art as part of Lagos Gallery Week 2026.

The event took place at the museum’s premises within Pan-Atlantic University, drawing an audience of students, staff, and art enthusiasts.

Attendees were also invited to explore the history behind the work of El Anatsui. His early wood carvings, including the famous wooden trays that earned him the nickname "TV Man," are on permanent display at the YSMA in Lagos.

Share this with anyone who appreciates art, film, and African creative history.

Now on SPOTIFY: Podcast Series 'MESSENGERS with OYIZA' Season 3

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Africa-Related, New York

MESSENGERS: Bringing together the rich flavors of Africa's peoples, places and issues.

Podcast Series ‘Messengers with Oyiza’ on Spotify

‘MESSENGERS with Oyiza’ is an engaging interview TV/podcast series hosted by Nigerian journalist and producer Oyiza Adaba. Produced by Africa-Related and recorded remotely from New York and on location, the show blends relaxed conversations with interviews of selected guests who discuss topics about Africa for a global audience. The conversations aim to bridge divides, correct misconceptions, and spark positive discussion about Africa and its people. Each 30-minute episode features inspiring stories, creative graphics, video clips, and background reports. The series focuses on Africa's People, Places and Issues.

Master Designer, Architect and Builder DEMAS NWOKO on Messengers.

Where to Watch:

SPOTIFY

Apple Podcast

Amazon Music

Afrobeat Saxophonist and Thespian DEDE MABIAKU on Messengers

Season 3 Episodes:

• EP 1: Beatrice Bee, Arthur, and Felivian  - January 12, 2026

• EP 2: Christopher Richards and Dean  -  January 19, 2026

• EP 3: Nmadili Okwumabua - January 26, 2026

• EP 4: Demas Nwoko - February 2, 2026

• EP 5: Nnamdi Okonkwo - February 9, 2026

• EP 6: Enos Nhlane Manthata - February 16, 2026

• EP 7: Baba Ani - February 23, 2026

• EP 8: Eedris Abdulkareem - March 2, 2026

• EP 9: Amarachi Okafor - March 9, 2026

• EP 10: Gasali Adeyemo - March 16, 2026

• EP 11: Dede Mabiaku - March 23, 2026

• EP 12: Lemi Ghariokwu - March 30, 2026

• EP 13: Kofo Wonder - April 6, 2026

• EP 14: Gogo Anyanwu - April 13, 2026
  
  
  Produced by Africa-Related
  Hosted by Oyiza Adaba
  
  
  
  Sponsorship
  Africa-Related Contact:
  info@africarelatedinc.com
  africarelatedinc.com/messengers
  @africarelatedinc
  
  
  Produced by Oyiza Adaba
  Music:  @thewordsbymoe  
  © An Africa-Related Production
  
  
  
  

#messengerswithoyiza  #africarelated #africarelatedinc #art #music #textiles #film #africa #artfilms #podcast #museum  #nigeria #demasnwoko  #architecture #design #fashion #authors #history

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Salamander Café: Abuja's Hidden Oasis

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By Africa-Related Abuja, Nigeria

Outdoor Bar at Salamander Cafe, Abuja. (Photo Africa-Related)

Salamander Café is home to some of the best food, wine, art, books and music in Abuja located at 15b Parakou St, Wuse, FCT Abuja, Nigeria. The space features the an Open-Concept Space, Gourmet Kitchen, Luxurious Deco, Book Store, Exhibition Gallery and a Beautifully Landscaped Outdoors

This video captures the spirit of Salamander Cafe, its artistic aesthetics, solemn space and quality-driven services.

“It’s a third space that means different things to different people...”

— Salamander Cafe

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An Evening of Honor: Remembering Dr. Aaze Tom Adaba in Houston

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By Melody-Esther Soyemi

Photos by Ken Eke @kenin3dx

Mr. Austin Oniwon of the Oniwon Foundation, pays glowing tributes to the late Dr. Tom Adaba.

On August 17, 2025, family, friends, and admirers gathered in Houston, Texas, for An Evening of Honor, a moving tribute to the life and legacy of Ohi Dr. Aaze Thomas Adaba, a Nigerian veteran broadcaster who passed away on the 22nd of February 2025. Among those who spearheaded the commemoration was his son Mr. Onimisi Adaba, a media practitioner, and a member of the Tom Adaba Legacy Foundation Board. In a reflective interview, he shared the significance of the event, its highlights, and the enduring impact of the man whose life was being celebrated.

Honoring a Life Well Lived

Speaking on the purpose of the gathering, Mr. Onimisi explained that the evening was about much more than remembrance. “It was an evening to introduce my friends here in Houston to the man I would have loved for them to meet, and they would have loved to meet,” he said. “Since many of us could not attend the funeral, it was of importance to have something in his honor.” For him, the event was both personal and communal, a way of bridging distances and ensuring that Dr. Adaba’s values and story were shared across borders.

Storytelling Through Memories and Media

Unlike the traditional service of songs, the evening was video-driven. Carefully produced clips showcased different moments from Dr. Adaba’s life: the night of tributes, funeral, thanksgiving service, and personal tributes. Friends and family also shared heartfelt stories.

“Life is all about stories and how we tell those stories really matters,” Mr Onimisi reflected. Guests like Mr. Austin Oniwon, a long-standing family friend, as well as Mr. Michael Ozigi, Mrs. Mariam Yusuf, and Mrs. Josephine Odessa Idowu, all brought unique perspectives. Mrs. Margaret Adaba Soyemi, Dr. Adaba’s eldest daughter, also came all the way from Nigeria and was part of the event, adding her own presence and memories to the evening. Each tribute revealed another layer of the man described as a mentor, disciplinarian, friend, and humble leader. One attendee described the program as “something entirely different, something I have never experienced before and found deeply revealing and relatable.” For many, it felt like an intimate introduction to Dr. Adaba himself.

Building on His Legacy

Mr. Onimisi Adaba, Son of Dr. Tom Adaba speaks at the event

Mr Onimisi also spoke about the work of the Tom Adaba Legacy Foundation, which is focused on education, youth empowerment, and cultural preservation. He revealed that upcoming projects include initiatives for the girl child, mentorship for young men, and revival of the Ebira weaving industry, a traditional craft with international potential but lacking promotion and funding.

Linked to this effort is an agricultural project exploring cotton farming to support textile production, aiming not just to preserve heritage but also to create economic opportunities for local communities.

“Our goal,” Onimisi explained, “is to uphold values and moral standards while empowering young people to be productive and creative. This is how we carry forward what Dr. Adaba stood for.

A Father, Mentor, and Humble Leader

When asked what Dr. Adaba meant to him personally, Mr Onimisi’s voice carried both reverence and gratitude. “He was everything, a simple man who applied himself fully in every role, whether as a father, mentor, or leader. He shaped me in a way nobody else could. Looking back now, I thank God for this man. He did a great job.”

Mr Onimisi also reflected on Dr. Adaba’s writings and character: “His book, “But for God”, just caps it up. The title alone says it all. He was able to rise to the zenith of his career, be who he was, and yet remain down to earth with whoever came his way. Speaking of humility, he was humble. He played that balance quite well.”

Despite his towering achievements, Dr. Adaba’s humility and ability to make each person feel uniquely valued left a lasting impression. “He wasn’t a saint,” he admitted, “but he balanced life well. He had shortcomings, yet he always made everyone feel special.”

A Legacy of Honor

The Houston event was more than a memorial; it was a storytelling evening that connected generations, preserved history, and set the stage for future impact. For those present, it was a chance to meet Dr. Adaba through the voices and memories of those who knew him best.

As Mr Onimisi concluded, “Let me introduce this man to my friends here in Houston who didn’t get the chance to meet him personally.” In doing so, he ensured that Dr. Aaze Tom Adaba’s legacy continues to inspire, teach, and shape lives far beyond his earthly years.

Leave a tribute for Dr. Tom Adaba here.

Photo Highlights

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Private Screening of DELA: The Making of El Anatsui for the Tom Adaba Grandchildren.

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Abuja, Nigeria July 28, 2025. Private Screening of DELA: The Making of El Anatsui for the Tom Adaba Grandchildren. It was a great session full of intriguing and well thought-out questions from the young inquiring minds. Thank you for attending. Learn more elanatsuifilm.com. Follow @elanatsuifilm

T.A.L Board Visits Tom Adaba Legacy Center, Okene

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By Glory Ize Isaiah
OKENE, KOGI STATE

Group Photo of Tom Adaba Legacy Team and Ita’i Weavers during the site visit on July 25, 2025. (Photo by DrQuest/Africa-Related)

Project/Facility Name: Tom Adaba Legacy Center, Okene, Home of Itai’ Our Cloth 
Date of Visit: Friday, July 25, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: T.A.L Center G.R.A Okene, Kogi State

Board Members of the Tom Adaba Legacy Foundation conducted a site visit to Okene, Kogi State. The purpose of the visit was to carry out an inspection and engagement tour of the Tom Adaba Legacy Center, evaluate the operations of Itai’ Our Cloth, interact with the weavers and apprentices, identify challenges and opportunities for scale, and strengthen stakeholder relations with the Tom Adaba Legacy board, including its Executive director and accompanying executives.

