New African Films Festival Opens Tonight

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)TransAfrica’s 8th annual New African Films Festival kicks off tonight at AFI with a screening of Mama Africa, about the late, great singer Miriam Makeba, one of the most charismatic African performers of her time. The vibrancy of African filmmaking from all corners of the continent is on display in 13 films, many of which reflect the struggles of Africa’s working men and women. Of special interest to a labor audience is Lucky, about a 10-year-old orphan trying to make something of himself; Themba, in which a talented young soccer player tries to escape the reality of the round-hut village he calls home; Come Back, Africa, the 1959 film that provided the first glimpse into the harsh reality of life under the South African apartheid government (and which got Makeba banned from South Africa). The festival runs through March 13; click here for the full line-up and schedule.