Maureen Gosling (L) and Maxine Downs (R) report that the North American premiere of BAMAKO CHIC at the Pan African Film Festival went great and the film was very well received. Nine of Maxine’s cousins showed up, as well as lots friends, including a filmmaker we met in Rwanda, Eric Kabera.
BAMAKO CHIC: Threads of Power, Color and Culture follows the stories of self-empowered African women, who create beauty, exhibit a strong cultural identity and are skilled innovators of dyeing cloth by hand, in Bamako, Mali. Through the intimate lives of three Malian cloth dyers, BAMAKO CHIC reveals the unsung work and artistry of women in one of the poorest nations in the world, where unemployment is 80% and political turmoil has destabilized the country since the coup of 2011. Navigating the perils of economic, health and food insecurity, the dyers have used their artistic gifts and creative ingenuity to carve out an economic niche for themselves and other Malian women. BAMAKO CHIC deflates US stereotypes, and offers an alternative point of view of African women, and of Africa—beyond the commonly known portrayal of a continent wrought with political unrest, economic scarcity and health tragedies. WIFV serves as the fiscal sponsor for this film.