Attendees

• Mrs. Oyiza Adaba-Okereke - Board President/ED Tom Adaba Legacy and CEO - Itai Our Cloth

• Mr. Maurice Okereke - Tom Adaba Legacy (Community Initiatives) /Founder, Words By MOE

• Mrs. Rosemary Onubaiye - Country Director Ita’i Our Cloth

• Members of the Tom Adaba Legacy Foundation

• Weavers’ Coordinators

• Community Weavers & Apprentices

• Media Personnels

• And other Staff

Visit Narrative & Key Highlights

The official site visitation commenced at 10:00 AM on Friday, July 25, 2025. The Board President and Executive Director of Tom Adaba Legacy Foundation arrived in the company of her husband and board members. The atmosphere at the facility was electrifying as the women weavers, visibly overjoyed, welcomed the team with songs and dances in their local dialect, a heartfelt expression of gratitude and excitement.

The Executive Director responded warmly, asking after each woman's welfare and inquiring about their families. Led by the Country Director and the Weavers’ Coordinators, the women took the E.D and her team on a guided tour of the center, showing the facility and ongoing work.

The weavers, excited by the presence of the leadership team, quickly resumed their craft while the Executive Director observed them at work. Demonstrating deep interest and solidarity, she sat beside them, learned the basics of weaving, and participated in the process, showing humility and respect for their skill.

Mrs. Adaba-Okereke later engaged in deep, sincere conversations with the young apprentices who are currently undergoing training in weaving. They expressed how learning this trade has shifted their perspectives on life, offering them not just a skill, but a path toward independence and self-determination. However, they also raised concerns: the tradition of weaving is slowly fading, with fewer young people interested in carrying it on. They voiced hope that more efforts would be made to preserve and promote the craft, particularly among youth.

In response to questions about their future aspirations, several young women expressed their desire to pursue higher education and use weaving as a means to support themselves and their families financially while in school.

A particularly emotional moment came during a conversation with an older woman who demonstrated the rare and laborious art of spinning cotton into yarn by hand, a nearly extinct skill in today’s world. The woman explained the intricate process and how the younger generation often lacks interest in learning it. Acknowledging this, the Executive Director stressed the need for machinery to support scaling operations, noting that such investment could provide technical jobs, increase production, and bring long-term sustainability. She emphasized that cotton processed locally, such as from the Tom Adaba Legacy Foundation Farms in Gwagwalada and Osara, can contribute significantly to national and continental development.

Mrs Oyiza Adaba-Okereke maintained that the Center remains committed to training more youths, particularly young girls, equipping them with both cultural knowledge and economic empowerment through weaving.

She was visibly moved by the work being done and expressed deep admiration for the weavers’ dedication. She commended the women for leveraging their skills, even in the absence of formal education, to support their families, educate their children, and preserve a vital part of the Ebira cultural identity.

The visit culminated in a display of beautifully woven cloths, showcasing the weavers’ incredible craftsmanship. The team was deeply impressed by the quality and intricacy of the works presented.

Finally, an open forum was held, giving the women a platform to share their struggles, celebrate their wins, and brainstorm collaboratively on how to take the organisation’s vision to the next level, strategies for market value, and how to make sure that in telling our unique African story, the culture is not lost in sharing.

Vision for Global Scale & Market Impact

The ED made it clear: This is not just about the cloth. This is about telling a generational story, celebrating the resilience and brilliance of Ebira women, and positioning their work on the global cultural and commercial map.

She emphasized that the goal is to scale the Itai Cloth brand globally, not just for decorative or tourist appeal, but as a luxury heritage product that commands attention, respect, and value in international markets. These woven pieces are wearable history, textile testimonies, and economic vehicles. She spoke about attracting new markets, partnering with international brands and diaspora communities, and using the craft as a tool to reclaim and project indigenous identity with pride.

“We are not just weaving. We are building a cultural economy. We want the world to wear our story. We want our women’s legacy to be seen on runways, in boardrooms, and on global stages. This culture has been ours for decades. It’s time the world saw it, valued it, and paid for it.”

— Oyiza Adaba-Okereke (TAL Board President)

This vision goes beyond production. It encompasses:

1. Exporting products under a globally recognized Ita’i Our Cloth label

2. Building brand collaborations that center African textile heritage

3. Creating digital storytelling platforms for each weaver's narrative

4. Generating revenue that flows directly into the hands of the creators

Facility Condition & Need for Support

The current facility structure is makeshift and temporary, lacking the solid infrastructure needed for a center of this scale and vision. Despite this, the women have continued to produce excellent work, an inspiring testament to their commitment and resilience.

However, the need for a permanent, well-equipped weaving hub was evident throughout the visit.

Support and partnerships are urgently needed, to provide machinery for cotton processing and weaving, improve infrastructure, fund training programs, enhance market access, and scale production sustainably. Strategic collaborations with private sector partners, government agencies, cultural institutions, and global allies will be critical in turning this bold vision into a living, thriving reality.

Key Observations

1. The weaving center is a powerful model for economic and cultural empowerment.

2. There’s an urgent need to introduce technology to certain aspects of cloth production (especially yarn spinning) to meet growing demand and ensure sustainability.

3. A gap remains in attracting young people into the weaving trade, this presents a risk to cultural continuity.

4. The community has strong emotional and cultural ties to the craft, and preserving it will require intentional efforts across education, policy, and entrepreneurship.

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS : DRQuest/Africa-Related

T.A.L Board Head Oyiza Adaba-Okereke with Mrs. Rosemary Onubaiye Country Director for Ita'i Our Cloth/T.A.L.

T.A.L Board Head Oyiza Adaba-Okereke with T.A.L Trainees

Carrying 'The Future' - T.A.L Board Head Oyiza Adaba-Okereke.

W Great Welcome for the T.A.L Board at the weaving center in Okene, Kogi State.

Inspecting the Conditions - T.A.L Board Head Oyiza Adaba-Okereke and Staff.

Set For Production. Bales of cotton from the T.A.L Farms in Osaka an Gwagwalada.

Photographer/Videographer, DrQuest with T.A.L Board Head Oyiza Adaba-Okereke.

T.A.L Team Maurice Okereke (Words By MOE) with T.A.L Board Head Oyiza Adaba-Okereke.

Echoes of the Landfill: Turning Ghana’s Plastic Waste into Art

ECHOES OF THE LANDFILL

Art from the Margins of Environment and Economy

Curatorial Statement by Beatrice Bee Arthur

Echoes of the Landfill is not another art exhibition. It is a radical reclamation where plastic waste is reimagined as both medium and living testimony to our callous disregard for the environment. A collaborative effort by the Museum of Science and Technology (MST) and ArtfullyYours, Bee Arthur Creative Productions for World Environment Day 2025, this exhibition convenes six Ghanaian eco-conscious artists—Obed Addo, Beatrice Bee Arthur, Essilfie Banton, Andrea Ghia, and Salim—who excavate the hidden politics within discarded plastic: narratives of colonial residues, neoliberal excess, and quiet acts of African resilience.

Landfills are the unmarked graves of globalisation. Here, Accra’s streets and shorelines become archives of abandonment—water sachets like shed skin, flip-flops as fossilised footprints, toy limbs tangled with fishing nets. These are not inert objects but silent accusers, materialising the violence of an economy that treats both people and land as disposable.

The artists in this exhibition do not recycle—they resurrect trash. Through sculpture, installation, painting, poetry, and photography, they force plastic to confess: as a relic of extractivism, a marker of climate injustice, and paradoxically, a medium for African futurity. Indigenous philosophies of circularity collide with the toxic immortality of synthetic materials, asking: What does it mean to "dispose" when there is no "away?"

Without institutional funding, this project embodies its own thesis: resourcefulness as resistance. The artists’ grassroots mobilisation mirrors the informal economies that already transform waste into worth across Africa. Echoes of the Landfill is thus both mirror and megaphone—refusing the neoliberal spectacle of sustainability to center community-led epistemologies.

This is NOT an exhibition about waste. It is an intervention in time. A demand to rewrite the lexicon of value: that a bag is not "single-use" but a generational artifact; that those who scavenge are archivists of the Anthropocene.

ARTISTS

Obed Addo

"My work is about dignity—finding it in discarded things, and in ourselves."

Beatrice Bee Arthur

"This exhibition is the toxic truth where plastics and capitalists lie."

Salim

"When I sculpt from trash, I think of ancestors. Would they forgive us?"

Andrea Ghia

"In painting about plastic pollution, I am confronting the ability of permanence to outlive memory."

Essilfie Banton

"Each artwork I make is a conversation with discarded materials. I want the viewer to see the soul of what we discard."

Nii Noi Candos

---“We are not just picking up plastic—we are picking up the pieces of a broken system. Every salvaged fragment is a challenge to the world that discarded it.”

Data Point: Ghana generates 1.1 million tons of plastic waste annually—less than 2% is recycled.

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The Hidden Stories Behind Old Nsukka Photographs with Chijoke Onuora

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Discover the Hidden Stories Behind Old Photographs with Prof. Chijioke Onuora, a professor of drawing and sculpture in the Fine and Industrial Arts Department, speaking on his father Mr. Joshua Chukwuemeka Onuora - the unofficial UNN photographer in the 60s and 70s.

Prof. Chijioke Onuora, a Professor of drawings and sculptor and from the Fine and Applied Arts Department.

