Manchester to Host See My World Pan-African Film Festival in November

A new film festival celebrating independent creators from across the African diaspora in northern England is set to take place in Manchester. Inspired by pan-African philosophical concepts, the See My World event will be held at the Contact theatre on Oxford Road on Saturday, 21 November, running from 2:00 pm to 11:00 pm.

The festival forms part of See My World's year-round artistic and cultural programming. It builds on momentum generated by local activists and creatives following last year's 80th anniversary commemorations of the historic 1945 Pan-African Congress held in Manchester.

INSPIRATION FROM PAN-AFRICAN THINKERS

Tunde Adekoya, CEO and artistic director of See My World, explained that the festival draws inspiration from a broad spectrum of pan-African thought, including the writings of Kenyan authors John Mbiti and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. Both intellectuals rejected colonial assertions of African inferiority, emphasized community values, and advocated for the reclamation of African systems of knowledge.

Mbiti, an Anglican theologian who passed away in 2019, explored spiritual and philosophical concepts of time, notably Sasa na Zamani, which examines how the past informs present and future progress. Ngũgĩ, a Marxist author known for his 1986 work Decolonising the Mind who passed away last year, argued that European powers used language as an instrument of cultural and economic conquest. He famously shifted from writing in English to Gikuyu, a Bantu language spoken primarily in Kenya.

Adekoya noted that applying these philosophical frameworks allows the festival to serve as a platform for exploring strategies of liberation while drawing on historical context to guide forward movement.

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME AND ACCESSIBILITY

The event aims to challenge traditional film festival structures by improving accessibility and focusing on underrepresented narratives. Filmmakers were invited to submit works up to 30 minutes in length across various genres, with no screening fees charged.

Alongside submitted independent works, the schedule features exclusive premieres of documentaries produced by See My World that combine film with poetry and dance. Highlighted productions include Homage, a documentary integrating present-day portraits of dance artists with archival footage from Manchester to explore themes of rhythm, migration, joy, and resistance. Another featured documentary, Poetic Justice, examines the historical and contemporary connections between pan-African thought and Manchester's poetry scene.

In addition to film screenings, the day-long event will include interactive exhibitions, performance showcases, panel discussions, audience Q&A sessions, director process insights, and creative workshops.