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Axis 4 | Archives For/After Liberation
Screening & Keynote
SANKOFA: look back to see the future
April 22, 2026 at 6:00–9:30pm
In-Person
La Sala Rossa
4848 Boul. Saint-Laurent, Montréal, QC H2T 1R5
Join us for the fourth and final screening of the second season of the Political Aesthetic series, Archives For/After Liberation, curated by Farah Atoui and Sanaz Sohrabi.
We will be screening part one of the film, Cuba: An African Odyssey, followed by a keynote by writer and director Jihan El Tahri, SANKOFA: look back to see the future.
Jihan El Tahri is an Egyptian and French national who is an award winning director, writer, visual artist and producer. In 2017 she was invited to join the Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Oscars) and continues as a Mentor at various film labs. Her documentaries include Nasser, Behind the Rainbow, Cuba: an African Odyssey, and The House of Saud. Her work as a Visual Artist have been exhibited worldwide in both galleries and biennales. Her writings include “Les Sept Vies de Yasser Arafat” (Grasset) and “Israel and the Arabs, The 50 Years war” (Penguin). El-Tahri is also engaged in various associations and institutions working with African Cinema. She served as treasurer of the Guild of African Filmmakers in the Diaspora, an Advisor on Focus Feature’s Africa first Program and as Regional Secretary of the Federation of Pan African Cinema (FEPACI).
More Info
Program:
Screening of Cuba: An African Odyssey (Part 1) and keynote by writer and director Jihan El Tahri, SANKOFA: look back to see the future.
“Sankofa” is the name of the Adinkra Symbol which portrays a mythical bird flying forward with its head looking back. In African Akan culture the symbol translates to: “recognize the importance of looking to the past to make a better future.” The discussion delves into how archival narratives – or the lack of them – are an essential factor in allowing us to reassess the way forward at such a critical juncture in world history. What happened to notions like “Internationalism” that underpinned solidarity between freedom fighters worldwide? How and when are so called terrorists reckoned as liberation warriors? By looking at how the image is a major to of the construction of a dominant narrative and how counter narratives can be constructed, we assess not just the importance of archive but the multiple perspectives inherent in its handling. Given the tectonic shifts that have occurred in our current World Order since the end of Colonial Empires and end of the Cold War, how do we redefine such concepts? Are the concepts and the archive now obsolete or are they today more relevant than ever?
Film Synopsis:
Cuba: An African Odyssey (Part 1), Jihan El Tahri, France, 2006, 97 min.
From Che Guevara's military campaign to avenge Lumumba in the Congo up to the fall of apartheid in South Africa, 300,000 Cubans fought alongside African revolutionaries. Cuba: An African Odyssey is the previously untold story of Cuba's support for various African revolutions, one of the Cold War's most vigorous contests over resources and ideology. This film attempts to understand the world today through the saga of these Cuban internationalists who won every battle but ultimately lost the war. (African Film Fest NY)
Archives For/After Liberation is the fourth and final screening in the second season of the Political Aesthetic screening series, which takes place from October 2025 to April 2026.
Admission is free and no RSVP is needed. Please come on time to ensure access to seating.
Accessibility: there are two sets of stairs inside the building to reach the venue.