Penn's Lauder Institute, Center for Africana Studies and Penn Global Documentary Institute are pleased to present African Narratives, a film series that showcases global African cinema. The series will feature films that explore the diverse complexity of African life and culture and/or highlight the work of its new and established filmmakers.
The November screening will feature (3) short films, In the Language of Our Mothers, Is It Because I’m A Girl, and Echoes From Home. The films’ crews were made up of Penn students and students of the FilmAid Kenya film training program at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. These films were directed by Peter Decherney, FilmAid’s lead film instructor, and Penn alumna, Jean Chapiro. Please review the film descriptions below:
IN THE LANGUAGE OF OUR MOTHERS
(Directed by Jean Chapiro (’21))
Sadia is a Masalit composer who immigrated from Sudan to Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya, in 2017. Since 2003 the Janjaweed, a Sudanese Arab militia group, have been systematically attacking the ethnic-African Masalit tribe. With the rise of the civil war in Sudan in April of 2023, the Janjaweed once again found an opportunity to attack the Masalit tribe and planned on exterminating them. With little hope of returning home to help her people, Sadia uses music to inspire the Masalit community both in Sudan and in Kakuma. She composes songs in Masalit, her mother language, not only as a means of resilience but also to pass on her tradition and her culture to the next generation. Sadia sings with her children and the children of the Masalit community who were born in Kakuma. Sadia signs to keep her community rooted in faith, their values and traditions. She sings so that no one forgets where they came from.
IS IT BECAUSE I’M A GIRL
(Directed by Peter Decherney)
Nao.G is the first South Sudanese woman hip-hop performer in Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp. She overcame family abuse and social pressure to create music and poetry that heals her and empowers others. She started a dance crew of all women. As she sings: she is a superstar in the camp, but she is going nowhere.
ECHOES FROM HOME
Directed by Peter Gitau
Echoes of Home: The Burundi Drummers of Kakuma" is a captivating and poetic documentary that explores the remarkable journey of a group of Burundian refugees living in the Kakuma refugee camp. Set against the backdrop of one of the world's most challenging environments, this film is a celebration of the enduring power of culture, music, and human spirit in the face of adversity.
*Each FREE showing includes light refreshments and a post-film discussion/Q&A.* RSVP is required. Please register HERE