32nd New York African Film Festival Launches in May

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER AND AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCE THE COMPLETE LINEUP FOR
THE 32ND NEW YORK AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL, MAY 7–13

Opening Night selection is the New York premiere of

Afolabi Olalekan’s feature debut, Freedom Way

Inheritance, Mweze, Black Tea, Freedom Way, and Everybody Loves Touda

New York, NY (April 9, 2025) — Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) and African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF) will partner to present the 32nd edition of the New York African Film Festival (NYAFF). NYAFF features more than 30 contemporary and classic films from Africa and its diaspora screening at FLC May 7 through May 13, with 100 films in total as the festival continues at other esteemed New York City cultural venues throughout the month of May, with many filmmakers in attendance for post-screening Q&As. Since its inception in 1993, the festival has been at the forefront of showcasing African and diaspora filmmakers’ unique storytelling through the moving image.

This year’s theme, “Fluid Horizons: A Shifting Lens on a Hopeful World,” honors the resilience of African youth and the forebearers who paved the way for them. As cinema was an integral part of the African continent’s struggle for independence and the triumph of its liberation, this edition of the festival celebrates the African youth who have turned to their cameras to document their experiences and the influence of those who came before them. With a multitude of genres ranging from comedies to experimental films, the 32nd New York African Film Festival offers a multidimensional take on African culture, history, and cinema.

“In a world of uncertainty, the 32nd New York African Film Festival presents a vision of the future through the eyes of Africa’s youth—bold, determined, and endlessly creative. As the youngest and fastest-growing continent, Africa is brimming with stories that demand to be told, not just as reflections of today’s challenges but as blueprints for a future shaped by resilience and possibility,” said Mahen Bonetti, NYAFF founder and AFF executive director. “This year’s festival is a testament to the power of cinema to inspire, provoke, and remind us that hope is always in motion.”

The Opening Night selection is the New York premiere of Afolabi Olalekan’s feature debut, Freedom Way, a powerful tale of the limitless drive of Nigerian youth, which follows the lives of nine individuals set on a collision course in a fast-paced, electric thriller shot on location in Lagos. The Centerpiece film is Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine’s Memories of Love Returned, an intimate, nuanced documentary about the transformative power of photography, executive produced by Steven Soderbergh and named best documentary at the Africa International Film Festival. Closing Night will feature the shorts program “In the Arms of the Mother,” which spotlights films by or about African women from all walks of life, including the world premiere of Kounkou Hoveyda’s We Will Be Who We Are; the North American premieres of Dika Ofoma’s God’s Wife and Anil Padia and Michael Mwangi Maina’s Temple Road; the U.S. premiere of Zoé Cauwet’s Le Grand Calao; the New York premiere of Mariame N’diaye’s Sira; and Kagure N. Kabue’s Iron Fist.

This year’s NYAFF will also spotlight the Democratic Republic of the Congo through the works of veteran and emerging Congolese filmmakers such as Mwezé Ngangura, Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda, Nelson Makengo, David-Pierre Fila, Sammy Baloji, and Xavier Mwamba. Their films include the U.S. premiere of Baloji’s The Tree of Authenticity, a gripping documentary recounting the ecological destruction that began at the time of colonization through the voices of two emblematic scientists.

The festival will also host the North American premiere of Furu by Fatou Cissé, the daughter of legendary filmmaker Souleymane Cissé, which explores the impact of forced marriage on young women in Mali. Two additional features making their U.S. debuts include Awam Amkpa’s The Man Died, based on the harrowing prison memoir by Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka; and Ndar, Saga Waalo, Ousmane William Mbaye’s powerful documentary about Saint-Louis, Senegal, the port of colonial penetration into West Africa.

Special programs include a free panel presented by AFF and OkayAfrica on May 10 entitled “From Then to Now: Celebrating 15 Years of African Cinema,” featuring a discussion with four acclaimed filmmakers from this year’s festival and offering a rare opportunity to reflect on the creative shifts and enduring themes shaping African cinema today. Two free art exhibits running May 8–13 in the Amphitheater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center include “Congo RE-Vue: A Fresh Perspective by Emerging Congolese Talent,” a dynamic digital photo exhibition dedicated to highlighting the vibrant talent of the next generation of Congolese artists; and Bereket Adamu’s “All Night We Waited for Morning, All Morning We Waited for Night,” a welded steel light sculpture and animated video that reflects on African resistance, migration, and global interconnectedness.

Tickets go on sale Thursday, April 10, at 2pm ET, with an early access period for FLC Members starting Thursday, April 10, at noon. Ticket prices are $17 for the general public; $14 for students, seniors, and persons with disabilities; and $12 for FLC Members. See more and save with a 3+ Film Package ($15 for general public; $12 for students, seniors (62+), and persons with disabilities; and $10 for FLC Members), the $99 All-Access Pass, or the $79 Student All-Access Pass. Contact info@africanfilmny.org for information about attending the Opening Night Party.

The festival continues at Maysles Documentary Center in Harlem from April 15 to 18 and at Brooklyn Academy of Music under the name FilmAfrica from May 23 to May 29 during DanceAfrica, and culminates with an outdoor screening at St. Nicholas Park on May 31.

The programs of AFF are made possible by the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts,  Bradley Family Foundation, Color Congress, NYC & Company, The New York Community Trust, French Cultural Services, Manhattan Portage, Organization de la Francophonie, Essentia Water, Ministre du Tourisme République démocratique du Congo, ZOPMEDIA, South African Consulate General, National Film and Video Foundation, and Motion Picture Enterprises.

FILMS & DESCRIPTIONS
The Opening Night premiere of Freedom Way on May 7 will take place at

the Walter Reade Theater (165 W. 65th Street).

All other films will screen at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center (144 W. 65th Street).

Opening Night

Freedom Way

Afolabi Olalekan, 2024, Nigeria, 83m

New York Premiere

Faced with unfavorable laws and incessant police harassment, three young co-founders struggle to keep their start-up alive. A motorcyclist faces dark times with his family after losing his livelihood. A doctor struggles with his conscience on the job while battling outdated government policies. A police pair find themselves on different sides of the law with a difficult choice to make. The lives of nine individuals are set on a collision course in Afolabi Olalekan’s feature debut, a fast-paced, electric thriller shot on location in Lagos.

Wednesday, May 7 at 6:30pm – Q&A with Afolabi Olalekan

Thursday, May 8 at 4:00pm

Centerpiece

Memories of Love Returned

Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, 2024, Uganda/U.S., 76m

Luganda and English with English subtitles

New York Premiere

On April 24, 2002, filmmaker Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine’s car broke down in the small town of Mbirizi, Uganda. While waiting for it to be repaired he stumbled upon a small photo studio and met photographer Kibaate Aloysius Ssalongo, whose work spanned from the late 1950s to his death in 2006. This chance encounter turned into a 22-year journey documenting and exploring Kibaate’s life and photography and the profound impact it had on Ntare’s life and the lives of the entire community he documented. Executive produced by Steven Soderbergh, this intimate, nuanced documentary about the transformative power of photography was named best documentary at the Africa International Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the Pan African Film Festival. 

Saturday, May 10 at 6:30pm – Q&A with Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine

Closing Night

Shorts Program 4: In the Arms of the Mother

110m

This program of short films by and/or about African women includes Mariame N’diaye’s Sira, Anil Padia and Michael Mwangi Maina’s Temple Road, Dika Ofoma’s God’s Wife, Kagure N. Kabue’s Iron Fist, Zoé Cauwet’s Le Grand Calao, and Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda’s We Will Be Who We Are.

Tuesday, May 13 at 8:30pm

Sira

Mariame N’diaye, 2023, France, 24m

Soninké and French with English subtitles

New York Premiere

To stay with her daughter and her husband, a young Malian woman living in France in the 1980s has to abide by one condition.

Temple Road

Anil Padia, Michael Mwangi Maina, 2024, France/Kenya, 13m

Swahili with English subtitles

North American Premiere

Inspired by childhood experiences of women-only ceremonies and family Polaroids from the 1950s to the 1970s, Temple Road recreates the spiritual and ritualistic preparation of a woman. Weaving a dreamlike narrative, it blends rituals from Kenyan Indian heritage with diverse Kenyan cultures, reflected in a multicultural cast and interwoven ceremonies. Emphasizing the reverence women deserve as the pillars of society, the film is both a tribute to the past and a call to recognize women as bearers of culture, tradition, and life amidst rising violence against women in Kenya.

God’s Wife

Dika Ofoma, 2024, Nigeria, 15m

Igbo with English subtitles

North American Premiere

A young widow is propositioned by her late husband’s brother. When she refuses his advances, he threatens to have her ousted from her husband’s home, and she has to reconcile her personal convictions and Catholic beliefs with her in-laws’ demands.

Iron Fist

Kagure N. Kabue, 2024, Kenya, 15m

Swahili with English subtitles

In Nairobi’s bustling streets, hardworking mother Wangari, haunted by trauma, discovers empowerment in a local boxing gym. Her unexpected journey sparks a transformative rebirth, fostering resilience and a thriving spirit amid life’s fiercest battles.

Le Grand Calao

Zoé Cauwet, 2024, France/Burkina Faso, 27m

Mooré and French with English subtitles

U.S. Premiere

It’s a hot day, as it often is in Ouagadougou. It’s also a very special day for a group of women taking a long-awaited getaway, a moment of discovery, and a break from the hustle and bustle of the world and their lives. A few tourists are there too, a wealthy family from Burkina Faso is lounging around, and a few soldiers are watching over the place. It’s a small world that moves slowly around the Grand Calao’s swimming pool. Until sunset, the women spend a moment out of time, talking about their lives and their problems, while exploring the new sensation of their bodies in the calm blue water.

We Will Be Who We Are

Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda, 2024, Sierra Leone, 16m

World Premiere

In Sierra Leone, best friends Aya and Boi decide to marry each other in an attempt to escape society’s pressures to conform.

