A slight departure from the typical typography-related posts, but not entirely unrelated. This is an announcement for a film screening by one of the most interesting figures in the world of typography and academia, Saki Mafundikwa. Saki founded and runs Zimbabwe’s first design and new media college, the Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts (ZIVA). He has previously taught at Cooper Union, holds and MFA from Yale and has written extensively on African writing systems. In 2004 the book he wrote, “Afrikan Alphabets: The story of writing in Afrika”, was published by Mark Batty Publisher.
On Wednesday, April 14th he he will be screening his film Shungu at the Cooper Union. The film is “a compelling narrative of the strategies ordinary people use to survive in Zimbabwe today… The filmmaker takes us on a personal journey offering a rare, intimate insight as the country experiences political turmoil, economic meltdown and health care collapse.”
Screening details:
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
4 to 6 pm
Screening followed by Q&A
Frederick P. Rose Auditorium
41 Cooper Square, New York, NY
Free and open to the public
Please attend if you are in the area and help spread the word about this unique opportunity to see this film.
Information / References / Further Reading:
- Shungu film website.
- Interview with Saki on AIGA’s website.
- Interview with Saki at TAXI Design Network.
- Saki Mafundikwa’s Graphic Design in Afrika article.
- Afrikan Alphabets
- Sample pages from Afrikan Alphabets. (1.3Mb PDF file)
