What do our films tell us about our culture? How can we harness the power of film to reconnect to a sense of culture, identity and self? How do great films successfully capture truths about our culture; can films push us towards higher and even more powerful ideals? Film and theatre may be an extension of the oral tradition and is a way we can communicate our history to the world. This month in the Adventurers In the Diaspora (AiD) series, a distinguished panel will discuss the genre of contemporary African film and highlight some of our successes: Sinking Sands, Grass Between My Lips, I sing of a well, Love Brewed In An African Pot, Heritage Africa. The AiD discussion featuring panelists from the Ghanaian and Diaspora film and television industry namely such as Akosua Busia, a film actress who lives in Los Angeles and Accra. Her film roles include a notable performance as Bessie in a 1986 film adaptation of Richard Wright’s Native Son, Nettie in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple (1985), as Jewel in John Singleton’s Rosewood (1997) and as Patience in Antoine Fuqua’s Tears of the Sun (2003). She has also appeared on television in the series ER. Also on the panel is Ama K. Abebrese, a British television presenter, producer and actress of Ghanaian origin. In 2011 she won the African Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in Sinking Sands. Abebrese started her career in TV on Challenge Anneka BBC2’s youth show Pass da Mic and the English File educational series. Abebrese was a regular TV presenter on One Touch, On The Sofa, where guests she has interviewed range from Akon to Ziggy Marley. Rounding up the panel is Abena Busia, a professor who teaches courses in African American and African Diaspora literature. She serves on the advisory board of the Ghana Education Project and the board of the African Women’s Development Fund. A co-director of Women Writing Africa Project, co-editor of Women Writing Africa: West Africa and the Sahel(2005). The author of Theorizing Black Feminisms (1993), Testimonies of Exile, as well as many articles and book chapters. AiD holds at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Wednesday, June 27, 2012 at 7:30pm and will feature music by the sensational Irene Logan.]]>