Black Tea

Abderrahmane Sissako, 2024, Mauritania/Luxembourg/Taiwan/Côte d'Ivoire, 111m

New York Premiere

Mandarin, French, English, and Portuguese with English subtitles

After saying no on her wedding day, Aya leaves the Ivory Coast for a new life in the buzzing “Chocolate City” of Guangzhou, China. In this district where the African diaspora meets Chinese culture, she gets hired in a tea boutique owned by Cai, a Chinese man. In the secrecy of the back shop, Cai decides to initiate Aya to the tea ceremony. Through the teaching of this ancient art, their relationship slowly turns into tender love. But for their burgeoning passion to lead to mutual trust, they must let go of their burdens and face their past.

Thursday, May 8 at 6:30pm – Q&A with Abderrahmane Sissako and producer Kessen Tall

Tuesday, May 13 at 3:15pm

Everybody Loves Touda

Nabil Ayouch, 2024, Morocco/France/Belgium/Denmark/Netherlands, 101m

Arabic with English subtitles

New York Premiere

Irrepressible Touda dreams of only one thing—being a Sheikha, a respected traditional Moroccan performer. Empowered by the songs of resistance and emancipation of the fierce female poets who came before her, she takes the stage every evening in provincial bars. Tired of performing under the lustful gaze of men, Touda sets her sights on leaving her small village for the bright lights of Casablanca, where she hopes to be recognized as a true artist—and secure a better future for her and her son. The latest from award-winning director Nabil Ayouch (Casablanca Beats, Horses of God) premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and was Morocco’s submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

Monday, May 12 at 8:30pm

The Fisherman

Zoey Martinson, 2024, Ghana, 105m

New York Premiere

Atta Oko has spent his life as a proud traditional fisherman in rural Ghana. When he is suddenly forced into retirement his life takes a whimsical turn as he is partnered with a modern, bougie talking fish. As fishy chaos ensues, Atta and his three quirky “associates” navigate the vibrant streets of Accra, chasing their shared dream of owning a fishing boat. Filled with laughter, magic, and the rich culture of Ghana, The Fisherman is a heartwarming tale of family, resilience, and the enduring spirit of a true fisherman.

Sunday, May 11 at 1:00pm – Q&A with Zoey Martinson

Furu

Fatou Cissé, 2024, Mali, 67m

Bambara with English subtitles

North American Premiere

This powerful social drama from director Fatou Cissé, daughter of legendary Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé, explores the impact of forced marriage on young women in Mali. The film follows Tou, who is pressured to marry an older man after becoming pregnant, and Ami, who resists village pressure to wed in favor of her independence. Through these parallel stories, Furu examines the complex and often painful choices young women face when their futures are shaped by tradition rather than personal agency. The film confronts the enduring practice of forced marriage and its psychological consequences, offering a poignant and urgent reflection on gender, autonomy, and resistance within a patriarchal society. Preceded by a clip from Cissé’s 2022 documentary A Daughter’s Tribute to Her Father, an intimate portrayal of the life and career of Souleymane Cissé.

Friday, May 9 at 6:00pm – Q&A with Fatou Cissé

Identity Pieces / Pièces d’identités

Mwezé Ngangura, 1998, Democratic Republic of the Congo/Belgium, 97m

Lingala, Kingwana, Kikongo, Tshiluba, French, English, and Dutch with English subtitles

In Mwezé Ngangura’s modern comic fairy tale, Mani Kongo, King of the Bakongo, embarks on a trip to Belgium to find his beloved daughter, Mwana, whom he has lost touch with. Dignified and outfitted in full regalia, the African king walks into a society that neither respects his title nor values his humanity. On arriving in Belgium, he has to cope with the very best and the very worst of the Black diaspora, as well as with prejudices rampant in European society, and finds good friends amongst the poor, lower-class whites—showing that nothing is ever black or white.

Saturday, May 10 at 3:45pm

Juju Factory

Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda, 2006, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 97m

French with English subtitles

Kongo lives in the Matonge district of Brussels, where he is writing a book. His editor wants a kind of traveler’s book spiced with ethnic ingredients. However, Kongo is inspired by his vision of complex and tormented souls that he meets at all proverbial and literal crossings. His story, and Juju Factory’s narrative, follow invisible trajectories intertwined with Congolese history and Belgium’s ghosts.

Sunday, May 11 at 8:45pm – Q&A with Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda

The Man Died

Awam Amkpa, 2024, Nigeria, 105m

U.S. Premiere

Based on the harrowing prison memoir by Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, The Man Died is a powerful tale of resistance, courage, and the unyielding human spirit. Set against the backdrop of Nigeria’s civil war, the film chronicles Soyinka’s imprisonment without trial by a brutal military regime determined to silence his voice. Through solitary confinement, torture, and deprivation, Soyinka’s resolve to fight against tyranny and injustice only grows stronger. Interwoven with flashbacks to his earlier life as a writer and activist, the film reveals the profound inner strength and unbreakable spirit that drive Soyinka’s resistance. As he documents his experiences on scraps of paper smuggled out of his cell, his writings become a beacon of hope and a call to action for others living under oppression. The Man Died is not just a personal story but a universal testament to the enduring power of truth and the necessity of standing up against tyranny. It is a poignant reminder that in the face of oppression, silence is not an option, and the human spirit can never truly be extinguished.

Tuesday, May 13 at 6:00pm – Q&A with Awam Amkpa

Mweze

David-Pierre Fila, 2020, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 80m

French and Lingala with English subtitles

David-Pierre Fila’s documentary on Mwezé Ngangura—the visionary Congolese director of Kin Kiesse; Life Is Beautiful; Changa Changa; The King, the Cow and the Banana Tree; Pieces d’identités; and The Governor’s New Clothes—unfolds as a meditation on history, politics, cinema, image, and time. Shot in Kinshasa, Ouagadougou, and Brussels, it is not a biography but an introspective exploration of Mwezé’s life today in Belgium, where he has settled with his family. What emerges is a self-portrait conceived by Mwezé himself, a collage of images layered with sound impressions. From the very first frames, the film presents itself with an understated elegance and subtle charms, its subject less concerned with intellectual discourse and more with stirring the heart.

Saturday, May 10 at 1:30pm

Ndar, Saga Waalo

Ousmane William Mbaye, 2024, Senegal, 91m

French and Wolof with English subtitles

U.S. Premiere

Ndar, the original name of Saint-Louis, an island at the mouth of the Senegal River in the former Waalo kingdom, was the port of colonial penetration into West Africa four centuries ago. An economic, cultural, and political crossroads, it served as a laboratory for the “civilizing mission.” Commerce, town planning, education, and mixed heritage were the instruments for French colonists to assimilate populations, establish themselves in the country, and exploit the wealth. While some cannot deny history and have kept their Saint-Louisian way of living intact, others want to put an end to the colonial heritage. For many young people today, it is time to think about history differently. Yet everyone has managed to preserve their keen sense of living well together.

Sunday, May 11 at 6:30pm – Q&A with Ousmane William Mbaye and producer Laurence Attali

Rising Up at Night / Tongo Saa

Nelson Makengo, 2024, Democratic Republic of the Congo/Belgium/Germany/Burkina Faso/Qatar, 96m

Lingala with English subtitles

As the Congo constructs Africa’s largest power station, Kinshasa and its inhabitants are trapped in literal darkness, waiting and struggling to get access to electric light while also dealing with extensive flooding and preparing to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. Nelson Makengo’s first feature documentary, which premiered at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival Panorama, is a vivid portrait of Kinshasa’s residents—their hopes, disappointments, religious faith, and resilience. Makengo’s subtle, fragmented storytelling captures a population reinventing itself while immersed in the beauty of Kinshasa’s nights.

Preceded by

Profiling

Zaza Mon Amour, 2025, France, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 15m

French with English subtitles

World Premiere

In Marseille, a city of rich cultural diversity that still carries the deep scars of segregation, three childhood friends reunite after years apart, but what begins as a joyful gathering takes a tragic turn due to racial profiling. 

Friday, May 9 at 8:30pm

The Tree of Authenticity / L’Arbre de l’Authenticité

Sammy Baloji, 2025, Belgium/Democratic Republic of the Congo, 89m

French and Dutch with English subtitles

U.S. Premiere

Nestled in Africa’s largest rainforest lies one of the many gravesites of the West’s efforts to control nations and nature—one of the world’s largest tropical agricultural research centers. Located on the banks of the Congo River, the Yangambi INERA Research Station was a booming scientific center in its heyday, but today, it is an amalgam of jungle and ruin. Sammy Baloji’s gripping documentary The Tree of Authenticity recounts the stigma of ecological destruction that began at the time of colonization through the voices of two emblematic scientists who worked at Yangambi between 1910 and 1950, Paul Panda Farnana and Abiron Beirnaert. Their stories embody the legacies of colonial modernity and trace the origins of today’s environmental injustice.

Preceded by

The Planet of Water

Leonardo Gámez Gil, 2024, Mexico, 3m

Spanish with English subtitles

New York Premiere

In the near future, humanity—obsessed with saving water while destroying its own planet—faces a devastating environmental crisis. Humans begin to explore space in search of water, and in their absence, the Earth regenerates itself.

La Serpiente de Shelmeca

Laura Bermúdez, 2023, Honduras, 3m

Miskitu and Spanish with English subtitles

New York Premiere

The second most important rainforest in the Americas hides an archaeological secret of an ancient indigenous population, known today as Ciudad Blanca. Wildres Wood, the first biologist from the Miskitu ethnic group, embarks on a journey to the heart of the jungle to protect Honduras’ most important treasure for the world.

