WINDHOEK
In preparation for the 10th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNESCO) taking place in Namibia, AfricAvenir and the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC) will be screening The Power Stone – A history of the Kwanyama Kingdom next Wednesday.
The 53 minutes movie has been Directed by Andrew Botelle and Kelly Kowalski.
The screening of the movie will be followed by a panel discussion with:
– Jacques Nashilongweshipwe Mushaandja, COTA, The Chanting Warrior,
– Trixie Munyama, Da-mai Dance Ensemble, COTA and Papa Hishishi Shikongeni.
The discussion will focus on how films such as The Power Stone and stories of the Kwanyamas at the time of King Mandume have inspired these artists in their creative work they do today.
AfricAvenir distributes the film in all territories. DVDs can be purchased via AfricAvenir in Windhoek and Berlin. This true story follows the journey of a sacred stone belonging to the Kwanyama people. Passed down from generation to generation, this sacred power stone has remained at the centre of the Kwanyama kingdom, until the last Kwanyama king, Mandume, was killed by British-South African soldiers in 1917. After the king’s death, the stone disappeared. This documentary takes us on a quest to find the power stone. “Part One: When We Were Kings” traces the stone’s migration through pre-colonial Africa and witnesses the rise and fall of the Kwanyama kingdom. “Part Two: Africa Gets Light and Security” examines the effects of colonialism on the kingdom and follows the stone’s secret journey to Europe during the war against apartheid until its remarkable return home after Namibia’s independence in 1990.
The documentary combines written archival histories with oral histories as told by Kwanyama storytellers, musicians, poets and artists. Contemporary footage (interviews and re-enactments) is intermixed with archival photographs and 1937 footage of Kwanyama traditions and lifestyles. Entrance to the screening is N$30 and the screening starts at 18H30.