[Thanks to William Beik <wbeik@emoryu1.cc.emory.edu> for this fine review of a terrific film.]
I thought you might be interested in another movie review. Last night I saw the best film I have ever seen on the subject of slavery. It is SANKOFA, which is now playing in Atlanta at the National Black Arts Festival. It met with great approval from the audience, which was as deeply moved as I was by this epic two-hour drama. I do not believe that I am exaggerating when I say that SANKOFA is the "Schindler's List" of slavery.
This powerful film was done by Haile Gerima, an independent Ethiopian filmmaker who visited with the audience afterwards and answered questions. The film takes place in Jamaica and Ghana and documents the horrors of enslavement and the struggles of millions of Africans for freedom. The epic begins at Ghana's Coast Castle, a tourist site, where Africans were herded into dungeons before being shipped to the New World. Here an African-American model of the present day becomes curious and returns to the past in order to find herself. As she gets lost in the dungeon, she experiences the horrors and struggles of slave life, along with countless others. SANKOFA is an Akan word that means to return to the past in order to go forward.
The movie is sophisticated with attention to gender issues, interslave relations, cultural conflicts, as well as attention to the slaves' relationship to overseers, Christianity, etc. It succeeds in documenting the oppression of slavery from the vantage point of the slaves but also balances the realistic portrayal of oppression with a correspondingly realistic portrayal of slave resistance. The epic is history at its best, combined with an African folktale cultural dimension that strengthens the powerfulness of the story.
My quick review does not do justice to this movie. It is a great one! However, it is only being shown in select cities and in select theatres that the filmmaker has rented. It is having greater success in Europe and expects to do well in Africa. But major theatre chains in the U.S. will not touch it because they consider a realistic film about African-Americans and slavery bad box office. The filmmaker needs interested people and groups to demand that the film be brought to regular theatres and other places. It is currently in New York, he said, and had its U.S. premiere in Baltimore. The film has won the Agip Grand Prize at the African Film Festival in Milan, Italy, and the Best Cinematography Award at the FESPACO Film Festival in Burkina Faso, Africa. It is a Mypheduh Films Release. It took Gerima nine years to get financing to make the independent film and four months to shoot it. This is a very special film, comparable to Schindler's List, and one which all Americans of any race, ethnicity, gender, need to see. It is universal and specific.
The movie and subsequent discussion with the director and audience highlighted the need for better and fuller public history presentations about slavery, and the need for a good national Museum of Slavery similar to the Holocaust one. Gerima also spoke movingly about the great need to feed the minds of African-American youth as well as their bodies in order to save a generation that is being decimated daily. The links between art, history, and social responsiblity come together in this monumental film in many ways.
The film also indirectly raises important questions that should prompt incredible discussions in classes or groups. Some may be offended by the film's negative portrayal of Christianity, but it opens the issue for discussion brilliantly. Because of the universal but specific issues raised, it is a great vehicle for bringing together individuals and groups who are concerned with human rights and social justice for everybody.

This page was last updated on 10/9/97 by Nigel Drayton (ndrayton@wam.umd.edu)
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions should be directed to diversity@umail.umd.edu

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		[Thanks to William Beik <wbeik@emoryu1.cc.emory.edu> for this fine review of a terrific film.] I thought you might be interested in another movie review. Last night I saw the best film I have ever seen on the subject of slavery. It is SANKOFA, which is now playing in Atlanta at the National Black Arts Festival. It met with great approval from the audience, which was as deeply moved as I was by this epic two-hour drama. I do not believe that I am exaggerating when I say that SANKOFA is the "Schindler's List" of slavery. This powerful film was done by Haile Gerima, an independent Ethiopian filmmaker who visited with the audience afterwards and answered questions. The film takes place in Jamaica and Ghana and documents the horrors of enslavement and the struggles of millions of Africans for freedom. The epic begins at Ghana's Coast Castle, a tourist site, where Africans were herded into dungeons before being shipped to the New World. Here an African-American model of the present day becomes curious and returns to the past in order to find herself. As she gets lost in the dungeon, she experiences the horrors and struggles of slave life, along with countless others. SANKOFA is an Akan word that means to return to the past in order to go forward. The movie is sophisticated with attention to gender issues, interslave relations, cultural conflicts, as well as attention to the slaves' relationship to overseers, Christianity, etc. It succeeds in documenting the oppression of slavery from the vantage point of the slaves but also balances the realistic portrayal of oppression with a correspondingly realistic portrayal of slave resistance. The epic is history at its best, combined with an African folktale cultural dimension that strengthens the powerfulness of the story. My quick review does not do justice to this movie. It is a great one! However, it is only being shown in select cities and in select theatres that the filmmaker has rented. It is having greater success in Europe and expects to do well in Africa. But major theatre chains in the U.S. will not touch it because they consider a realistic film about African-Americans and slavery bad box office. The filmmaker needs interested people and groups to demand that the film be brought to regular theatres and other places. It is currently in New York, he said, and had its U.S. premiere in Baltimore. The film has won the Agip Grand Prize at the African Film Festival in Milan, Italy, and the Best Cinematography Award at the FESPACO Film Festival in Burkina Faso, Africa. It is a Mypheduh Films Release. It took Gerima nine years to get financing to make the independent film and four months to shoot it. This is a very special film, comparable to Schindler's List, and one which all Americans of any race, ethnicity, gender, need to see. It is universal and specific. The movie and subsequent discussion with the director and audience highlighted the need for better and fuller public history presentations about slavery, and the need for a good national Museum of Slavery similar to the Holocaust one. Gerima also spoke movingly about the great need to feed the minds of African-American youth as well as their bodies in order to save a generation that is being decimated daily. The links between art, history, and social responsiblity come together in this monumental film in many ways. The film also indirectly raises important questions that should prompt incredible discussions in classes or groups. Some may be offended by the film's negative portrayal of Christianity, but it opens the issue for discussion brilliantly. Because of the universal but specific issues raised, it is a great vehicle for bringing together individuals and groups who are concerned with human rights and social justice for everybody. This page was last updated on 10/9/97 by Nigel Drayton (ndrayton@wam.umd.edu) Questions, comments, and/or suggestions should be directed to diversity@umail.umd.edu \| Search inforM \| UMD Homepage \| inforM Homepage \| inforM FAQ \| Directory \| Academics \| Administration \| Admissions \| Campus Calendars \| Computing \| Highlights \| Internet \| Maps \| MD & DC \| News \| Library Resources \| Student \| Testudo \| UMD Today \|

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