WFC/ Njoya Foundation Black History Month special event

Robert ‘Beyonder’ Asare – artist, musician and film director of tonight’s film joins us for Q&A and much more.

Diaspora Diaries

Dir & writer: Robert ‘Beyonder’ Asare, 2007, UK, cert tbc, 74mins.

Diaspora Diaries was commissioned by Creative Fruits as part of Beyonder’s tenure as artist in residence for Literature & Multimedia during the Africa 05 season. A challenging, culturally and educationally relevant film, this screening is a Merton Black History Month event.

The film is the director’s first and what we have is a vibrant documentary which captures how people of African origin experience living in Britain today. Beyonder diverges from the beaten track by letting Africans of the Diaspora say it for themselves. The range of individual voices and evocative images from contributors originally from Rwanda, Tanzania, Barbados, Ghana and other countries, bring their stories and the issues to life. The result is a tangible authenticity that acts as a powerful antidote to the widespread negative messages of mainstream media and TV. As Beyonder himself says this is a film that ‘pulls no punches’ – so find out exactly what the African Diaspora is and how the past and the present interconnect to affect the way people of the Diaspora live.

With the multi-talented Beyonder here to add something a bit different to the Q&A session, this should be a great evening.

What the critics said

‘What makes Diaspora Diaries stand apart from other documentaries about the African Diaspora is that it goes beyond the ‘popularised’ voices from the West African coast and brings in voices of the Diaspora from otjher places such as Madagascar, Barbados and Rwanda … a must see.’ BN Village.

WFC is delighted to partner the Njoya Foundation for this event. The Njoya Foundation aims to advance the life and education of boys between 5 and 15 of African and African-Caribbean descent particularly by developing their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as mature and responsible young adults www.njoyafoundation.org.uk