Imagining the Fire: Conversations on African American | Episode #3
Mexico is today’s destination in ‘Imagining Fire: Conversations on the African American.’
Like the other countries of the Americas, Mexico was impacted by colonization in several ways. One of these was the arrival of enslaved Africans. History, however, has gradually obscured their participation and the presence of their descendants. But there is growing strength to achieve institutional and social recognition. In 2019, the Constitution recognized the Afro-Mexican population as part of the nation, and the following year conducted a census with a self-recognition question. According to that census, 1 out of every 100 Mexicans recognize themselves as Afro-descendant or black. To understand this reality a little more, our guest today is Medhin Tewolde Serrano, a Mexican-Eritrean filmmaker. She is a filmmaker and a documentary filmmaker. She accompanies the participatory video and community communication processes. That experience inspired @medhin_tewolde_cine to direct her first feature documentary, ‘Negra.’ She is currently in the post-production stage of the short film Nyanga. “It is important to talk about the black community in general, especially here in Mexico, where there is so much ignorance about the Afro-Mexican people. It seems that it is urgent to put the Afro-Mexican community at the center and talk about it.”
Imaginar el fuego: conversaciones sobre lo africamericano’ is an interview program hosted by Marcela Vallejo.
