Florida A&M University’s student organization Sankofa will present its first film of the bi-weekly series under the same name.
Sankofa, a 1993 drama film directed by Haile Gerima, received positive feedback from the black community, and, 18 years later, has made its way back to the Hill.
The story follows Mona, a contemporary self-absorbed black fashion model, as she is visited by spirits lingering in the Cape Coast Dungeon in Ghana and is transported back in time to a plantation in the Caribbean. After being transported, she serves as a house servant named Shola who experiences first-hand the physical and mental horrors of chattel slavery, including constant sexual abuse by slave owners. Nunu, an African-born field hand, and Shango, Shola’s Caribbean love interest, all continuously rebel against the slave system
Public Relations student and President of Sankofa Jimmie Smith organized the event.
“This film lines up with the purpose of our organization and it is important that it is shown first in our series,” Smith said.
Sankofa, which translates in English as “to go back and take,” will premiere Oct. 14 at 6 p.m.
The organization is responsible for bringing African culture to the black community in Tallahassee while working toward a more politically and socially conscious community.
The premiere will be held in the Lecture Hall of FAMU School of Journalism and Graphic Communication.
For more information about the event or how to become a member of Sankofa, please contact Jimmie Smith at jimmied.smith@yahoo.com or visit the Sankofa Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=125617320877168
Sankofa’s next film is titled “Hidden colors,” a documentary about the untold history of people of color around the globe.