Mama Africa

Six African women tell their own stories in short films from Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, and Tunisia.

In 1997, six African women pledged that in the first year of the new millennium, they would tell their own stories on film. Mama Africa, the series of shorts they created, brings together inspiringly fresh talents from across the continent to explore what it means to be a woman in modern Africa.

Each evening screening comprises two programs of short films. Introduced by Queen Latifah, the first set includes Uno's World (Bridget Pickering, Namibia), about a single mother's experiences in childbirth; Hang Time (Ngozi Onwurah, Nigeria), about a girl in search of the right basketball shoes; and Raya (Zulfa Otto-Sallies, South Africa), about the passing of wisdom among generations. (Program approx. 85 mins.)

The second program begins with A Close-up on Bintou (Fanta Nacro, Burkina Faso), about a housewife's evolution into a successful businesswoman; Riches (Ingrid Sinclair, Zimbabwe), about a mixed-race journalist encountering apartheid; and One Evening in July (Raja Amari, Tunisia), about a reluctant bride with murderous designs on her groom. (Program approx. 90 mins.)

Cosponsored by Yambeka Art International