JOURNEY(S): A docupoem anthology by Saaret E. Yoseph

JOURNEY(S)

A docupoem anthology by Saaret E. Yoseph

https://www.kweli.tv/watch/kweli/journeys-addis-to-dc

JOURNEY(S) is a narrative trip between distant sister cities—Addis Ababa, Ethiopia & Washington, DC. The experimental docupoem anthology combines interview excerpts of oral history with original poetry to explore identity, migration, memory and the meaning of “home.” 

The text below documents the Zoom event held on 22 December 2022. The actual film, streamed on kweliTV is 39 minutes.

 

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Inspired by poet Ntozake Shange’s acclaimed choreopoem For Colored Girls, director/producer Saaret E. Yoseph sifts through her own cultural biography, creating a short-form audio series that follows the stories of Ethiopian women, who arrived in the District prior to or during the 1980s. 

An eclectic collage of language and movement, each episode of JOURNEY(S) will be roughly 5-8 minutes long and paired with a video portrait dedicated to the Black feminine gaze. Visual source materials will be spliced and reimagined, including advertisements, newspaper headlines and pictorials from the 60s, 70s and 80s, ripped from the pages of history and transformed for the anthology, in order to speak to the collective experiences of Black transnational women across the African diaspora.

Image source: blackwomenradicals.com

Updated on 4 August 2025 to include kwelTV link. Original post included Zoom link which is no longer available.

 

African Diasporas. USA-Ghana. Nana Mensah: Queen of Glory - what it's like to be a child of the diaspora - interview with Janet A. Leigh on Digital Spy

African Diasporas. USA-Ghana

Nana Mensah: Queen of Glory

 - what it's like to be a child of the diaspora -

Interview with Janet A. Leigh on Digital Spy

I think what's interesting is how much Sarah, the character, is attempting to define herself outside of her culture – you know, the culture she was raised in; the neighborhood she was raised in. 

She did that, and got to exercise who she was out in the world, and then bring that raw form back to her place of origin. 

I think the thing is, we want to be able to define ourselves, right? We are so tired of having the world define us. -- Nana Mensah

Comedy - USA - 75min - 2021
Source: digitalspy.com - 26 Aug 2022. Janet A. Leigh

Synopsis (digitalspy.com)
Queen of Glory follows the story of Sarah, who must juggle familial and cultural expectations during one of the hardest times in any adult's life, the death of her mother. With this delicately humorous story, Nana tackles the difficulties first immigrants feel as they struggle to straddle two worlds, asking two very important questions: What do we owe them? Versus what do we owe ourselves?

Read entire interview at digitalspy.com https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a40956357/queen-of-glory-nana-mensah-interview/

Also see: African News Magazine Show with Nana Mensah

Recent Films. Vigil Chime: The Touched One

Recent Films. Vigil Chime: The Touched One

 

"...I wanted to tell a story about forgiveness. That a grave wrong could be done to someone and have her recover to forgive the very people that had wronged her. That is powerful."---Vigil Chime

 

Vigil Chime

USA (Nigeria)

The Touched One
2022 - Feature - Horror/Supernatural

 

Synopsis
The Touched One follows Chinaza, a woman anointed by a sacred ram to do good deeds, as she goes in search of a gang of men who did her wrong in order to correct them of their evil ways. One morning, Chinaza and two others board a local bus. Four men posing as passengers promptly abduct and take them deep into the woods for blood sacrifice. Chinaza is resigned to her fate when a mysterious ram appears and sets her free. Grateful to be alive, she pets it. Safe at home, she discovers that the hand with which she pet the ram corrects anyone she touches of their sinful ways. She is thus convinced this is the reason she is the sole survivor of the tragedy. Thereafter, she determines to find the kidnappers to guide them onto a righteous path. The families of the two other victims who did not make it that day have other ideas to exact their own brand of street justice on the men.

About Vigil Chime
Vigil Chime is a Nigerian-American screenwriter, director and novelist. She was the recipient of the Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship in 2017.

