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Manchester film festival foregrounds African diaspora stories and ideas
See My World is holding a film festival in Manchester to showcase independent creators from the African diaspora and explore pan-African ideas through film, poetry and dance. Organisers say the event aims to make films and cultural stories more accessible, while drawing on Manchester’s history as a centre of pan-African activism.
The festival takes place at Contact theatre on 21 November and is part of See My World’s year-round programme. Its approach draws on thinkers including John Mbiti, whose concept of Sasa na Zamani links the past to what follows, and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, who wrote about language and colonial power. The programme includes two See My World documentaries, Homage and Poetic Justice, alongside films of up to 30 minutes submitted by filmmakers, with no screening fees.
In short
- See My World brings pan-African film and arts to Manchester.
- The festival takes place at Contact theatre on 21 November.
- Organisers aim to make film more accessible and inclusive.
Explained simply
The African diaspora refers to people of African heritage living around the world, including communities shaped by migration and the history of slavery and colonialism. Pan-African ideas focus on connections between African people and communities across the continent and its diaspora.
See My World is a Manchester-based programme that presents films and other creative work by independent artists from the African diaspora. Its approach draws on writers such as John Mbiti, who explored links between past, present and future, and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, who examined how language can reflect colonial power.
Manchester has a history of pan-African activism, including organising and debate about African independence and racial equality. The festival’s organisers say they want to make films and cultural stories more accessible and to give independent filmmakers a place to show their work.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “How African philosophies inspired a new approach to staging film festivals in Manchester”.