Screen Africa’s Namibian readers will be interested to hear that there will be a free screening of The World Needs Africa on 3 March at 7.15pm at the Geothe-Zentrum Windhoek.
The event is coordinated by AfricAvenir Windhoek and the Goethe-Centre Windhoek with the support of dctp.tv. It presents the TV interview between the well-known German author, television producer and filmmaker Alexander Kluge and the Cameroonian historian, author, and founder of AfricAvenir International, Professor Prinz Kum’a Ndumbe III.
During the interview, the two dialogue partners will focus on the German colonial past in Cameroon and ask the question "What did Hitler want in Africa?” This is also the title of a book by Kum’a Ndumbe III.
Born into a Cameroonian royal family, Professor Prince Alexandre Kum’a Ndumbe III first visited Europe in 1961 and successfully completed his schooling in Munich. After his studies, he lectured at the University of Lyon II and the Catholic University of Lyon for several years, before moving back to Cameroon in 1979, where he held the German Studies Chair at the University of Yaoundé (1980-1987). In 1989, he habilitated at the Political Science Department of the Free University of Berlin on Post World-War II German Africa Policy and has since been lecturing regularly in Berlin.
In 2002 Kum’a Ndumbe III returned again to Cameroon, where he teaches now at the Universitity of Yaoundé and directs the foundation AfricAvenir International in Douala.
An anthology of his German publications was released by the publishing house Editions AfricAvenir/ Exchange & Dialogue (http://exchange-dialogue.com/) and includes alongside non-fiction books on history and politics also theatre plays and collected speeches.
First and foremost Kum’a Ndumbe III is considered a “cultural bridge-builder“. His entire life he has been devoted to the fostering of peaceful and more equal and respectful relations between Africa and Europe. It has thus also been a life devoted to the uplifting and rehabilitation of Africa and African culture and history.
Between 1981 and1991, Prince Kum’a Ndumbe III was President of the Cameroonian Writers’ Association (APEC), Vice-President of the Central African Writers’ Association (1985-1991) and since 2002 Board Member of the Association of Authors’ Rights in Yaoundé. Recently, one of his poems – a hommage to the late Pan-African scholar Cheikh Anta Diop was put into music by the internationally successful Afropean band Les Nubians.
Alexander Kluge received the Great Federal Gross of Merit by the German President in 2007. Next to this, he received multiple awards in the sector of film, television, and literature. In 2010 he received the German Price for Audiobooks and the Adolf-Grimme-Price. Next to his film analysis and works on film theory, his literary works include mostly short stories and novels like “Stories from the Cinema” (2007) and “The Labyrinth of tender power” (2009).
The 3 March event will begin with a short introduction to the work of AfricAvenir International and a brief description of the life of Professor Prince Kum’a Ndumbe III.. After the screening there is the opportunity to discuss with Mr. Hans-Christian Mahnke as well as Mr. Werner Hillebrecht.
For more information email africaveir.whk@googlemail.com
