AfriDocs July Programme
A newsletter arrived presenting an impressive selection of films to be broadcast in Africa…
A year ago we wrote about the Afridocs initiative taken by the Steps foundation in Cape Town, which is run by Don Edkins, who initiated Steps for the Future and was involved in the global series ”Why Democracy” and ”Why Poverty”. Afridocs is supported by the Bertha Foundation and ED, which is (quote from the website, link below) ”Africa’s newest information and knowledge portal. Immediate and interactive, it seeks to engage and inspire…
To refresh your memory: ”AfriDocs is the name of a broadcast initiative that has a focus on “The best documentaries made in Africa and the first documentary strand across Sub-Saharan Africa… real stories weekly. Primetime.” Through the channels
DStv ED (channel190) and GOtv (channel 65). In this way AfriDocs covers 49 African countries by satellite and 100 cities terrestrially across 8 countries across Africa.”
The selection of films for July includes titles like Kief Davidson’s ”Open Heart” (photo), ”An Oscar-nominated documentary of eight Rwandan children who leave their families behind and embark on a life-or-death journey to receive high-risk open-heart surgery in Africa’s only free-of-charge, state-of-the-art cardiac hospital, the Salam Centre.” And Syrian “Return to Homs” by Talal Derk, and “Iron Ladies of Liberia” by Daniel Junge and Siatta Scott Johnson about “Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first ever freely elected female Head of State in Africa.” It is interesting to see the countries of origin of the films in the repertory – Maldives, Liberia, Congo Brazzaville, Guatemala, South Sudan… high quality films, often awarded at international festivals.
