Where can you see films that feature 1950s housewives, young boys with televisions for heads and Afro-samurai’s? Well, at Africa in Motion that’s where! If you think that African Sci-fi is too niche to draw an audience, you'd be wrong. It was jam packed, with students, Sci-fi aficionados (nee geeks) and fans of African cinema. The film that really stuck out for us was the breath taking Afro/Japanese fable Hasaki Ya Suda (Swords). Set in a dystopic future where climate change has caused drought, famine and conflict; this "Afro-samurai" short explored ideas around power, technology and alienation. It's not for the faint hearted but is certainly worth searching out!

We also attended an all-day symposium on African Popular Culture in the 21st Century at The University of Edinburgh. We weren't sure if our brains would cope with the early Saturday morning start but after a strong cup of tea and some complimentary fair trade chocolate we settled down to listen to academics discuss subjects as diverse as Ghanaian Hip Life, modern literary journals of the continent, and the power of the Ciwara. 

What impressed us about the festival was not just the enthusiasm of its audience but the scale of its ambition. Now in its seventh year the festival seems to be going from strength to strength. Founded by academic Lizelle Bischoff and Melissa Trachtberg in 2006 the festival aims to introduce Scottish audiences to the brilliance of African cinema.

The festival runs until November 2nd across Edinburgh and Glasgow. The programme features film shorts, a selection of films on Modern African Identities, art documentaries, as well as debates and discussions from leading filmmakers and academics. More can be found on their website here