Thursday, April 16, 2020
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Joukowsky Forum, 111 Thayer Street
This event includes screenings of A felicidade delas (short) and Meu amigo Fela (feature), 108 mins.
Access at: https://brown.zoom.us/j/92445730392?pwd=OUI4UUJpNlZjR1BPWnBhWEtJS1pGdz09
Please message Renato Amado (https://www.facebook.com/renato.amado) for password at least an hour prior to screening
My Friend Fela provides a new perspective on the Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, in order to counter the most often portrayed narrative of Fela "as an eccentric African pop idol of the ghetto," according to director Joel Zito Araújo. The complexity of Fela's life is unraveled through the eyes and conversations of his close friend and official biographer, the Afro-Cuban Carlos Moore. As the documentary unfolds, it reveals the many influences and forces that shaped Fela's extraordinary life: from the relationship he had with his mother to his many problematic relationships with women, from his ties with his spiritual adviser Professor Hindu to his mutually influential encounters with African Americans. By placing Fela's personal history in a pan-African context, the film becomes not only a portrait of one man but also of a pan-African generation.