 

Recent Films. Thato Rantao Mwosa: Memoirs of a Black Girl

Thato Rantao Mwosa (Botswana)
Memoirs of a Black Girl (USA)
2021 - 76min - Fiction

Synopsis
Memoirs of a Black Girl is a coming-of-age story of a girl and her friends who are forced to grow up and make tough decisions. Aisha Johnson, an astute and bright student, is one of the finalists for a coveted scholarship. One day after Aisha does the right thing, her life spirals out of control and her once-promising future is in jeopardy. Aisha learns to survive, navigate life at school and on the unforgiving streets of Roxbury while keeping her eyes on the prize. (Source: https://memoirsofablackgirlfilm.com/)

Bio
Boston-based Thato Rantao Mwosa from Botswana, is an illustrator, screenwriter and filmmaker. She completed her studies in Film Production and Marketing/Advertising Communication at Emerson College, after which she obtained a certificate from New York Film Academy and a MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen at Lesley University. Thato teaches TV, Film and Documentary Filmmaking at Brookline High School in Massachusetts. (Source: https://thatomwosa.com/) 

 

Memoirs of a Black Girl Trailer from thato mwosa on Vimeo.

Image: memoirsofablackgirlfilm.com

RECENT FILMS. Aisha Jama: Neefso | Breathe (Somalia-USA)

Aisha Jama

Neefso | Breathe
(2020)

Somalia-USA

4 min

Synopsis

Raha’s special day comes to a halt when her anxiety (un)expectedly takes center stage.

Neefso (Breathe) is a micro-short about the everyday coping mechanisms of managing anxiety through the lens of a young Black Muslim woman. This film not only highlights unpredictable nature of anxiety but also the love and support necessary to survive and thrive.

(Source: https://artwithimpact.org/film/neefsobreathe/)

Bio: Aisha Jama

Aisha Jama is filmmaker who has chosen moving images to communicate her understanding of the world around her while she’s still present in it. She is dedicated to creating images and amplifying stories that examine our interiority and offer reprieve.

(Source: https://islamicscholarshipfund.org/recipients/aisha-jama/)

Ndiva Women’s Film Festival 2018: "The Vibrancy of Silence: A Discussion with my Sisters", Marthe Djilo Kamga/Frieda Ekotto, Belgium/USA

Ndiva Women’s Film Festival 

(Ghana)

NWFF 2018

The Vibrancy of Silence: A Discussion with my Sisters, 2018

Marthe Djilo Kamga (Director, Belgium)

Frieda Ekotto (Producer, USA)

Documentary

Synopsis

In this documentary, Marthe Djilo Kamga takes us along as she engages in fruitful conversations with four other Cameroonian female artists who, like her, know exile as well as how necessary it is to transmit to younger generations what they have learned as their multiple identities have evolved and fused. The original score that accompanies the voices of these three generations of women is an active part of the adventure, a witness for the future.

The conversations are connected by key themes of cultural heritage, historical memory and how images shape personal and collective memories.

Biography (Director)

Marthe Djilo Kamga is founder and current coordinator of the Massimadi festival, and her professional and person paths have revolved around her interest in questions of vulnerability, identity, and equal opportunity. Her interest in art and cultural production (film, performance, photography, etc.) empowers her to reappropriate images and pub- lic spaces for people in positions of invisibility. Reoccurring themes in her work are the coexistence of multiple identities and diverse modes of artistic and cultural expression.

Statement of Intentions (Producer)

A Discussion with My Sisters is the first installment of Frieda Ekotto’s visual research project Vibrancy of Silence : Archiving the Images and Cultural Production of Sub-Saharan African Women on African women as the unsung heroines of artistic and cultural production. Indeed, their immense cultural and creative contributions remain un- derrepresented and inexplicably invisible. She is resolved to affirm and archive her own story and thus participate in a rereading of the “Colonial Library” with new kinds of narratives by and for women.

