The Faulty of Humanities and Education at University of the West Indies, Mona, is set to host the E Desmond Lee Africa World Documentary Film Festival from October 2-5.

Over 20 documentaries made by filmmakers in Africa and African Diaspora communities will be screened at the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre.

The documentaries cover a wide range of subjects and reflect the diversity of interests, concerns and cultural expression in the African world. These films counter the notion that black communities are characterised primarily by poverty, war and violent conflict.

True Somebody: The African Soccer Dream by Stephen Latty documents a vital time in African soccer and shows how the extraordinary success of African players competing in European leagues has inspired a surge of soccer passion throughout the continent.

Some of the films are upbeat stories celebrating the resilience of the human spirit, creativity and the artistic sensibility: Asni, The Life of Asnaketch Worku: Courage, Passion & Glamor in Ethiopia, by Rachel Samuel, is the story of the extraordinary Ethiopian artist, Asnaketch Worku, who is a cultural icon in Ethiopia. Saya: Dance and Survival in an Afro-Bolivian Village, by Beret Strong and John Tweedy, shows how the Saya dance troupe in Bolivia, celebrates and preserves their African cultural heritage.

Sahel Calling by John Bosch looks at the aftermath of events in 2012 – 2013 in Mali when radicals used violence to control communities. Move by Theodore Collatos is the story of the Chicago-based Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre.