Manthia Diawara

The Malian writer, filmmaker, cultural theorist, scholar, and art historian Manthia Diawara conducts his research mainly in the field of black cultural studies. Rather than limiting black culture to a single definition, he emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and embracing its various manifestations. Diawara’s notable contributions include his publications on black film, such as “African Cinema: Politics & Culture” (published by Indiana University Press in 1992) and his edited volume “Black-American Cinema” (published by Routledge in 1993). As a filmmaker, he has written and directed multiple films.

AI: AFRICAN INTELLIGENCE is his latest essay film and explores the points of contact between rituals of African possession cults, as found in traditional fishing villages on Senegal’s Atlantic coast, and the emergence of new technologies in artificial intelligence.

The screening will be followed by a short audience discussion with the artist, moderated by Monika Szewczyk. Szewczyk is a research fellow at the Städelschule for the 2022/2023 academic year, and was recently appointed chief curator of Audain, The Polygon Gallery.

The screening is organized by the Hochschule für Bildende Künste – Städelschule in cooperation with the DFF. The program is made possible by the generous support of the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art within the framework of the QuiS funding program.