PVD World Music: African Film Festival featuring Le Tambours Sacres by Batimba Joseph & Steven Sogo

PVD World Music: African Film Festival; Le Tambours Sacres by Batimba Joseph and Burundian Music from Steven Sogo 

Wednesday, Sep 14, 2022

5:00 PM to 9:00 PM

At the Temple to Music

Come celebrate the opening day of the African Film Festival. We will open with the feature film Le Tambours Sacres by Burundian trailblazer filmmaker Batimba Joseph. Steven Sogo, a Burundian traditional music singer, and songwriter will perform traditional Inanga music from Burundi and the Great Lakes of Africa.

We offer this beginning as a tribute honoring the refugee families from the Great Lakes who immigrated to Rhode Island beginning in the early 2000s. Many people in this community, especially youth born here or in refugee camps have been denied the opportunity to listen to, learn from and share their precolonial music traditions, owing to ongoing conflicts and colonial harm.  It will be a first for many to enjoy live performances of important ancestral instruments such as the Inanga, Umuduri, and Ikembe. Additionally, the opening day will be a great opportunity for African refugee youth to watch a film made by a filmmaker from their shared homelands. Tickets are free, and donations are highly encouraged.