untitled Philly <-> diaspora film archive
“Children’s self-esteem generally goes down as TV watching goes up. But white boys are the exception”
healthy self esteem is at the root of healthy relationships, communities and societies.
in order to face the ongoing disasters of sexism, racism, climate change and untold other permutations of corruption and power abuse, Black people -especially children- in the US and across the African Diaspora need to be fortified against the onslaught of degrading images and themes that are commonly found in everyday film and television.
This is the guiding intention behind the Philly <-> diaspora film and television archive. philadelphia, is both the birthplace of the US constitution, and a crucial waypoint for Black americans migrating out of the Post-war south. this rich history means that stories from the city of brotherly love offer a powerful example of the black american experience, and our imaginative, improvisational, and indomitable will to survive. In the words of Dr. Sadiyahh Hartman quote, wayward lives, beautiful experiments.
It is easy, especially in the age of misinformation, for a black philidelphian, or a black south african, or ethiopian or any black person trapped in any ghetto on earth to believe that they are alone in their experience, and thus, must be the cause and the root of their own problems. likewise it is easy for any privileged black person code switching to survive to believe that their relative success is purely a result of their personal palatability and dogged determination. To avoid such blinders is why we need to look outside of our own personal circumstances. is this overly shady?
from 2017-2019 I had the privilege of traveling to over a dozen countries to screen my debut documentary Whose streets? and participate in dialogue with international audiences. What I learned was that all around the globe, people of the diaspora, are experiencing not just oppression, but many of the same oppressive tactics. During those conversations, when the connection was made between the black experience in the US and elsewhere, it was a cathartic experience for myself and for many who attended. When we begin to see ourselves reflected in people outside of our circumstances, we are better able to conceptualize the idea of systems and how they function to either serve or impede us collectively.
more importantly, The act of being captured and witnessed onscreen, is at its best an act of revery and homage to the beauty of the human experience. To be the subject of such reverence can improve ones self esteem, directly contradicting the dehumanization we have experienced, sending the message that we are worth reverence, suggesting that we are also worth safety, and comfort, and joy.
The curation of films in this archive will be designed to entertain and engage emotion, but also to encourage self esteem and self determination through images themes and direct and indirect messaging.
The african countries represented in the archive will be selected based on organic relationships developed during the Whose Streets? global impact campaign and in the course of my own work. Possible countries inclued Liberia, tanzania, kenya, cameroon, adis ababa, rwanda, zimbabwe, botswana, uganda, Jamaica and more. the list will be narrowed dowm to start as partnerships solidify, and in repsonse to the necessities of covid, geopolitics, cost etc. project has the potential to be repeated as a fellowship driven by a different artist each year.
curation guidelines TBD
authorship?
childrens focus
number of films
Timeline TBD 2022
ideal Advisors
April j budd
Celia and Helene faussart (les nubians)
maya cade criterion black film archive
Dr sadiyaah hartman author/scholar, macarthur fellow
gina belafonte