We Were Here: The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe
This remarkable documentary sheds light on the rarely told history of the lives and contributions of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe.
Film/Video Theater
(Fred Kudjo Kuwornu, 2024)
We Were Here interweaves interviews with international art historians and reenactments inspired by paintings by the likes of Diego Velázquez, Vittore Carpaccio, and Andrea Mantegna. The film examines the presence of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe, especially those people represented in paintings from the era. Who were they? How did they get to Europe? By highlighting their presence as a key part of European society, the film counters the narrative that the only Black people there were enslaved. In French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch with English subtitles. (60 mins., DCP)
A panel featuring filmmaker Fred Kudjo Kuwornu, Ohio State Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies Margaret Flinn, and School of Music Professor Ryan Skinner follows the screening.
Admission is first come, first served.
Free for all audiences with ticket.