Film screening highlights how West African culture survived the
transatlantic slave trade and helped shape the Americas
More than 500 people from the international community and civil society filled the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber on 2 October 2019 to watch the documentary Bigger Than Africa and participate in a post-screening discussion. The event was organized by the United Nations Department of Global Communications in cooperation with a non-governmental organization called The Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD).
The film showed participants how West Africa’s Yoruba culture managed to survive the transatlantic slave trade and continues to influence societies throughout the Americas. It highlighted a wide variety of examples, including in Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.
Opening the event was Ms. Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications; H.E. Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the 74th session of the General Assembly; Mr. Kamil Olufowobi, Chief Executive Officer of MIPAD; and film’s Nigerian-born director, Mr. Toyin Ibrahim Adekeye.
In his opening remarks to the audience, Mr. Muhammad-Bande said, “The United Nations has taken the matter of Africa very seriously, especially the question of slavery and what slavery has done and continues to do to people all over the world.”
Introducing the film, Mr. Adekeye said, “As people of African descent, more often than not, we see our differences, rather than our similarities. Bigger Than Africa tells the story of our commonality.”
The screening was followed by a stimulating discussion moderated by Ms. Nanette Braun, Chief of the Communications Campaigns Service. Panelists included Mr. Adekeye; Mr. Jacob K. Olupona, Professor of African Religious Traditions and Professor of African and African American Studies at the Harvard Divinity School; and Mr. Avery Ammon, Director of Afrika House, an organization in Trinidad and Tobago dedicated to promoting African fashion and books.
In response to a question about why he produced the documentary, Mr. Adekeye said he was inspired by a visit to the Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina where the Yoruba culture has been preserved. He asked himself, “If the Yoruba culture exists here, then where else?” He discovered that it was evident wherever Africans had landed during the transatlantic slave trade.
Professor Olupona was asked what set the Yoruba people apart to allow them to thrive in the New World. He explained that, because slavery had lasted for so long, the Americas received multiple waves of the Yoruba people. Yoruba culture was thus continually reinforced. He added, “It is my hope that when people in Africa see this film, it will lead to a renewal of culture and make Africans aware of what they have lost.”
For his part, Mr. Ammon highlighted the role of masquerade balls, known as “mas” in Trinidad and Tobago. Such celebrations showcased African traditions, such as stilt walking and stick fighting.
The event was co-organized by the United Nations Remember Slavery Programme and the International Decade for People of African Descent, 2015-2024.
UN Photo: Evan Schneider
UN Photo: Evan Schneider
UN Photo: Evan Schneider
UN Photo: Evan Schneider
UN Photo: Evan Schneider
UN Photo: Evan Schneider
UN Photo: Evan Schneider
UN Photo: Evan Schneider
UN Photo: Evan Schneider
UN Photo: Evan Schneider
UN Photo: Evan Schneider
From left to right: Prof. Jacob K. Olupona, Professor of African Religious Traditions,
Harvard Divinity School; Mr. Avery Ammon, Director of Afrika House, Trinidad and
and Tobago; Mr. Toyin Ibrahim Adekeye, Director of “Bigger Than Africa;
Ms. Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications;
H.E. Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the 74th session of the
General Assembly; Mr. Kamil Olufowobi, CEO of the Most Influential People of
African Descent (MIPAD); Ms. Nanette Braun, UN Department of Global
Communications Public Engagement. UN Photo: Evan Schneider