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FEBRUARY
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Tuesday, February 2
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
African Refugees in Peril
Report Back from Italy and Greece
Niebyl-Proctor Library
map and directions
Nunu Kidane, director of Priority Africa Network and Gerald Lenoir,
director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration recently traveled
to Italy and Greece to learn more about the plight of African refugees
as they make their way to Europe to find work to support themselves
and their families back home. They will share the stories that young
men from Eritrea, Somalia, Nigeria and other countries shared
about their perilous journey from their home countries. they will
discuss the racist attitudes of Europeans and the policies of the
Italian and Greek governments that keep immigrants and refugees
from Africa impoverished and disenfranchised.
A donation of $5.00 is requested for the event. No one will be turned
away for lack of funds. For more information, call (510) 663-2254.
You can read the blogs that Gerald and Nunu wrote from Italy
Sunday, February 7
6:39 pm
Wednesday, February 10
7:00 pm
Dance Dance Revolution: Contemporary African Dance on Film
at the
2625 Durant Avenue #2250, Berkeley, CA 94720-2250
General Information (24-hour recording): (510) 642-0808
African arts are alive and well—and as innovative as anything the West has to offer—if these two breathtaking documentaries on contemporary
dance are anything to go on. The experimental Nora, a recent hit at the Toronto film festival, is both biography of and showcase for Zimbabwe-born
choreographer Nora Chipaumire. Atmospheric shots of the lush Zimbabwean landscape—mist-shrouded mountains, swaying trees, red-dirt fields
—merge into visions of hands resting on drums, until a burst of sound and movement is unleashed: Nora’s remarkable story is suddenly brought to
life in a fury of performance and passion, biography turned into poetry. The more conversational Movement (R)Evolution Africa witnesses nine
African choreographers on tour in the United States; interviews and behind-the-scenes footage make this a must-see for anyone interested in
where dance—both as movement and as a movement—is today.
Movement (R)Evolution Africa (Joan Frosch, Alla Kovgan, U.S., 2007, 65 mins). Nora (Alla Kovgan, David Hinton, U.S./U.K./Mozambique, 2008, 35 mins)
(Total running time: 100 mins, Color, DigiBeta)
Thursday, February 11
8:00p
From Accra via Brooklyn, Blitz The Ambassador
Blitz The Ambassador, from Accra via Brooklyn lends the
tradition of Ghanaian high life, melded together with the
jazzy nuances of an upright bass, hints of reggae, orchestra
strings and a horn section that lifts the live hip hop band to
new heights.
For more info. call Tel: (510) 8492568
Wednesday, February 17
7:00 pm
Wrestling Grounds
Cheikh Ndiaye (Senegal 2006)
at the
2625 Durant Avenue #2250, Berkeley, CA 94720-2250
(L’appel des arénas). One of the most vibrant African films in recent memory, Wrestling Grounds hits the mat hard with its vision of a
world virtually unknown outside Africa: Senegalese wrestling, a national obsession steeped in tradition, yet flavored with the music,
money, and flair of the twenty-first century. Here traditional griots proclaim the deeds of muscle-bound heroes over the bass of booming
sound systems, while well-groomed wrestlers pay homage to both ancestral spirits and stiletto-heeled sirens. A chance encounter
introduces quiet teenager Nalla to the powerful yet graceful wrestling champion Andre, who shows the boy the sport’s athleticism
and beauty, and its respectful connection to Senegalese culture. Cutting from hypnotically filmed shirtless training sequences on
the beach to side stories referencing Senegalese folk legends and art, Wrestling Grounds is a primer on not only contemporary
African popular culture, but how that culture is still influenced by the past. The film is based on the best-selling novel by noted author
Aminata Sow Fall.
Thursday, February 18
7:30 pm
Screening of "Prince of Broadway"
Filmaker Sean Baker in person
at the
2625 Durant Avenue #2250, Berkeley, CA 94720-2250
Many festival films have dealt with African immigrants in Europe, but Sean Baker’s powerhouse indie Prince of Broadway is as New York as
hip-hop, Brooklyn slang, and knock-off Gucci handbags. The setting is Manhattan’s cacophonous Garment District and its hustler underground,
where honorable Ghanaian immigrant Lucky is dealing with flaky girlfriends, crooked cops, Puerto Rican hustlers, Armenian bosses, and a little
boy who may or may not be his son. Inspired by the street-level immediacy of the Dardenne brothers and the baroquely verbalized cityscapes of
Taxi Driver–era Scorsese, director Sean Baker (codirector of the similarly urban-roughhouse Take Out, and creator of cult TV series Greg the
Bunny) uses the on-the-fly freedom of the digital aesthetic—skeletal crew, little equipment, improvisational filming—to create a true “New York
film,” shot through with the banter, gestures, and aesthetics of urban American life and its African immigrant underground. Winner of the L.A.
Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize and the Special Jury Award from Locarno.
Saturday, February 20
8:00p
Angélique Kidjo
World Stage. Presented by Cal Performances. The electrifying Angélique Kidjo
sings in French, English-jazz vocalese an her native Fon/Yoruba language.
Tickets are available through the Cal Performances Ticket Office at Zellerbach
Hall; at (510) 642-9988 to charge by phone;
Price: $24/$32/$46
Phone: (510) 642-9988
World Stage. Presented by Cal Performances. The electrifying Angélique Kidjo
sings in French, English-jazz vocalese an her native Fon/Yoruba language.
Saturday & Sunday
February 20 & 21
all day
de Young Museum presents free tickets for
TUTANKHAMUN and the golden age of the pharaohs
de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118
415.750.3600
www.deyoungmuseum.org
Everyone receives free admission to the permanent collection, mummy movies,
music and hands-on art activities. All free King Tut tickets will be timed and dated.
Tickets issues on-site only, on the day of visit and on a first-come, first-served basis
and may swell out early. Limited to four tickets per adult per day.
Tuesday, February 23
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Film Screening & Discussion
With Special Guest Speaker Christiana Bendu Hunter,
President of the Association of Citizens and Friends of Liberia
Delancey Street Foundation, Screening Room
600 Embarcadero between Brannan Street & Townsend Street, San Francisco
Pray the Devil Back To Hell
This film chronicles the true story of the courageous unsung heroines of Liberia who came
together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country. Thousands of
women – ordinary mothers, grandmothers, aunts and daughters, both Christian and Muslim
– came together to pray for peace and then staged a silent protest outside the Presidential
Palace. Armed only with white T-shirts and the courage of their convictions, they took on the
warlords and nonviolently forced a resolution during the stalled peace talks.
Guest Speaker, Christiana Bendu Hunter
Christiana Bendu Hunter is from Lofa County, Liberia, in West Africa and is the President of
the Association of Citizens and Friends of Liberia (ACFLi http://acfli.webs.com/) based in
Sacramento, California. The association promotes understanding and cooperation amongst
Liberians and Friends of Liberia in the areas of social interaction, culture, and humanitarian
aid to those in need. Under the leadership of Ms. Hunter, the Association of Citizens and Friends
of Liberia base in Sacramento
Wednesday, February 24
7:00 pm
In My Genes
(Lupita Nyong'l (Kenya 2009)
at the
2625 Durant Avenue #2250, Berkeley, CA 94720-2250
The recent serial murders of albinos in Tanzania and Burundi have brought the relatively unknown issue of albinism in Africa into the spotlight.
One need only turn to Lupita Nyong’o’s heartfelt documentary to get the full story about people misunderstood, mislabeled, and mistrusted as
one of the most hyper-visible, yet effectively invisible, minorities in a predominantly dark-skinned world. Nyong’o follows eight individuals from
across a wide range of Kenyan society—young students, elderly craftsmen and -women, doctors, farmers—all albinos. Born “white” (albinos
lack skin pigmentation) in a “black” society, facing medical problems and cultural stigma (they are said to be cursed), they share their stories
with the viewer, but this is no “woe are we” tale of sadness. As the story of Agnes, the remarkable elderly woman at the heart of the film, makes
clear, you only have your own skin to live in, and you can, and will, make it your own.
Saturday, February 27
4.00pm - 11.30pm
Education Development Opportunities (EDO) Presents:
"THE STATE OF DIASPORA - A VISION OF OPPORTUNITIES".
A Black History Summit Celebrating Black History Month and the
Pan-African Community
A Discussion for a more Unified Africa and World.
Special Guest and Key note Speaker Nigerian Author &
The First African to win a Nobel Prize in Literature and
Honorary Adviser to EDO, INC.
at Jack London Aquatic Center 115 Embarcadero East,
Oakland, CA 94606-5138
Dinner reception and fundraiser,
awareness on glaucoma and Ake Scholarship drive.
Tickets: $50 per person, please RSVP by February 21, 2010 &
and Mail checks to P.O.Box 72294, Oakland, CA 94612
For more info. call 510.393.6262
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MARCH
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Wednesday, March 10
7:30p
15400 Montalvo Rd., Saratoga, CA 95071-0158
"It isn't merely the grace and power of their dancing or the
beauty of their singing that rivets the attention, but the
sheer joy and love that emanates from their being." -
Paul Simon
"If the creative discipline and good spirits of the South
African singing group Ladysmith Black Mambazo are any
indication of the prevailing will and temperament of its
homeland, South Africa has great chance of completing
its transition from racist tyranny to equal-rights democracy
with joy, not further bloodshed. read more
Price: $50/45; Members $45/40
Phone: (408) 961-5800
