Monday, February 10 2025, 7 - 8pm 101 LeConte Hall In the Ghanaian Akan language, sankofa means "to go back, look for, and gain wisdom, power and hope." Perhaps the most obscure picture of this rotation, Haile Gerima's Sankofa takes us to Africa, only to return us to our home: the US South. This film forces us to grapple with the excruciating torments of chattel slavery, not from the perspective of a nation having to confront its past but from the perspective of a civilization reeling from the effects of the Maafa, the African Holocaust. While African cinema is often undervalued by the Global North, Sankofa strikes out as a testament to the artistic capability of the West African film industry. It was lauded at the African Cinema Festival and has been ranked by Harvard Film Studies professors as one of the "most essential films in the history of world cinema, 1980-2000." Dr. Robert Pratt, professor of history, will present a brief introduction to the film and its themes before the screening. At UGA, he teaches courses on the modern African American experience, the Civil Rights Movement, and film and history. Free and open to the public. We'll have snacks!
