Presence and exhibition of African film in Harlem

Abstract

Throughout the twentieth-century American history, the circulation of African arts in the New York City runs parallel with African American activism. The African on-screen presence in Harlem needs to be examined in this broader context in order to better grasp the historical trajectory of its development in the neighbourhood and also the encounters and exchanges between Africans and African Americans. Today, the increased interest in African screen media productions result from the confluence of two phenomena: the current Black renaissance and the reconfigurations of African cinema under the influence of migration. Harlem is once again playing a pivotal role in the dissemination of African culture, specifically African cinema in the New York City.