Monday, May 12 at 6:00pm

 New York African Film Festival Shorts Programs

 Shorts Program 1: Notions of Home

102m

This program of diaspora short films from around the globe includes Ahmed Samir’s Grandma, Hans Augustave’s Nwa (Black), Adesola Thomas’s Sister Salad Days, Devin Powell’s Where Are You From?, Shawn Antoine II’s Green Bay, Rhys Aaron Lewis’s Run Like We, and Francis Y. Brown’s Blinded by the Lights.

Thursday, May 8 at 9:15pm – Q&A with Shawn Antoine II, Hans Augustave, Daty Kaba, and Ahmed Samir

Friday, May 9 at 3:00pm

Grandma

Ahmed Samir, 2024, Egypt, 23m

Arabic with English subtitles

North American Premiere

While living in isolation, Mona and her young son await the birth of a new baby while still carrying the weight of the grandma’s recent death. When her son begins listening to her pregnant belly, convinced his grandmother’s spirit exists inside and wants to return, Mona is unsettled by his quiet certainty. As she struggles to comfort him, she confronts her own fears of failing as a mother, of being unable to fill the absence left behind, and of opening herself to the unknown. With each passing moment, the fragile balance between grief and hope threatens to collapse, forcing her to face the life growing inside her and the love she’s afraid she can’t give.

Nwa (Black)

Hans Augustave, 2024, U.S., 20m

English, French, and Haitian with English subtitles

Nwa is a candid, emotional coming-of-age film about Frantz, a first-generation Haitian-American boy, torn by the decision to get the haircut he knows his strict immigrant father would approve of, or a trendy cut connecting him to the Black American culture he’s been warned by his father not to embrace.

Sister Salad Days

Adesola Thomas, 2024, U.S., 18m

When an asexual double dutcher’s religious father forces her to get married, she enlists her friends and fiancé to stop the wedding and free her older sister whose soul is trapped on their father’s land.

Where Are You From?

Devin Powell, 2025, U.S., 13m

World Premiere

While Sherif, a 14-year-old Senegalese adolescent student in the U.S., watches international cinema, George, his 11-year-old American host, disrupts his bouts of escapism. Both characters have an issue: Sherif misses home and George has nothing to do. They solve this problem by watching movies together, but George can’t keep quiet.

Green Bay

Shawn Antoine II, U.S., 2024, 2m

World Premiere

On a green-skied shore, a woman’s dance becomes a sacred ritual that summons an extraterrestrial being.

Run Like We

Rhys Aaron Lewis, 2024, U.K., 13m

New York Premiere

It’s the 2012 London Olympics and the whole world is going crazy for the fastest man on the planet: Usain Bolt. Everyone apart from Alvin, an awkward 14-year-old who hates sports and constantly disappoints his Jamaican father, Lester, an ex-athlete who can’t understand why his son is “so soft.” So when Alvin is unexpectedly nominated to represent his class in the upcoming school sports day, it could be his last chance to make his dad proud and prove that he can be just like Bolt.

Blinded by the Lights

Francis Y. Brown, 2025, Ghana, 13m

World Premiere

A powerful and visually striking allegory, Blinded by the Lights explores the insatiable greed of the African leader and the devastating cost of betrayal. Set against the backdrop of a nation trapped in the cycle of neocolonialism, the film unpacks the illusions of power, the corruption that festers behind closed doors, and the silent suffering of a people forgotten by those meant to lead them. With bold symbolism and a haunting narrative, Blinded by the Lights is a chilling reflection on leadership, legacy, and the price of selling one’s soul for power.

 Shorts Program 2: Mzansi Moments

101m

This collection of short films from South Africa includes Ntokozo Mlaba’s The Passage, Michelle Name and Onke Meje’s Intsikelelo Yamanzi, Nduduzo Shandu’s Gogo, Phumi Morare’s Why the Cattle Wait, Hachimiya Ahamada’s Zanatany, When Soulless Shrouds Whisper, Kgomotso Sekhu’s Shap Shap, and Zoe Ramushu’s Damsel, Not in Distress.

Saturday, May 10 at 8:45pm

The Passage

Ntokozo Mlaba, 2024, South Africa, 12m

Southern Sotho and Zulu with English subtitles

North American Premiere

When Mrembula learns that Dakalo has opened a case of rape against him, he blackmails Bafana, his best friend and Dakalo’s boyfriend, into fabricating a story. Bafana tries to resist but realizes that with his hopes of making it out of the hood, it would be better to go with Mrembula’s story than to end up living his days in a jail cell. Mrembula thus sits Bafana down as they recreate the recollections of the events that unfolded on that fateful night in

the passage.

Intsikelelo Yamanzi

Michelle Name, Onke Meje, 2024, South Africa, 8m

English and Xhosa with English subtitles

North American Premiere

When Cape Town encounters an extreme stretch without water, things get desperate. Perhaps it’s a little boy who returns us to our humanity.

Gogo

Nduduzo Shandu, 2024, South Africa, 13m

Zulu with English subtitles

Introduced to storytelling at a young age from her own grandmother, Nduduzo Shandu crafted a story of a lifetime bond between a grandmother and her grandson.

Why the Cattle Wait

Phumi Morare, 2024, South Africa, 20m

Xhosa with English subtitles

New York Premiere

A folklore love story about a Nguni goddess who must find and convince her former mortal lover to return to the eternal world with her, before she destroys the earth.

Zanatany, When Soulless Shrouds Whisper

Hachimiya Ahamada, 2024, Belgium/Madagascar, 27m

Malagasy with English subtitles

New York Premiere

Majunga, Madagascar, December 1976. A wind of revolt sweeps through the city. Ali, a second-in-command in a bookbinding workshop, is raising his two daughters alone. One morning, before going to work, he witnesses what seems to be a simple neighborhood quarrel….

Shap Shap

Kgomotso Sekhu, 2024, South Africa, 10m

English and Tswana with English subtitles

U.S. Premiere

After surviving multiple attempts on his life in a dangerous village, 13-year-old Mmusi sets out to find his father in the township but is taken in by a strict Jehovah’s Witness. Homeless and judged by society, he struggles to survive in a harsh and unforgiving world. On his journey to reunite with his mother in Johannesburg, Mmusi faces discrimination but discovers hope and strength through unexpected friendships. Just as his life begins to improve, he receives a scholarship to go to the United States, but without a fixed address, his future remains uncertain.

Damsel, Not in Distress

Zoe Ramushu, 2025, South Africa, 11m

Aluta​​ infiltrates a crew of party girls who are hustling Johannesburg’s rich and powerful using charm and deception, but what the crew doesn’t know is Aluta is on a secret mission to find her missing sister. But when a job goes wrong, she’s betrayed and needs to stay one step ahead, or she’ll be the next target.

Shorts Program 3: Centennial Legacies

119m

Marking a century of history, culture, and resistance, this short film program honoring the visionaries and movements that shaped the past and continue to inspire the future includes Lou de Lemos’s The Legend of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, Paulin Soumanou Vieyra’s It Was Four Years Ago, Paulin Soumanou Vieyra’s Ousmane Sembène: The Making of Ceddo, Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda’s The Draughtsmen Clash, and Lebert Bethune’s Malcolm X: Struggle for Freedom.

Sunday, May 11 at 3:30pm – Q&A with Leburt Bethune, Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda, and cultural historian Danielle Brito

Monday, May 12 at 3:00pm

The Legend of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg

Lou de Lemos, Puerto Rico/U.S., 1986, 25m

Spanish with English subtitles

This biography tells the story of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, a Puerto Rican of African descent who dedicated his life to studying African history and collecting Black-related materials from the Americas, the Caribbean, and Africa. His collection forms the core of the collection found today at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research center of the New York Public Library.

It Was Four Years Ago / C’était Il y a Quatre Ans

Paulin Soumanou Vieyra, 1954, France, Senegal, 9m

French with English subtitles

An African student at his desk hears a song from his homeland on the radio. He feels transported back several years to the time when he was preparing to leave for France. He sketches a few dance steps. Meanwhile, his French girlfriend arrives to continue his classical music education. Listening to the first classical record, his mind wanders back to Africa.

Ousmane Sembène: The Making of Ceddo / L’envers du Décor

Paulin Soumanou Vieyra, Senegal, 1981, 25m

Wolof and French with English subtitles

Paulin Soumanou Vieyra captures Ousmane Sembène, one of the greatest African filmmakers, during the filming of Ceddo. The Making of Ceddo was completed after four years of production, while Ceddo itself was censored by the Senegalese authorities under the Senghor regime until 1983.

The Draughtsmen Clash / Le Damier

Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda, 1996, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 40m

French with English subtitles        

The Draughtsmen Clash tells the story of the president of a fictitious African nation who spends a sleepless night playing checkers with a pot-smoking vagabond who claims to be the all-round champion. However, the rules of the game entail the opponents howling vulgar and foul obscenities at one another. The champion proceeds to insult, and trounce, the president. His reward, and his fate, will not surprise anyone.

Malcolm X: Struggle for Freedom

Lebert Bethune, France, 1964, 20m

Bethune’s film portrays Malcolm X at a time when his views were evolving to include what was going on in the world at large. It features interviews filmed during Malcolm X’s trip to Europe and

Africa shortly before his assassination in the United States, interspersed with scenes of African rebellion.

