Calvert 22 to screen Afripedia documentaries this weekend

On Sunday 26 July, Calvert 22 will open its doors to the local community for the African Street Style Festival. The gallery, currently closed to the public due to building works, will screen five documentaries from Afripedia, an ongoing documentary project covering Africa’s contemporary culture.

Afripedia was launched by Swedish filmmaker Teddy Goitom with his his colleagues Benjamin Taft and Senay Berhe.

The ultimate goal of the project, according to the filmmaker, is to “challenge stereotypes and misrepresentation by highlighting exceptional talent across a wide variety of creative disciplines and allowing African artists to share their voices, stories, and work with the world”. As well as curiosity about the African cultural scene, the initial motivation for the project lay in the “huge lack of stories coming out of Africa about something other than the usual tragedies”.

He believes that documentary film is the best medium to serve the goal of challenging perception, because “moving images are a powerful medium to let viewers get an emotional connection with the protagonist”.

Mr Goitom is excited about the upcoming collaboration with Calvert 22. “I believe that through the collaboration with Calvert 22 and other like-minded organisations, we can learn a lot of each other’s work, promote each other and also spread other perspectives within our network,” he says.

The Afripedia screening schedule is as follows:

Ghana – 1:00pm

South Africa – 2:00pm

Kenya – 3:00pm

Angola – 4:00pm

Senegal – 5:00pm

Each film runs for approximately 28 minutes and seating will be on a first come, first served basis and subject to capacity.

The festival will also feature fashion from Tirivamwe, African-inspired Brazilian dance from Irineu Noguiera, and food from Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, as well as a host of visual art and other performers.

The African Street Style Festival will take place this Sunday (26 June) on Calvert Avenue and Arnold Circus, located in Shoreditch, London. The event will run from 12-7pm. Entrance is free.