ajabu
ajabu
✳✳✳
ajabu ajabu audio-visual house @ kimweri
maangamizi & the art of return *
re:sisterrr x mama mishe *
apostles of cinema
hadithi hadithi
picha la leo
semi za picha *
kuna mende kwenye mashine
cherish
tuchoree mto
manifested belonging *
Maangamizi: The Ancient One was the first major feature made in Tanzania. Produced over the course of a decade and released in 2001, the film received international acclaim but went virtually unseen at home — a fate far too common for African (cinematic) heritage. In recognition of this, and in honour of its 20th anniversary, ajabu ajabu coordinated an official ‘re-release’ including:
This project has fostered collective thinking around the act of cinematic preservation through modes of radical access ~~~ conducted with organisations like EYE International, cinema of commoning, and united screens. Its next phase will involve the restoration, digitisation, and ‘return’ of other works from Tanzania’s ‘canon’ which are currently beinf held in archives internationally.
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artistic (re)interpretations of the poster
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20th anniversary premiere & exhibition @ ZIFF 2021
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translation of the film into colloquial Swahili by DJ Black
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guerrilla distribution of the new translation via ‘pirate’ video libraries and cinemas
- international distribution thru collaborative programming with festivals and cultural institutions
This project has fostered collective thinking around the act of cinematic preservation through modes of radical access ~~~ conducted with organisations like EYE International, cinema of commoning, and united screens. Its next phase will involve the restoration, digitisation, and ‘return’ of other works from Tanzania’s ‘canon’ which are currently beinf held in archives internationally.