Special Programs

 Art Exhibition: “All Night We Waited for Morning, All Morning We Waited for Night” by Bereket Adamu

“All Night We Waited for Morning, All Morning We Waited for Night” is a welded steel light sculpture and animated video that reflects on African resistance, migration, and global interconnectedness. Constructed from steel, cotton, hide skin glue, ink, paint, and a lightbulb, the piece combines material and conceptual tension, with light and movement obscuring as much as they reveal. Depicting winged African figures, it explores themes of environmental disruption, self-agency, and intergenerational relationships that transcend borders. The work’s shifting figures and forms resist fixed meaning, creating a narrative suspended between presence and absence, illuminated and obscured.

The accompanying animation extends this instability, allowing figures to dissolve and reform as the object is made and un- made, while the illuminated steel structure flickers between clarity and obscurity, revealing only partial truths. Through its dynamic interplay of sculpture and animation, the piece moves beyond monumentality, capturing a fluidity of political, environmental, and personal change in an ongoing, layered rhythm that defies stand still interpretation.
Thursday, May 8 – Tuesday, May 13 – FREE
Amphitheater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center

Congo RE-Vue: A Fresh Perspective by Emerging Congolese Talent

Congo RE-Vue is a dynamic digital photo exhibition dedicated to highlighting the vibrant talent of the next generation of Congolese artists. This project focuses on young Congolese photographers who, with fresh eyes and a forward-thinking approach, are redefining how their country is viewed both within its borders and beyond. Their vision is one of progress, creativity, and optimism. At the heart of Congo RE-Vue is a dedication to contemporary Congolese culture, seen through the lens of photographers (with future editions to include filmmakers) who are reshaping the narrative of their country.

Curated by Cecilia Zoppelletto and produced by ZOPMEDIA in collaboration with ZEKE and Preston Witman Productions, Congo RE-Vue is an exploration of the artistic innovation coming out of Congo today, crafted with care and pride. This is more than just a photo exhibition—it is a movement, a statement, and an invitation to experience Congo through the eyes of its next generation.

The works featured in Congo RE-Vue are a testament to the immense talent of Congo’s young photography generation. From intimate portraits to bold social commentary, each artist brings their own unique perspective, offering a fresh lens through which to see the beauty, challenges, and triumphs of Congo. This first edition includes the works of Christelle Emulu, Arsène Mpiana, Hardy Bope, Henock Diba, Luther Lupeta, Antalya Mbafumoya, and Fortune Lula.

Thursday, May 8 – Tuesday, May 13 – FREE

Amphitheater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center

From Then to Now: Celebrating 15 Years of African Cinema — Presented by AFF & OkayAfrica
The African Film Festival (AFF) and OkayAfrica present From Then to Now: Celebrating 15 Years of African Cinema—a thoughtful exploration of the evolving landscape of African film. Bringing together four acclaimed filmmakers featured in this year’s festival, this panel offers a rare opportunity to reflect on the creative shifts and enduring themes shaping African cinema today. Panelists include Abderrahmane Sissako (Black Tea), Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda (Juju Factory), Afolabi Olalekan (Opening Night film Freedom Way), and Fatou Cissé (Furu), who also honors the profound legacy of her father, the late Souleymane Cissé. Together, they trace the threads of continuity and change across a decade and a half of cinematic storytelling, offering insight into the present moment and the future of the art form.
Saturday, May 10 at 11:30am – FREE
Amphitheater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER
Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) is a nonprofit organization that celebrates cinema as an essential art form and fosters a vibrant home for film culture to thrive. FLC presents premier film festivals, retrospectives, new releases, and restorations year-round in state-of-the-art theaters at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. FLC offers audiences the opportunity to discover works from established and emerging directors from around the world with a passionate community of film lovers at marquee events including the New York Film Festival and New Directors/New Films. 

Founded in 1969, FLC is committed to preserving the excitement of the theatrical experience for all audiences, advancing high-quality film journalism through the publication of Film Comment, cultivating the next generation of film industry professionals through our FLC Academies, and enriching the lives of all who engage with our programs.

Rolex is the Official Partner and Exclusive Timepiece of Film at Lincoln Center.

Film at Lincoln Center receives generous, year-round support from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. For more information, visit filmlinc.org and follow @filmlinc on X, Instagram, and Bluesky.

AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL, INC.
Since 1990, African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF) has bridged the divide between postcolonial Africa and the American public through the powerful medium of film and video. AFF's unique place in the international arts community is distinguished not only by leadership in festival management, but also by a comprehensive approach to the advocacy of African film and culture. AFF established the New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) in 1993 with Film at Lincoln Center. The New York African Film Festival is presented annually by the African Film Festival, Inc. and Film at Lincoln Center, in association with Brooklyn Academy of Music and Maysles Cinema. AFF also produces a series of local, national, and international programs throughout the year. More information about AFF can be found on the Web at www.africanfilmny.org. You can follow AFF at @africanfilmfest on X and Instagram.

For press inquiries regarding Film at Lincoln Center, please contact:

John Kwiatkowski, Film at Lincoln Center, JKwiatkowski@filmlinc.org

Eva Tooley, Film at Lincoln Center, ETooley@filmlinc.org

For press inquiries regarding African Film Festival, Inc., please contact:

Cheryl Duncan, Cheryl Duncan & Company Inc., cheryl@cdcprnews.com

Prince Alban Gogo Anyanwu: Renowned Sculptor, Educator and Administrator (1934 - 2023)

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Prince Alban Gogo Anyanwu (1934 - 2023) Renowned Sculptor, Educator and Administrator

Prince Gogo studied Fine Arts at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1961-1962) and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1962-1965) becoming one of the two pioneer graduates of sculpture at the University of Nigeria. He was a seasoned, mature, experienced professional artist and teacher especially in Creative Arts. He was deliberate in all his endeavours, manifesting unusual talent and skills.  

As a fulfilled educator with deep knowledge in all subjects, Prince Gogo taught in primary, secondary, teacher-training, and tertiary institutions as Headmaster, Principal of Colleges, Lecturer (the pioneer sculpture lecturer in the Institute of Management and Technology, IMT – Enugu, 1972-1976) before joining the Imo State Government after its creation in 1976. He was a Chief Inspector of Education for Creative Arts, Director of State Archives, and the pioneer Director of the Council for Arts and Culture, a role that created the opportunity for him to direct creative arts and culture in the old Imo State.

In his late 70s, driven by passion for quality education, Prince Gogo started a series of penetrating orientation lectures titled – ‘Revolution in Education through the Creative Arts’. The lectures were delivered to secondary schools in Imo State, Nigeria. Those lectures were documented in 3 Creative Art books which he authored and published. The books were presented to the public in 2014 during his 80th birthday celebration.

In 1981, Prince Gogo opened a big Art Studio and Gallery – known as ‘Prefab Galleries’ at Owerri, Imo State where he produced so many art works – drawings, sculptures and paintings. Since his graduation, he has executed over 200 gigantic sculpture pieces and paintings and has participated in solo and group Art Exhibitions.

 Inappropriately, Prince Gogo’s Art Studio and Gallery was demolished in a most barbaric manner in May 2010 – he lost many of his artworks (sculpture pieces and paintings) and that of his son, a graduate painter. Though in 2020, a Court Judgment was delivered in favour of Prince Gogo against the Imo State Housing Corporation (for trespassing) by a competent court of jurisdiction, the belated justice (after 10 years) cannot substitute the destroyed artworks of a renowned professional artist.

On April 2, 2023, Prince Gogo’s journey on earth ended and he returned to his Creator. To celebrate this exceptional STAR and mark one year of his passing, we immortalised him by erecting a life-size bronze bust of him mounted in front of his house in Owerri where Prefab Galleries is located. The bronze statue was produced by Dr Chile Oparaocha, a professor of sculpture at the Department of Fine Arts and Design, University of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria (attached are some of the photos of the bust).

To further immortalise this Art Legend after two years of his passing, we have launched a website in his honour – www.prefabgalleries.com, where we invite everyone to watch a 2009 interview by Africa-Related https://youtu.be/tXquu6670AU aired repeatedly in a couple of Multichoice channels and photo speak https://photos.app.goo.gl/tRTFL5h6RSnTYLcx9 showcasing his art life spanning four scores and nine.

Water is Life group exhibition of art and poetry

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Mmiri bụ Ndụ - (Water is Life) group exhibition of art and poetry commemorating the 4th International Conference on Water in Africa by *Our Water and Health Network Africa. Opens at 2 pm Wednesday, 19th March 2025, at the Institute of African Studies Museum, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and runs until Friday, 18th April 2025, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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Metrópolis - DART 2024

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DELA: The Making of El Anatsui

Directed by Oyiza Adaba

Featured on RTVE Spain's Metropolis programme. (19.00-23.35). Other notable art films showcased at Dart Barcelona were, Jeff Koons: A Private Portrait, Jean Cocteau, and Renzo Marten's "The White Cube" etc.

https://www.rtve.es/play/videos/metropolis/dart-2024/16434542/

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Ozioma Onuzulike's exceptional talent has been recognised on a global scale.

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Image: Ozioma onuzulike, Embroidered Babariga Armour for Fubara (Power Series), 2024, earthenware and stoneware clays, glazes, recycled glasses and copper wire, 145x122x5cm.

