( ENSPIRE News ) Afropop Celebrates its Tenth Anniversary in Harlem
ENSPIRE Contributor: Emmanuel Perilla
African-American stars and filmmakers came together at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse in February to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the series Afropop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange. Afropop is a series of short films that celebrate the cultural and historical growth that has occurred in Africa over the past generations. The series’ purpose is to stimulate a conversation on the present-day realities of Africans, both living on the continent and those living in other corners of the globe.
Afropop has screened films for the last ten seasons to engage American audiences in conversations about Black life, art, and culture. Afropop is the only television series dedicated to presenting documentary films about the global black experience. The event featured a screening of award-winning director Raoul Peck’s film, Fatal Assistance, a powerful criticism of the global aid policies that failed Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake.
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Photo Credit: Terrence Jennings[/caption]
The evening was hosted by actor Nicholas L. Ashe, who plays Micah West in the critically acclaimed OWN series ‘Queen Sugar’, which is directed by Ava Duvernay and executive- produced by Oprah Winfrey. Ashe made his acting debut at age 10 in the role of young Simba in the national tour of The Lion King. The event featured a post-screening discussion led by award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa, who was the first Latina reporter to enter many newsrooms and anchors the Emmy award-winning talk show Maria Hinojosa.
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Photo Credit: Terrence Jennings[/caption]
Afropop is a genuine representation of black culture on a global scale. It features everything from popular art, fashion, and music to important historical figures and movements. It’s essentially a first-hand look into the achievements of people of African descent and a real glimpse into their everyday realities. It’s a celebration of black life and black stories.
Afropop is airing on WORLD channel and will available for online viewing on all PBS platforms, including PBS.org, and on PBS apps like for iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire Tv, and Chromecast. The entire season ten of Afropop has been released to other mainstream television stations in February 2018.
For a glimpse into these great stories, visit http://blackpublicmedia.org/afropop/
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