On November 20-21, 2024, in collaboration with Dr. Boukary Sawadogo, The Africa Center proudly presents the third edition of the Harlem African Animation Festival. The festival will feature film screenings, panel discussions and a stage performance around African folktales.

Established in 2021, the Harlem African Animation is the first festival in the United States exclusively devoted to African animated films and series. The festival honors the long history of African animation, all the way from its origins in the 1910s to the exciting contributions African audiovisual storytellers are making within the field today.

Dr. Boukary Sawadogo is the founding director of the Harlem African Animation Festival. He is  an Associate Professor of Cinema Studies at the City University of New York’s City College and  CUNY Graduate Center. As a specialist in African cinemas, he has published extensively through  film reviews, articles, book chapters, and four books. In addition to African film and media  industries, Sawadogo’s work has been widening in scope and depth to include a study of the  African diaspora and migrants. A particular focus is placed on African immigrant communities in  the United States, as evidenced by his most recent book Africans in Harlem: An Untold New  York Story (2022) and the documentary film Salut Y’all: African Teachers on the Bayou (2013).

Events are free and open to all. Registration does not guarantee entrance, so we recommend that you arrive early.