Ama Ata Aidoo

Yari Yari -- Black Women Writers and the Future: An International Conference on Literature by Women of African Descent was held at New York University in October 1997. Yari Yari means "the future" in the Kuranko language of Sierra Leone, West Africa. It was the first major international literary conference of its kind, featuring such renowned writers as Edwidge Danticat, Sonia Sanchez, Maya Angelou, Werewere Liking and Sapphire. The video documents selected scenes from panels, readings, and performances during the conference.

The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo explores the artistic contribution of one of Africa's foremost woman writers, a trailblazer for an entire generation of exciting new talent, among them the internationally acclaimed Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie. The film follows Aidoo over the course of a year during which she travels home to her ancestral village int he Central Region of Ghana and is feted at a Festschrift organized by friends and colleagues at UC Santa Barbara. She attends the premiere of her seminal play about the local African experiences of the slave trade, Anowa, performed by UCSB's Theatre Department