2023-12-08 19:13:22
Until December 10, New York is hosting the 31st African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) in several legendary theaters in the city. Highlighting African and African-influenced cinemas around the world, this event, the first edition of which dates from 1993, brings together actors, directors and influential figures in the field to exchange views. It also gives better visibility to film and documentary productions coming from or being inspired by Africa and its diaspora. Reporting.
Schomburg Center in Harlem, Thursday, November 30. In one of the city’s major cultural centers, around fifty people listen and intervene during a discussion on ” African youth, cinema and society » on the different current social realities. A debate led by New York University cinema professor, Burkinabé Boukary Sawadogo. Among the speakers are Nigerian director Ema Edosio Deelen, for the film A plagueand the Rwandan actor Yuhi Amuli, for Citizen Kwame. The people are enthusiastic, the discussions constructive, which brings a smile to Reinaldo Spech, co-organizer of the festival with his Franco-Malian wife Diarah Ndaw-Spech, a former university professor and perfect Francophile.
« This is one of the goals of our event. Through cinema, with the screening of films and documentaries, we want to create discussion, bring different perspectives on Africa, its diasporas and the influences they have on the world of the big screen “, he specifies before adding: “ the exchange of ideas is very important, we like people to learn, but also realize that productions from the continent or influenced by Africa are rich and deserve to be seen and known by a greater number of people ».
“This kind of festival is very important”
With more than 80 productions screened during this fortnight, the organization is thinking big, and offering events in several important cinema locations in New York: the Campus du Teacher’s College of Columbia University, the Village Cinema, the Schomburg Center, but also at the Leonard Nimoy space and the Magic Johnson Cinema in Harlem, one of the busiest in the city. The goal is to show a wide range of productions, whether from Africa, but also from the Caribbean, North America, ” because Africa has influence on cinemas beyond the continent itself », according to Spech, with many French-speaking films, such as Thorns of the Sahelfrom Burkina Faso Boubacar Diallo, Lumumba, the return of a heroby Congolese Dieudo Hamadi, but also classics, like Kirikou and the witch.
Lena, American film student at the Movie Academy from New York, asks many questions to the speakers, and appreciates having access to productions little known to the public on this side of the Atlantic. “ This type of festival provides visibility and the opportunity to interact with major players in African cinema, which is rare in the United States. », she smiles. “ Seeing a film is one thing, but being able to exchange, learn with people who come from the continent and who speak, live their reality, their difficulties and who make films with often very limited means, it’s very inspiring. This type of festival is very important to shed light on African and/or African-influenced cinema which is too often put aside. ».
A large audience and an ever-growing curiosity for Africa and cinema
Over the years, the festival has taken on more and more importance in the world of New York’s seventh art, supported by the Spech couple, who have always pushed to focus the spotlight on Africa and its ever-increasing production. cinematographic. “ The festival has evolved in parallel with African cinema, because thirty years ago, there were very few films from the continent or inspired by it that were produced and even fewer visible internationally. », Specifies the academic. He adds : ” we had films by Ousmane Sembène, and today, the 54 African countries are releasing films, and it is also our role to talk about them and show them around the world “. The New York edition of the festival is the largest, but it also includes stages in Chicago, Washington and Paris. The organization also offers DVD sales, but also a virtual edition, with a selection of films available online.
For the Spech couple, who define themselves as “ cultural activists “, talking about Africa is crucial, but in the broad sense of the term. “ We have films from Africa, but also from the Caribbean, Europe, North America and elsewhere, because the stories linked to the African continent are very numerous, whether for example slavery in the United States. United through migration in Europe. We must scan the subjects as broadly as possible, to give an overall vision of realities, which is essential for understanding the course of history. “, he explains.
“Our parents don’t always have time to talk to us about our origins”
The audience is of diverse and varied profiles, and this type of event also attracts members linked to the African diaspora based on the East American coast, curious to have a festival that speaks of their lands of origin. For Ibrahim, 20 years old, born in Harlem and son of Senegalese immigrants, “ coming to these screenings and discussions is very important and I learn a lot, because at home, our parents do not always have the time to talk to us about our origins, about personal stories in the country, because their life may have been difficult , and the American school system has too little teaching related to Africa “, he specifies. “ I take the opportunity to exchange, but also to learn more about the continent, and therefore also about myself, because it is the land of my ancestors », he smiles.
Burkinabè professor Boukary Sawadogo, one of the key speakers of the edition, is enthusiastic that this type of initiative lasts over time, and attracts the curiosity of people from diverse and varied backgrounds, which allows African cinema to ‘have a larger window of visibility and push for better recognition in the future. “ There is a lot of talent in Africa, and the world must be aware of this. Having an event that promotes African films, in a city as dynamic in terms of cinema as New York, is important. We must continue the momentum, push, again and again, for the production of films in Africa, and give them the opportunity to be screened and seen all over the world. ».
► African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF), from November 24 to December 10, in New York.
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