Ozioma Onuzulike's exceptional talent has been recognised on a global scale. He has been shortlisted as one of 29 Finalists representing 18 African countries for The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize (NSAAP) 2025, an annual award for contemporary artists from Africa and its diaspora sponsored by Schroders. The shortlisted artworks, including Onuzulike's, will be presented to the public in a Finalist Exhibition at Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa, from 4 February to 20 April 2025.

Onuzulike’s ceramic tapestry, titled Embroidered Babariga Armour for Fubara, is a masterpiece of intricate craftsmanship. It has been constructed from 3,189 handcrafted ceramic palm kernel shell beads woven together using copper wire to resemble a sumptuous West African elite gown called “Babariga” or “Agbada”. The clay shells were first bisque-fired, then selectively dipped into glazes before being inlaid with glass from crushed recycled bottles and re-fired to very high temperatures. His laborious studio processes made the shells resemble glass beads, historically used as tokens to buy enslaved Africans. However, beads are now considered prestige items and emblems of high social status in many regions of Africa. Created by Onuzulike at the height of the struggle for political power between the governor of the oil-rich Rivers State in Nigeria and his political godfather, this piece brings to mind both “agbada” dress (emblematic of the affluence of political figures) and the medieval plate-armour and speaks about political turmoil in Africa.

Ozioma Onuzulike is a professor of ceramic art and African art history in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is also the Director of the Institute of African Studies at the same university. He is considered a prominent voice in Africa's contemporary ceramic art practice.

To view Ozioma Onuzulike’s other works, you may follow him on Instagram @ozioma.onuzulike.

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FILM REVIEW: Unmissable Traces Of DEMAS NWOKO In Animation VAINGLORIOUS

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By Oyiza Adaba, New York

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Vainglorious Poster: Produced by STL Productionz

Vainglorious is a studio animation short, creatively conceived as a school project by two talented students of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Since its release in 2024, Producer Sebastien Abou-Chakra and Writer/Director Gabriel Oshiomati 'Mati’ Ugbodaga have garnered attention and praise, with numerous notable selections and impressive awards wins at global film festivals.

FILM REVIEW

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Vainglorious is set against the backdrop of the traditional Northern Nigerian boxing style known as "Dambe". The story revolves around the conflict between the talented Haruna, a young boxer dedicated to his craft who must confront Ayeana, a father striving to secure his daughter's future. Both men face painful struggles of identity and risking their loved ones; in a fierce battle between tradition and modernity.

Creative Techniques

The animation team skillfully leveraged body language, visual contrast, facial expressions, and evocative music to effectively and powerfully communicate the characters' exhaustion or remarkable resilience throughout the animation.

• The scene where all three characters lie facing the stars, exhausted from fighting, shows how  body language and positioning is used to depict the characters' physical and emotional fatigue after their ordeal.

• The character Idia is described as “a spirited and caring young girl whose strong will and tough nature are evident in her every action.” The young girl’s small frame contrasts her fierce spirit and shows her resilience and determination despite her stature. 

• The use of facial expressions and eye contact to convey complex emotional dynamics between the characters, is noticed in the conflict between the father and daughter, where their eyes connect. The emotional connection between the young girl and her father was a key element that heightens the overall impact of the narrative.

• The music accompanying these scenes heighten each  emotional impact and reinforce the characters' states of mind.

“We wanted the music to be perfect, because Nigeria and music is a big thing. I believe that music makes or breaks a film… We didn’t want computer generated music or anything like that. We needed somebody on that talking drum with their hands. ”

— Sebastien Abou-Chakra (Producer Vainglorious)

Vainglorious Writer/Director Gabriel Osiomati 'Mati’ Ugbodaga and Producer Sebastien Abou-Chakra (Photo by STL Productionz)

Production Team

The production took place at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and STL Productionz, and this alone points to a collaborative academic environment where students and faculty worked together to bring the project to life. The animation team included a large number of talented individuals and this diverse team of artists  brought different skills and perspectives that helped elevate the visual quality and storytelling of the animation.

The collaborative approach to the music for example, composition helped create a cohesive musical score that enhanced the emotional impact of the animation. It had additional contributions from Bemba Bangura and other key personnel like animation supervisor Selena Perez, Jonathan Cox, Alexa Morales, and Mahogany Martin as the FX animation lead.

Cultural & Personal Influences

Mati and Sabestien are both outstanding in their passion for animation and storytelling, which was shaped by their upbringing in Nigeria and family backgrounds. Sebastien is of Lebanese descent and grew up in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria. Oshiomati became interested in animation from a young age, growing up as ‘art royalty’ in Lagos and Abuja. With the "Master Builder" Demas Nwoko as a grandfather, Mati's cultural heritage and family history in Nigeria plays an important role in cultivating his creative and artistic inclinations.

Demas Nwoko at home in Idumeje Ugboko, Delta State Nigeria

Demas Nwoko's artistic influence in Vainglorious

“I always knew I wanted to do something art related. Even before I pieced together what my grandfather was, I was into animation as a child. Finding out more about my grandfather further pushed that, because it added a weight on my shoulders that I didn’t know I had. By then, I already knew I wanted to do art adjacent to my grandfather. I want to make a name for myself as well, and also still honor my grandfather (Demas Nwoko) and his work.”

— Gabriel Oshiomati Ugbodga (Writer/Director VAINGLORIOUS)

This film highlights both their creative vision and artistic skills within the animation industry.

MESSENGERS

Learn more about Vainglorious featured in Season 4 of the TV series MESSENGERS. Coming in Q1 2025. Subscribe to @africarelatedinc for notifications. 

ELMINA: The Struggle Between Suffering and Healing

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by Oyiza Adaba, New York

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The main courtyard at Elmina Castle, Ghana. Built by the Dutch in 1482. (Photo:Africa-Related)

A SPECIAL REPORT
Made possible by Meridian Creative Center, Tema

A visit to Elmina Castle, over three hours from Accra, Ghana, evokes strong feelings about our collective connection to the Transatlantic Slave Trade. As the 1992 Pan African Historical Theater Festival declared, “May we never allow such injustice again. We, the living, promise to uphold this.”

In the coastal town of Elmina, the ongoing struggle between reliving a horrific era and healing unfolds daily. Here, the remnants of a painful past clash with the hopeful emergence of transformation. Locals, guides and tourists alike navigate these intricate emotions, confronting the weight of their history while striving to cultivate a future filled with resilience and recovery. This delicate balance begins the journey toward healing that many individuals undergo.

“In everlasting memory of the anguish of our ancestors. May those who died, rest in peace. May those who return find their roots. May humanity never again, perpetuate such injustice against humanity. We, the living vow to uphold this

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— declaration: Pan African Historical Theater Festival 1992

Video by Africa-Related for #El@80

In February 2024, friends and colleagues of the globally recognized sculptor and Emeritus Professor of Art, El Anatsui, came together to celebrate his significant 80th birthday with a tour of the Elmina Slave Castle. This historical UNESCO World Heritage site is located in the picturesque town of Elmina, which lies approximately a three-hour drive from Ghana's vibrant capital, Accra.

According to Wikipedia, the castle was the very first trading post established on the Gulf of Guinea by the Portuguese back in 1482, originally called Castelo de São Jorge da Mina, but also known simply as Castelo da Mina or Mina, in what is now present-day Elmina, Ghana, which was formerly known as the Gold Coast.

Journalist/Filmmaker Oyiza Adaba at Elmina Slave Castle, Ghana (Photo by Africa-Related)

I have yet to encounter anyone who did not experience strong emotions following an Elmina tour, and this occasion was no different. Not everyone feels at ease when it comes to listening to accounts from what can only be described as a "barbaric" era, one that was paradoxically executed with The Bible in one hand and The Gun in the other, where chapels were ominously built directly above the grim chambers of torture.

Film director Katrina C. Browne thoughtfully tackles this complex subject concerning the church’s role in the Transatlantic Slave trade in her compelling film,  Repairing The Breach: The Episcopal Church and Slavery Atonement. This documentary not only examines historical injustices but also seeks a deeper understanding of the implications of these actions within the context of today’s society.

Tour guide at the infamous Door of No Return. (Africa-Related)

There is no doubt that the subject of slavery continues to be a challenging one to confront, affecting all levels of society and individuals from every race that participated. During the poignant tour, the small group, comprised of academics, artists, enthusiastic entrepreneurs, and members of the media, struggled just as deeply with the history and emotions evoked by the experience.

Slavery Theme in El Anatsui’s Works

As an artist who single-handedly redefined comtmporary sculptor, El Anatsui uses bottle caps in his jaw dropping sculptures to highlight the history of alcoholic drinks tied to the European slave trade. His earlier works in wood and ceramics, along with his bottle cap pieces, reflect themes of slavery and the effects of globalization and consumerism in Africa. Some notable titles that evoke strong imagery and deep reflection on these historical realities and contemporary issues, include: Man Resplendent Pissing Around the World (1995), They Saw Us Through Puffs of Smoke; They Made It Happen, Watched It Happen, But Now With Disheveled Hair, Wonder What Happened (1986), and The Elements Threatened Immediately Above While We Still Milled Around in a Mass of Complacency'; Rising Sea (2019). 

Man Resplendent Pissing Around the World (1995)

They Saw Us Through Puffs of Smoke (2011)

The Elements Threatened Immediately Above While We Still Milled Around in a Mass of Complacency. 

