Bringing Africa to Life in PortlandBy Christina Feller, published in the June 2009 Munjoy Hill Observer newspaper, Portland, Maine
During one week in mid-April, many Portlanders enjoyed the rich opportunity to experience films from across the African continent. Organized by Kazeem Adesina Lawal, the Maine African Film Festival (TMAFF.org) offered up more than 25 films forming a memorable celebration of the rich and textured cultures and peoples of Africa. Screenings were held at the Nickelodeon Theater, at the Children’s Museum of Maine, at Piper Shores, a continuum of care community, and at the Cumberland County jail.
I had the chance to sit down with Kazeem and ask him about the Festival. My first questions were, “why this festival and why Kazeem?”“I have an inherited passion for films,” Kazeem replied. “The power of film, I believe, comes from the fact that it is the best medium available to give a very good snapshot of different cultures, through fiction or non-fiction.”
Kazeem goes on to say, “I feel strongly that this is my job to bring these films to this new community I am gradually embracing. This is what I hope would be the beginning of a unique way of bridging the gap between Africa and the United States-—bringing out a new, heightened sense of compassion, empathy and love for each other, reminding us that we are all one.”
Q. Which films were most popular?Kazeem: There are a few films that stood out to me : This is my Africa, Shoot the Messenger, Awaiting For Men. Heartlines, and Sweet Crude.
This is My Africa Mainly due to the positive nature of the film, the views of Africans in the Diaspora about Africa as a whole and the feel-good nature of the film come through. So I feel people were relieved to see a film that made them feel good instead of sad about conditions;
Shoot The Messenger I think the universality of the film is its strength; we are shown challenges within the school system, black culture, media, self-examination, etc. We screened this film at the Cumberland County Jail as well, and got a very strong and positive response to the film. I think they particularly related to the film in terms of the hard relationship that exists between male high school students and their teachers who truly care, and the misconceptions about this kind of relationship. Often students get the impression that the “teacher is just mean”, not knowing the teacher really cares and sees beyond their short-sighted lens.
Awaiting For MenThis is a film about a selected group of women from Mauritania. I think the audience connected with the women because they remind them of people they know, and again, even though the story takes place in a rural part of an African country, with strong cultural and religious ties, these women still show their independence, dreams, and need for love.
Heartlines A South African Film about second chance in life; about a man caught up in a life of crime, who imprisoned and released, and his subsequent struggle to reconnect with society on honest terms; finding the right path and trying to avoid old patterns. Of course we also screened this film at the Penitentiary—they loved it, particularly seeing what crime and prison look like in Africa (I think they were happy that they
were not there.)
Sweet Crude The audience loved this one because it presents the other side of the story as it relates to the oil workers in the Niger Delta, kidnapped and indentured, and the impact of the industry on the environment and the community in this region as a whole (and, by the way, some of that oil comes here to Maine too.)
Q. What was your goal in organizing this? Kazeem: The main goal was to bring the community together so Americans can see Africa in a different light. And when I say bringing the community together, I mean all of us—kids (children’s museum and theater), young people and adults (Nickelodeon), people locked up (Cumberland County Jail) and seniors (Piper Shores). We want to make sure we entertain, but also that we touch on those important issues—oil, immigration, fistula, lack of education, etc. We touched on photography, lecture, films, panel discussions and closing party with vintage African funk and disco—everything brought massive turnouts and very positive feedback.
I want to direct special attention to the artwork of Dr. Fayemi, whose photographs graced The Language Exchange on opening night. Dr. Fayemi has indicated that he will be returning to Portland for an exhibit at a later time.
Q. Will you do this again? Kazeem: Absolutely, if I am still breathing. Especially with the success of this first one and the solid relationships that have been made.
Q. Do you still need to raise money? Is there a 501c3 to which readers can send money? Kazeem: Yes, we still need money to pay off all of our bills. Please send your donations to P.O.Box 10852, Portland, ME 04104 attn. Kazeem Lawal. Checks should be made payable to the Portland Public Library and state Maine African Film Festival (MAFF) in the memo line.
Q. We have a burgeoning African population here in Maine. Do you see any type of cultural renaissance going on? Kazeem: This is a very hard topic to talk about for a couple of reasons. First, my roots are from the western part of Africa in Nigeria, while most of the Africans here are from East and Central Africa. Second, what a lot of people don’t understand is, on different levels, Africans are very different from one another. Not just within each country, but regions also. Folks from Northern Nigeria along the Sahara Desert are very similar to those from east Africa - Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad. While down the coast of Nigeria, folks from this area are very similar to folks from coastal regions of Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, and Senegal. So considering the type of Africans here, I cannot really speak to all of the different cultures.
Q. Tell us about your organization. TMAAF is a 501(c)(3) organization. We feel we have something unique and special here with events to come under the Festival umbrella—art exhibits, lectures, concerts, parties, food, dance, theater, and of course FILMS. So we look forward to continued support from the entire community of Portland and beyond. The Festival is here to stay, and will become part of the key events of Maine.
Finally, I want to thank everyone that came to support us and special thanks to our sponsors - Maine Arts Commission, Maine Humanities Commission, Coffee By Design, Maine Community Foundation, The Language Exchange, and a very special thank you to my organizing partners, Merritt Carey and Jacob Roberson, and to our volunteers Ilhan Ali and Alexander Teas. I would like to hear from people about their experience seeing the films this year, and their ideas for next year.Kazeem can be reached at lawal1@yahoo.com.
A Sampling of Films from the FestivalCome Back to SudanThe last time Lado Jurkin, Mabior Mayom, and Deng Dau saw their home and families was when they were eight years old. Flash forward 18 years. Accompanied by their adoptive Colorado mother, Jean Wood, the three undertake an extraordinary journey back home to their villages in war-torn Sudan. Daniel Junge & Patti Bonnet, Sudan/USA, 29 min.
Awaiting for MenIn the haven of Oualata, a red city on the far edge of the Sahara desert, three women practice traditional painting by decorating the walls of the city. In a society apparently dominated by tradition, religion and men, these women unabashedly express themselves freely, discussing the relationship between men and women. Katy Léna N’diaye, Senegal/Mauritania/Belgium, 2007.
Sweet CrudeSweet Crude is the story of Nigeria’s Niger Delta—a story that’s never been captured in a feature-length film. Beginning with the filmmaker’s initial trip to document the building of a library in a remote village, Sweet Crude is a journey of multi-layered revelation and ever-deepening questions. Sandy Cioffi, U.S.A/Nigeria 2008, In English.