My Ethiopian Story by 15 Year Old Filmmaker Zuriel Oduwole

My Ethiopian Story by 15 Year Old Filmmaker Zuriel Oduwole

Born in the United States of Nigerian and Mauritian parentage, Zuriel Oduwole describes herself as a Pan African child. Her goal is to use her programme, Dream Up, Speak, Up, Stand Up, to inspire girls to accomplish their dreams as she has been able to do, and to ensure that every girl gets an education. Moreover, she wants to use the visibility that she has attained in order to present positive images of Africa, those that tell real African stories.

PRESS RELEASE

August 15, 2018 Los Angeles - California, A day after arriving back in Los Angeles from 7 weeks on the road, visiting 6 African countries including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and lastly Ethiopia for her various projects which enunciate the need for Girls education, Zuriel is now sharing with the world her next simple country story - this time, Ethiopia!! Created in a youthful, playful, innocent - yet seriously contemporary approach with the help of some of her students, she summarizes in 50 seconds what made her time in Ethiopia fun, playful, educative, engaging, and above all , delightful. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/iwnG0Pns3fE

Before departing the historic city of Addis Ababa where her current film Follow The Ball screened in two locations, she held her now popular basic 'Film Making 101 class' for several teenage girls in the remote community of Akaki. "They too have dreams you know" she says. Truly ONE girl, can indeed make a DIFFERENCE.

LINK:

zurieloduwole.com/foundation

Nijla Mu’min’s “Jinn”, A Film About Identity, Islam and First Love

Nijla Mu’min’s “Jinn”, A Film About Identity, Islam and First Love

In a time of mounting fear and misunderstanding of Islam and Muslims, in the West, Nijla Mu’min’s film, Jinn attempts to show a realistic side based on her own experiences growing up in the East Bay Area in the United States. As a filmmaker she wants to tell “stories about black girls and women who find themselves between worlds and identities.” (Nijla Mu’min website)

Nijla Mu’min had this to say about why she made Jinn:

I am tired of seeing the same recycled images of Muslims when I watch the news, go online, or hear people talk about them in public. None of those Muslims resemble the Muslims I grew up with or know… I thirst for something different, so I created it. (Kickstarter)

Nijla Mu’min reached her $25,000 Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign goal in early 2016 with a pledge of $27,894 by 398 backers.

Jinn synopsis

In this millennial coming of age dramedy, a teen girl’s life is abruptly turned upside down when her mother converts to Islam, sending her on a quest for self-definition. A fun, fresh exploration of identity, Islam, first love, and millennial culture. 

Girl filmmaker Zuriel Oduwole Teaches Youths Film Making in Lagos

Girl filmmaker Zuriel Oduwole Teaches Youths Film Making in Lagos

Zuriel Oduwole Projects Press Release

7 July 2016, Lagos, Nigeria

A firm believer in the need for all children but especially Girls to get educated, Los Angeles/ Nigerian native Zuriel Oduwole has expanded her skill transfer program, this time to children from the low income Ibeju - Lekki area of Lagos State and kids from the Makoko slum area of Lagos mainland. 

Earlier in June in parts of Abuja, she spent it teaching children elements of her Film Making '101' program, as part of her DUSUSU Foundation's efforts to reduce the number of out of school and non skilled youths in the country.

Related link from the African Women in Cinema Blog:

Girl filmmaker Zuriel Oduwole: “…using my documentaries to tell Africa's story.”

Sistas Are Doin’ It for Themselves Film Festival 2016, (California, USA)

Sistas are doin' it for themselves Logo: http://bherc.org

Sistas Are Doin’ It for Themselves

Film Festival

16 April 2016, 6:00pm

Source: http://bherc.org/ticket/sistas-doin-film-festival/ 

This screening and dialog is an opportunity for emerging African American female filmmakers to showcase their skills, talent and vision through film screenings, while giving the audience a chance to view and discuss the artistry, passion and sacrifice involved in the independent filmmaking process. 

