June 12: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MAMANI ABDOULAYE by Amina Abdoulaye Mamani

5pm | Sunday, June 12, 2022. | Alliance Française Lagos, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi | Free Entry/RSVP

June 12 is a significant date in contemporary Nigerian history. Many remember it as the date of the 1993 elections that would be annulled. Amongst the countless activists, who protested the cancellation of the results, were writers, journalists and poets. With national elections coming up in Nigeria less than a year from now, we remain mindful of how voting outcomes can shape a nation’s future.
Globally, writers and journalists remain at the forefront of condemning oppressive and repressive leadership, and they are at the centre of our upcoming screening.

For this special edition of Screen Out Loud, we look forward to presenting IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MAMANI ABDOULAYE (2018), a documentary about Mamani Abdoulaye, the late Nigerien poet and novelist who fought for Niger Republic’s independence from France. He would also condemn the poor governance by postcolonial Nigerien politicians, and was imprisoned for his activism.
Decades after his passing, Amina Abdoulaye Mamani, an actor and filmmaker, presents a profile of her father – the poet, philosopher and politician. As she gets to know more about his political activism, we also get to know more about the man whose novel Sarraounia was adapted for screen by Mauritanian filmmaker Med Hondo.

If you love film, literature, politics and history, you don’t want to miss this event. Be sure to join us on Sunday, June 12 at Alliance Française Lagos/Mike Adenuga Centre. The screening will start at 5pm prompt (doors open at 4.30pm). Entry is free.

For the post-screening conversation, we are privileged to be joined by renowned journalists Kunle Ajibade and Molara Wood. Mr. Ajibade is an acclaimed journalist, activist, executive editor of The News/PM News, and author of What A Country and Jailed For Life: A Reporter’s Prison Notes. The latter is an account of his time in prison while serving a life sentence during the regime of the late General Sani Abacha.
Ms. Wood is an award-winning writer, journalist, and host of the Art For The People podcast. She is the author of Indigo, a collection of Short Stories, and will moderate the conversation with Mr. Ajibade.

This event is organised with support from Alliance Française de Lagos, and the Embassy of France in Nigeria.

ABOUT THE FILM
Who still remembers Abdoulaye Mamani? Militant and determined trade unionist, journalist, committed writer, he fought all his life for the freedom of the peoples and the independence of his country Niger. A life of hope, struggle and exile, at the heart of contemporary history and the decolonization movement of Africa. Today, the politician seems to have disappeared from the official history of Niger, but the man of letters continues to survive beyond the borders by the writings he left. This man was my father. By following in his footsteps, twenty-three years after his death, I rediscover little by little with his history, the one of my country. View trailer.