Cascade Festival of African Films

African Film Library Collection

Films from past festivals may be available in the PCC Library’s African Film Collection. It is one of the largest collections in the Pacific Northwest and is accessible to students, faculty, staff, and the public. If you are not a PCC student, inquire about a guest library card.

Africa in the Pacific Northwest

Organizations

• Africa’s Tomorrow: Building the future of Africa by investing in the youth of today.
• African Women’s Coalition: The African Women Coalition’s mission is to mobilize, advocate, and empower African women living in Oregon and S.W. Washington by providing a culturally supportive and nurturing environment that builds the capacity of the community to help itself and allows other members of the community to reach their highest potential through support, guidance and educational opportunities.
• Gambia Help: Gambia Health Education Liaison Project.
• Harambee Center: Connecting with the people and cultures of Africa.
• Ko-Falen Cultural Center: Ko-Falen Cultural Center, located in Portland, Oregon, and Bamako, Mali, is the inspiration of Baba Wagué Diakité, a Malian artist and writer now living in Portland. It has been his dream to share the culture of his home country with the people of his adopted home. Ko-Falen Cultural Center seeks to promote cultural, artistic, and educational exchanges between the people of the United States and Mali through art workshops, dance, music, and ceremony. We believe that a greater understanding and respect between people can be reached through these personal exchanges.
• Obo Addy Legacy Project: The Obo Addy Legacy Project, the non-profit formerly known as Homowo African Arts and Cultures, will carry forth the work begun by Obo Addy in 1986 to create, perform, and teach African arts. Obo passed away on September 13, 2012, leaving this rich legacy for the Obo Addy Legacy Project to continue.
• Portland-Mutare Sister City Organization: Engaged in a wide range of activities to both support their Sister City and to find ways to prevent HIV infection, care for the sick, increase economic development efforts, especially among those living with AIDS, and ensure that students continue to have access to education.
• The Ray of Hope Foundation: Promoting health, healing, enterprise, and education in Kenya.
• Watoto wa Dunia (Children of the World): Watoto wa Dunia, based in Portland, Oregon, and Nairobi, Kenya, is a grassroots organization that works with volunteers in local communities to find sustainable solutions to problems facing impoverished children and communities. Our goals include educating and empowering women and children, reducing hunger, stopping AIDS, and developing leadership.
• Zimbabwe Artists Project: Making human connections through art.

Businesses

• African Creations, LLC: Email hcheick@yahoo.com.
• E’njoni Café: African-Mediterranean cuisine in North Portland.
• Queen of Sheba International Foods: Authentic Ethiopian dining in North Portland.
• Rhythm Traders: The Northwest’s most extensive selection of drum sets, cymbals, marching, and symphonic percussion, djembes, congas, and world percussion. Rhythm Traders also offers lessons, repairs, rentals, and school packages, and has an extensive kids’ drum section.

If you would like your organization or event to be listed on this page, please send the name of your organization, a short description, and contact info to info@africanfilmfestival.org.

African Film Festivals Around the World

USA and Canada

• African Diaspora International Film Festival – New York: An eclectic mix of over 60 foreign, independent, urban, and classic films that depict the global Black experience.
• African Film Festival New York: A week-long offering of African feature and documentary films in conjunction with the Film Society of Lincoln Center in April with additional screenings in April and May at the Institute for African Studies at Columbia University, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and other venues.
• Cascade Festival of African Films – Portland, Oregon: “Africa through African lenses.” This five-weekend-long festival brings Portlanders together to celebrate the richness, complexity, and diversity of African peoples and cultures through film and to discuss issues of personal and global significance. The festival showcases 20–23 feature and documentary films from the African continent. Highlights include visiting filmmakers, guest speakers, after-film discussions, Women Filmmakers Week, Family Film Day, and Diaspora Film Night. The festival’s extensive African Video Collection is housed in the Portland Community College Library. The festival is organized and run mainly by volunteers and is offered to the public free of charge.
• New African Films Festival – Washington, DC: Showcasing the vibrancy of African filmmaking from all corners of the continent.
• Pan African Film Festival – Los Angeles: Over 100 quality films from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific, and Canada, all showcasing the diversity and complexity of people of African descent.
• Vues d’Afrique – Montreal

Africa

• Festival Panafrican du Cinéma de Ouagadougou (Fespaco) – Burkina Faso: FESPACO was founded in 1969 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, thanks to the efforts of a few serious African film enthusiasts. Due to the admiration and hope that it inspired amongst the general populace and filmmakers alike, the festival became an institution by governmental decree on January 7, 1972. It is a biennial festival starting the last Saturday in February every odd year. FESPACO’s objectives are to facilitate the screening of all African films; enable contacts and exchanges among film and audiovisual professionals; and contribute to the expansion and development of African cinema, as a means of expression, education, and raising awareness.
• Luxor African Film Festival – Luxor, Egypt: The first Luxor African Film Festival was held in Luxor, Egypt, from February 21-28, 2012. Its mission is to support and encourage African film productions and partnerships between the countries of the continent through strengthening the humanitarian and political ties between the peoples of Africa in general and African artists in particular.
• Zanzibar International Film Festival – Tanzania

Europe

• Afrika Eye – Bristol, UK
• Africa in Motion – Edinburgh, Scotland: Africa In Motion (AiM) is a film festival celebrating the very best in African film-making from across the continent.
• Africa in the Picture – Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Afrika Film Festival – Leuven, Belgium
• Festival Cinema Africano – Milan, Italy
• Festival de Cine Africano – Cordoba, Spain
• Festival des Cinémas d’Afrique du Pays d’Apt – Apt, France
• Film Africa – London, UK: Film Africa showcases more than 50 of Africa’s best films, past and present.
• Galway African Film Festival – Ireland

Asia

• Tokyo African Film Festival – Tokyo, Japan

African Literature Reading List

Introduction to African Literature

The African Literature Reading List, compiled by Mary Holmström, serves as a valuable resource for exploring the diverse literary landscape of Africa. It features a curated selection of works by African authors, spanning various genres, themes, and regions. This list is ideal for educators, students, and readers seeking to deepen their understanding of African storytelling, history, and culture. Some of these works have also been adapted into films, bringing their powerful narratives to the screen and further expanding their cultural impact. By engaging with these texts, readers gain insight into the richness of African perspectives, traditions, and contemporary issues. View or download the list at your leisure.

CFAF African Country Notes

View the country notes.