FILM SELECTION:

Dream (2015) Nijla Baseema Mu’min, 17 min.

A 12-year-old girl strives to rekindle her parent’s dwindling romance and learns painful lessons about love in the process.

Forgiving Chris Brown (2015) Marquette Jones, 12 min.

Forgiving Chris Brown is a dark comedy short that follows the follies of Rihanna, Halle and Tina. These stylish girlfriends hope to heal their battered hearts the old-fashioned way – Revenge. The emotional baggage they carry ties them together and makes for some unorthodox fun.

Hi, Miss! (2014) Dionne Edwards, 12 min.

Sparks fly between shutter clicks when quarrelling teenage photography students, Kleo and Femi, are told to take each other’s portrait. Open enmity soon turns to tentative flirting and as the camera snaps they discover there’s a thin line between love and hate.

The Reunion (2015) Carmen Elly Wilkerson, 20 min.

A debate between four teenagers the morning after a party where one of them realized she’s been sexually assaulted.

Roubado (2014) Erica A. Watson, 18 min.  

The story of an introverted Afro-Portuguese teen growing up in the south of France, suffering from his parents’ recent breakup, the only solace he can muster is his penchant for photography.

Soko Sonko (2014) Ekwa Msangi, 23 min.

Soko Sonko is a hilarious, fish‐out of‐water roller‐coaster of a journey, about a well‐intended dad who braves the fires of parenting.

Bag Lady: Viagra (2014) Tammi Mac, 8 min. 

An anthology that tackles the insecurities of bruised souls and focuses on empowering women.

Window Dressing Fail (2014) Stacey Larkins, 5 min.

An ambitious woman masks her African name on her resume in order to obtain a job interview.

Girl filmmaker Zuriel Oduwole: “…using my documentaries to tell Africa's story.”

Girl filmmaker Zuriel Oduwole: “…using my documentaries to tell Africa's story.”

Born in the United States of Nigerian and Mauritian parentage, Zuriel Oduwole describes herself as a Pan African child. Her goal is to use her programme, Dream Up, Speak, Up, Stand Up, to inspire girls to accomplish their dreams as she has been able to do, and to ensure that every girl gets an education. Moreover, she wants to use the visibility that she has attained in order to present positive images of Africa, those that tell real African stories. She had this to say about what she wants to attain through her documentary work:

“Because the world is watching, I also like to use my visibility to show the positive things about Africa, using my documentaries to tell Africa's story. For this, I interview Africa's political and business leaders.” 

As a girl, I am concerned  that not every girl has a right to get an education or a chance to accomplish her dreams like me. Not too cool.

My vision is to see that this changes one day, and my mission is to use my “Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up” program and other new ideas to inspire girls to accomplish this mission. (DuSuSu Website)

Announcement from Zuriel Oduwole Projects, 24 February 2016: Zuriel’s First Film Workshop for Youths in Africa - Namiba

World renowned Girl Education Advocate and the World's Youngest Film Maker - 13 year old Zuriel Oduwole conducted her first ever Film Workshop for 25 youths in Windhoek – Namibia, an initiative sponsored by Hilton Hotel Windhoek, Air Namibia and Bank Windhoek,

She spent the day telling her filmmaking story to 25 youths chosen from 255 delegates, who applied from Facebook and Newspaper applications, and teaching them basic filmmaking skills, among other documentary processes.

The highlight of the event was showing a sneak preview of her next film due later in 2016 and shot across 5 countries during the 2014 FIFA World Cup - Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mauritius and the US. Zuriels last film "A Promising Africa" released in November 2014 at age 12 showed first across 2 cinema chains in Nigeria, before going on to screen in Ghana, South Africa, London - England and Tokyo - Japan. 

Links:

Dususu Website: http://www.dreamupspeakupstandup.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zuriel-Oduwole-570044246416423/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ZurielOduwole