Sambizanga (1972)

A poignant and revolutionary feat of political cinema, Sambizanga tells the story of the rise of Angola’s independence movement, featuring nonprofessional actors who were behind the anticolonial resistance themselves.

The film traces the spark of the country’s uprising as a young woman searches for her husband who has just been arrested by Portuguese authorities. What follows is her journey from the outskirts of Luanda toward the city’s center, unfolding a compassionate and loving chronicle of the role and resilience of women in the global struggle for liberation.

The film screens with L’Mina and is accompanied by Fanon’s Legacy and True Chronicles…

Sarah Maldoror was a Black, Francophone artist whose work spanned film and theatre, having directed more than forty short or feature-length films, fiction films or documentaries.  In 1958, she created the first black troupe in Paris, “Les Griots”, alongside Toto Bissainthe, Timoti Bassori and Samb Abambacar. Her work was distinguished by its poetry and radical politics, serving as the bedrock for her Pan African cinematic work. In her telling, “I play a cultural role as filmmaker. What interests me is to research films about African history, because our history has been written by others, not by us.”

The Caribbean Solidarity Network (CSN) is an organization committed to the principles of Caribbean Liberation and Unity across the region as well as throughout the Diaspora. CSN’s platform is one rooted in a feminist, anti-imperialist, anti-colonial struggle. The history of the Caribbean peoples has always been one of freedom and self-determination. CSN offers space for the Caribbean community and invested allies to foment ideas and build collective knowledge and understanding about present and local circumstances.

The Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF) is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization dedicated to bringing Palestinian cinema, music, cuisine and art to GTA audiences. TPFF was conceived in 2008 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Al-Nakba.

The University of Toronto New College’s Community Engaged Learning is a placement-based program for students to work in social service or community sector.

Caribbean Studies at the University of Toronto is an interdisciplinary program engaging Caribbean history and society, politics and economic development, literature and thought.