Film / News
Afrika Eye festival expands in November
Now in its 14th year, the South West’s biggest celebration of African arts, cinema and culture undergoes a major expansion this November. Afrika Eye‘s film weekend at the Watershed (Nov 9-11) remains its centrepiece, with a launch party featuring live music from southern Africa.
But this year there will be plenty of additional events on either side of the weekend. Highlights include a 100th birthday Feast For Mandela celebration at the Arnolfini on November 4, combining African food, live performance and film; singing and spoken word workshops aboard a Bristol ferry with vocalist Sisanda Myataza (Eastern Cape, South Africa) and Bristol’s current City Poet Vanessa Kisuule; masterclasses in school and community venues of the vibrant South African township dance form, pantsula; and Más Morena – an exhibition of photographs by Javier Hirschfeld, featuring the Senegalese women of Gorée Island.
Photograph by Javier Hirschfeld from the Más Morena exhibition
Also being planned is a ferryboat screening of Vanishing Sail, an award-winning feature documentary about the lost art of Guyanese boat-building. This follows Alywn Enoe, the last wooden sailboat builder on the tiny island of Carriacou in the West Indies, who dreams of saving a tradition passed down the generations from 18th century Scottish settlers. Approaching his seventies, and with no more orders coming in, he sets out to build one last sailing sloop in the hope that his sons will be inspired to continue the family trade.
Another new feature is Afrika Eye’s involvement with the British Council-funded exchange partnership project, Our City – Your Eyes. The festival will welcome two Senegalese creatives, while a pair of youngsters from Bristol – rapper and music producer Joel Douglas (Splitz P) and filmmaker Pierre Nyongira – are about to be dispatched to Dakar for a two-week collaboration, the outcome of which will be showcased at Afrika Eye.
The full Afrika Eye programme will be finalised at the end of September.
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