Africa Live Network is hosting the Iowa African Film Festival in Des Moines, showcasing films about African culture and about what it means to connect people from across the African diaspora.
Jack Chimbetete, a filmmaker and the founder of Africa Live Network, said that as a resident of Iowa he's often asked about Africa, and the film festival will be an easier way for people to learn more about the different cultures on the continent.
“We really don't have a lot of exposure to some of the stories, some of the countries, and me being a filmmaker myself and having experience telling stories — either Iowan stories and African stories — I thought it's a good opportunity to give everybody else a chance to learn, engage, see what happens in Africa,” Chimbetete said.
Organizers were overwhelmed by the interest in the festival’s inaugural year. They received 500 film submissions within the first five days of opening the application process.
“There's lots of interest, and I think there's also lots of talent,” Chimbetete said.
He added that in the United States, people sometimes treat Africa as one country, rather than a continent of 54 countries with their own cultures.
“Every country has its own type of culture, type of dress,” said Chimbetete. “We have our own way of making food.”
The films will be screened at Drake University Aug 6-8. The festival ends on Aug. 8 with the Motherland Experience Festival, a day of African arts, culture and community.
“You [can] expect a vibrant exposure of culture, a lot of different food from different parts of Africa, a lot of networking. A lot of exposure to nonprofit organizations we have within our community and that we need to share with the rest of Iowa and the rest of the world,” said Omar Love, founder and executive director of the Motherland Experience Festival. “And we'll have dancers there. We'll have a lot of dancing going on.”
Love came to the United States when he was 11. He said he felt left out as he was growing up because he didn’t have cultural representation in his community. That led to him starting the Motherland Experience.
“To have this platform where we are all represented, we are all recognized, and also find a way to empower our people economically through these events that we are going to be hosting,” Love said. “Also address the mental health stigma that we have within the African community and Black community as a whole.”
Chimbetete said about half of the films selected for the festival have something to do with mental health, so the festival will open up conversations about those issues during panels and workshops.
Chimbetete’s own film 1500: The Story of Manning, will be screened at the festival. The documentary tells the story of the small Iowa community in Carroll County.
“For Africans themselves, it's a good place to reflect. For those who've been living here for a long time is a good place to say, 'hey, what's happening in Sudan? What's happening in Nigeria right now? Okay, these are some innovations. These are things I didn't know were happening in my own country,' which is going to be fun,” Chimbetete said. “But for Iowans who have never traveled to Africa ... this would be a safe space to come in and sit in a movie house and just learn and just explore."
To hear this conversation, listen to Talk of Iowa, hosted by Charity Nebbe. Dani Gehr produced this episode.
