MOTHER DRUM
Curation + Strategy / 2019 -
For Mother Drum
The words; mother drum, is taken from the title of the leading talking drum; ‘iya-ilu’, attributed to the Yoruba ethnic group. An instrument used as a key communicator of stories, music and more, much like the griot and kora widely known to be played amongst the West African region.
Taking from the sentiment of its name; ‘Mother Drum’ is a platform dedicated to championing the nuances of African stories in cinema.
We programme and curate exhibitions IRL and on the WWW, harnessing the combination of video and sound, experimenting with various formats.
Rooted in the physical experience, our events are multi-faceted expanding beyond the boundaries of what you know the film experience to be.
We like to think of ourselves as a facilitator, a vehicle transporting you through Africa…the only clause is we decide where and how we take you there.
‘Travel the continent and its diaspora through film’.
Mother Drum launched with a private screening event, the second event partnered with Twitter at the London headquarters in Piccadilly. The third event was held on the 25th of May, which officially marks ‘Africa Day’.
Peckham, also known as ‘Little Lagos’, is located in the borough of Southwark and has the largest African population in London, a perfect location to host this event.
We partnered with Southwark Council’s Peckham Levels to honour the day with a sold out event, screening 3 short films and one feature film by African filmmakers on the continent and in the diaspora. The programme spotlight film was ‘Lumumba’ by Raoul Peck; a film that details the story of a Congolese politician and fighter of independence named Patrice Lumumba.
Events are currently on pause as we figure out what the future holds...