They Made it Happen, watched it happen, but now with battered bodies Wonder what happened. (El Anatsui archives)

Additional Reading:

- A History of Indigenous Slavery in Ghana from the 15th to the 19th Century by Akosua Adoma Perbi
- A Cry & the Lamentations from the Ancestors: A Chronicle from the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade: (Voices from the Captive Africans)

The various contrasts that Elmina presents to us is certainly not lost on our awareness and understanding. In its sordid history, accompanied by the distinct 'smell you never forget'‘, lies a magnificent, imposing beauty that serves to keep the memory of the past alive, thereby ensuring that history does not repeat itself ever again.

The whitewashed walls of this remarkable place hold significant historical dirt that tells a story of resilience and survival, yet Elmina has also become a hauntingly beautiful backdrop for an array of films, captivating books, and striking photo shoots. Renowned writer and historian Prof. Christopher L. Richards used Elimna as the cover of his book Cosmopolitanism and Women’s Fashion in Ghana History, Artistry and Nationalist Inspirations. He worked with the creative duo of photographer, Dean Zulich and Fashion Curator Beatrice ‘Bee’ Arthur, who recount their unique Elmina experiences on TV Series Messengers, all while diligently capturing the rich history and tapestry of Ghanaian fashion.

Cosmopolitanism and Women’s Fashion in Ghana

Photo: Dean Zulich

Cosmopolitanism and Women’s Fashion in Ghana

Model: Felivian Ayariga

Photo: Dean Zulich Model: Felivian Ayariga

#El@80 elmina tour: PHOTOS BY AFRICA-RELATED

This report was made possible by Meridian Creative Center, Tema with additional images provided by elanatsuifilm.com, elanatsui.art, #el@80, Timothy Doh, Dean Zulich, and Moses Adeyemi.

ALBUM REVIEW: Godwin Louis Compels in Psalms & Proverbs

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By Oyiza Adaba, New York

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Album Cover: Godwin Louis’ “Psalms and Proverbs”.

Our spotlight is on Godwin Louis's compelling sophomore album "Psalms and Proverbs," where we will take the time to break down its various tracks in detail. We will engage in a thoughtful discussion about the impressive organ masterpiece featured in the collection, highlighting its profound intensity and the deep thoughts his musical influences evoke throughout the listening experience.

ALBUM REVIEW

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Based on my deep and attentive listening of Godwin Louis's album "Psalms and Proverbs,” I can confidently conclude that the diverse musical influences found throughout the album, as well as the various artistic collaborations featured within it, are intricately woven into the overall theme and message that the artist is trying to convey.

1. African and Haitian influences: Several tracks prominently feature traditional African and Haitian beats, rhythms, and distinctive instrumentation. This musical choice not only reflects Godwin Louis's own roots but also highlights the album's strong connection to his rich cultural heritage and experiences, particularly through his collaborative work with artists in Togo.

2. Meditative and prayerful elements: The organ opening of “Pwoblem Yo” (track 4) serves as convincing evidence of his deep church upbringing, while other tracks such as "Psalm 121" and the various sections of "Psalm 23" offer a meditative and prayerful quality. . This suggests a pervasive spiritual and reflective theme that resonates deeply throughout the entire album. The lead single single Showers of Blessings/ Kplolanyuiade brings listeners to the church with an offering a jazzy and joyful melange of sounds inspired by hymns and other religious songs from the Caribbean and West Africa. Personally, it is reminiscent of the depth behind John Coltane’s ‘The Creator has a Masterplan’.

3. Blending of genres: The album skillfully blends a variety of genres, seamlessly incorporating elements of jazz, blues, rock, and carnival-like sounds. This rich diversity reflects the album's broad appeal and its ability to reach a wide range of listeners from different musical backgrounds, whether they are fans of jazz, gospel, Latino, African music, or world music.

4. New York influence: Tracks 11 and 12 distinctly highlight the album's connection to the vibrant New York jazz scene, thereby adding yet another significant layer of cultural influence. One cannot help but notice Godwin's upbringing in Harlem resonating prominently throughout the journey of “Psalms and Proverbs.”

Band Group photo (photo credit Blue Room Music)

The album features Louis on alto and soprano saxophone, Billy Buss on trumpet and flugelhorn, pianist Axel Tosca, organist Johnny Mercier, drummer Obed Calvaire, percussionist Markus Schwartz, bassist Hogyu Hwang and Trinidad-born trumpet star Etienne Charles.

Overall, I would assert that the diverse musical influences displayed by Godwin Louis in "Psalms and Proverbs" significantly contribute to a rich and multifaceted album that genuinely celebrates the artist's cultural heritage, spiritual journey, and impressive artistic versatility. Ultimately, this creative work serves to uplift and bless the listener in meaningful ways, as I experienced it.

About the artist

The Grammy-nominated Godwin Louis (pronounced god-win lou-ee) is a celebrated saxophonist and composer. He was born in Harlem, New York to Haitian parents and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut and in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He is a professor at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston and also teaches at the summer music camps of the Connecticut jazz nonprofit Back Country Jazz. “Psalms and Proverbs” is Louis’s follow-up to his debut “Global”, released in 2019. The album is available internationally through the Blue Room Music label

MESSENGERS S4

Discover Godwin Louis in Season 4 of our TV series MESSENGERS, arriving in early 2025. Subscribe to @africarelatedinc for updates.  

Bronx Council on the Arts Community Engagement

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by Oyiza Adaba

Event Flyer

Event

Artsist Engage - Get Together

Since its founding, BCA has been committed to offering direct services and funding to systematically underresourced and underrepresented groups - artists of color, women, veterans, and the LGBTQ+ community, among others. This legacy of sharing space, connecting, and building brought the community together on November 8, 2024

With drinks, music, light refreshments to go, the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) hosted a night of connection and reflection at their East Tremont location in the Bronx, New York.

In attendance were artists, staff, and community leaders such as Elena Martínez (Co-Artistic Director, Bronx Music Heritage Center) and Daniel Freeman (Director, Inspiration Point, and Chanelle Aponte Pearson, BCA Programs Manager, who shared experiences and community initiatives.

Photos by Africa-Related

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The South Bronx Inspires BIG TIME! Album Cover

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by Oyiza Adaba

The 2024 Album Cover: BIG TIME! Words By MOE that brought three South Bronx fixtures together.

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Three artistic figures with an intricate historical tie to the South Bronx, seemingly come together on a project targeted at celebrating a borough that is home to global talents and trends. Learn more about André Trenier, Andrew Freedman and Words by MOE.

it’s worth the read

““I have traveled all over the world painting and competing in International Art Competitions and made a lot of friends. I love to see new places, meet new people, and learn new things. Let’s combine my talent with your vision and CREATE SOMETHING!” ”

— André Trenier

BIG TIME! Inspiration Behind the Album Cover 

The inspiration for the debut album cover for Spoken Word artiste Words By MOE, comes from the South Bronx, specifically a mural painted by graffiti artist and muralist, André Trenier.

The mural is located at The Andrew Freedman home, a historic site and designated New York City landmark located on the Grand Concourse in the South Bronx. It is not lost on us that the location is known for its musical history and graffiti art.

Muhammad Ali mural by André Trenier at Andrew Freedman Home in the South Bronx, NY. Photo by Africa-Related

The mural features significant historical and cultural elements, including Muhammad Ali, his butterflies and bees with a positive "wake up" call to transforming dreams into reality. It also has The Amistad painting with Senbge Pieh a.k.a "Jospeh Cinque", the slave sold in 1839, who headed the revolt on board the Amistad ship. Later, he and others would be fareed to return to his native Sierra Leone.

The Historical Significance of the Andrew Freedman Home 

Imagine being a self-made millionaire with a morbid fear of losing your wealth in an instant. This is what drove Andrew Freedman to create a charitable trust to build a retirement home in 1924, for older individuals who had formerly been of good financial circumstances.

At its peak, the home could accommodate about 130 residents, housing 130 residents at a time in comfortable quarters that had Italian-tiled bathrooms. The tenants came mostly from victims of the Wall Street crash and World War II veterans.

The Andrew Freedman home has four-stories with formal English gardens and well-manicured lawns,  public rooms with fireplaces and rugs, and each private residence had white marble shower stalls.

In 1992, the Andrew Freedman home was designated as a New York City landmark. Today it serves as a hub for artists, organizations, residencies, exhibitions, daycare center and event space, with works that address themes like immigration and memory.

Historical Ties

André Trenier and Words by Moe are both South Bronx residents, whose works are relevant to their immediate communities.

André Trenier grew up in the Bronx where he” lived to create”, and began painting murals in 2003. Since 2013 André has painted several dozen murals in the Bronx and beyond,  including a 150- foot wall on the side of Spring Bank on 167 St and Gerard Avenue, commissioned by the Bronx Museum. He has depicted baseball legends like Jackie Robinson (Babe Ruth), Derek Jeter, Roberto Clemente, Joe DiMaggio and Thurman Munson. His renderings of the great Muhammad Ali, his portrait of rapper Sean Price, Citibike mural at Word of Life In’l have all garnered acclaim.

Words By Moe is a South Bronx artiste with West African roots. He writes on various subjects dealing with grace, truth and  love. His 2024 debut album Big Time! offers original writings with an easy flow delivery of poignant and inspirational messages that are relevant to today’s living. As his work takes root, he continues to attract listeners and readers from different  corners of the globe. 

The artistic contributions of these three who have the South Bronx in common,  highlights the significance of conversations that bridges the gap between historical figures like Andrew Freedman and contemporary artists like André Trenier and Words by Moe. It celebrates their overall contributions to the history, music, culture and art scene.

PHOTOS BY Africa-Related

Photos by Africa-Related

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