Program 9           
Saturday, September 24, 3:30 PM
Weis/Laiks Cinema, Winter Visual Art Center, Franklin & Marshall College


AKOSUA ADOMA OWUSU



me broni ba (my white baby)
2009, Ghana/United States, 22 minutes (DCP)

Me Broni Ba is a lyrical portrait of hair salons in Kumasi, Ghana. The tangled legacy of European colonialism in Africa is evoked through images of women practicing hair braiding on discarded white baby dolls from the West. The film unfolds through a series of vignettes, set against a child's story of migrating from Ghana to the United States. The film uncovers the meaning behind the Akan term of endearment, me broni ba, which means “my white baby.”

Split Ends; I Feel Wonderful
2012, United States, 4 minutes (DCP)

Playful yet powerful, Akosua Adoma Owusu’s Split Ends, I Feel Wonderful (2012) focuses on African American women’s hair, spinning found footage of 1970s New York hair salons and hairstyles into a dense collage of gesture, image, and contemporary resonance.

White Afro
2019, United States, 6 minutes (DCP)

Employing an archival instructional video on how to offer curly perms or body waving services to white clientele, White Afro intermingles the training video with the director’s mother’s experience of working as a hairstylist at a predominantly white hair salon in Alexandria, Virginia.

Pelourinho: They Don’t Really Care About Us
2019, United States, 9 minutes (DCP)

Freely inspired by a 1927 letter from American sociologist and Pan-Africanist W.E.B. Du Bois to the American embassy in Brazil, this colorful film takes us back to a time when it was impossible for African Americans to travel to Brazil and reminds us of the inequality still faced by the Black inhabitants of that country.

King of Sanwi
2020, United States, 7 minutes (DCP)

Vibrant archival footage is reworked from an unfinished film by Senegalese director Mamadou Johnny Sekka, which forms a visceral re-examination of Michael Jackson's long affinity with the African continent in a funky audiovisual collage.

Mahogany Too
2018, United States, 3 minutes (DCP)

Inspired by Nollywood’s distinct re-imagining in the form of unauthorized sequels, Mahogany Too, interprets the 1975 cult classic, Mahogany, a fashion-infused romantic drama. Starring Nigerian actress Esosa E.

Intermittent Delight
2007, United States, 5 minutes (DCP)

Constructed from a combination of 1960s Afrobeat, traditional Asante Adwoa music, and field recordings of West African men and women during production of clothes and garments, the soundtrack pulls the piece together and imbues it with a jolty and festive tone. The work touches upon the idea of feminism's uneven geographical and historical development, and the nuances of labor conditions women face depending on where they live.

Reluctantly Queer
2016, United States, 8 minutes (DCP)

Focused on a letter that is ultimately filled with hesitation and uncertainty, Reluctantly Queer both disrobes and questions what it means to be queer for this man in this time and space.