Ethiopian-born filmmaker and retired Howard University professor Haile Gerima debuted his best-known movie, Sankofa, in 1993. The acclaimed film follows a modern Black American woman thrust into an enslaved past. Sankofa, the LA Times wrote, “is a celebration of the strength of black people, in drawing upon their spiritual roots, to defy their oppressors—past and present alike.” Since 1997, Gerima and his wife, Shirikiana Aina Gerima, have also owned Sankofa Video, Books & Cafe, near Howard’s campus, where students and community members hang out, eat, and attend film screenings, author chats, and other events. Gerima reflects here on how support for Sankofa the movie led to Sankofa the cultural hub.
“I came to DC in ’75 to teach at Howard University. I left Howard for two years in 1993 just to distribute Sankofa. Washington is where we started what we call the “Sankofa Family” that helped us distribute the film in the Black community, raise money, and then go to other states.
“We called community elders that were supportive of cultural movements, rented a theater, and showed them the film. I said, ‘If you want to help us, if you believe in the film, show [that you do].’ And [the Sankofa Family] formed there.
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