Africa, African culture and Africa history will soon be front and center in an Alabama showcase. The topics are the focus as the annual Tuscaloosa Africana Film Festival, co-sponsored by The University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences, marks 12 years.
The festival, scheduled for Feb. 22, will feature films from Africa and the African Diaspora and a discussion afterward by a panel of speakers about issues highlighted by the films.
The annual festival will include a viewing of two feature films and four short films created by young filmmakers from Ghana, West Africa. Tuscaloosa is a sister city of Sunyani-Techiman in Ghana.
This year’s event, also sponsored by the UA African Students Association and the Tuscaloosa Sister Cities International, will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the UA Student Center.
The first feature film, “Wall Street Boy,” is about the journey of a young math genius from Kenya, Africa, who develops a successful stock market algorithm that draws the unwanted attention of dangerous financial businessmen and local police.
“Mother Suriname,” the second feature film, is a documentary about the history of the Afro-Surinamese people as told through one woman’s life.
The Surinamese are part of the African diaspora, which is the dispersion of people of African descent to other parts of the world.
The four short films include:
- “Akpanda” is the story of a man who seeks the hand of a princess in marriage. His pursuit forces him into the role of a Royal ensign, a position of historical dangers and challenges.
- “Bagyina” follows the emotional journey of a couple haunted by the tragedy of losing their first child. As they navigate the uncertainty of a second pregnancy, the film captures their struggle balancing their emotions of hope and fear.
- “Kologo” is a traditional string instrument of the Goony people of Northern Ghana, and this film provides an intimate look at the instrument’s importance in the Goony community. The film also explores the spiritual and musical significance of the instrument through the life of King Ayisoba, a Ghanaian musician known for his playing of the Kologo.
- “Legacy” focuses on the generational knowledge and power of African science, exploring both the mystical and scientific elements passed down within families.
The Tuscaloosa Africana Film Festival is presented by the Edward A. Ulzen Memorial Foundation and Afram South Inc., two nonprofit organizations that support education and public health initiatives in Ghana and West Alabama, respectively.
Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for UA students, and are available online at Eventbrite.
