| Sankofa | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Sankofafilm.jpg) The DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Haile Gerima |
| Written by | Haile Gerima |
| Starring | Kofi Ghanaba Oyafunmike Ogunlano Alexandra Duah |
| Distributed by | Mypheduh Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 124 minutes |
| Country | Burkina Faso / Germany / Ghana / US / UK |
| Language | English |
Sankofa (Amharic: ሳንኮፋ) is a 1993 Ethiopian-produced drama film directed by Haile Gerima centered on the Atlantic slave trade. The storyline features Oyafunmike Ogunlano, Kofi Ghanaba, Mutabaruka, Alexandra Duah, and Afemo Omilami. The word Sankofa derives its meaning from the Ghanaian Akan language which means to "go back, look for, and gain wisdom, power and hope," according to Dr. Anna Julia Cooper.[1] The word Sankofa stresses the importance of one not drifting too far away from one's past in order to progress in the future. In the film, Sankofa is depicted by a bird and the chants and drumming of a Divine Drummer.[2] Gerima's film showed the importance of not having people of African descent drift far away from their African roots. Gerima used the journey of the character Mona to show how the African perception of identity included recognizing one's roots and "returning to one’s source" (Gerima).