African storytelling is taking center stage once again — not just as entertainment, but as a powerful tool for identity, history, liberation, and global cultural connection.

On this edition of the Morning Show Conversation Segment, Afia TV spotlights the build-up to the 2026 Abibitumi Abibifahodie Film Festival, an international platform dedicated to celebrating authentic African stories, Black identity, cultural memory, and diaspora connection through film and creative expression.

Joining the conversation is Ọnụọra Abuah, Director of the Abibitumi Film Festival & Conference, as we explore the vision behind one of the most culturally significant African-centered film gatherings bringing together filmmakers, storytellers, scholars, creatives, and audiences from across the continent and the global African diaspora.

Organized by Abibitumi and the Decade of Our Repatriation (DOOR) initiative, the festival is more than a showcase of films — it is a movement rooted in reclaiming African narratives and strengthening connections between Africans on the continent and descendants of Africa across the world.

At a time when global media spaces are increasingly questioning representation, ownership of narratives, and cultural authenticity, the Abibitumi Abibifahodie Film Festival seeks to create a platform where African stories are told by Africans, for Africans, and with the fullness of African identity intact.This conversation examines the growing influence of African cinema, the importance of preserving indigenous stories, and the role film can play in reconnecting communities separated by history, migration, and the transatlantic slave trade.
What kinds of stories are shaping the 2026 edition?How is African cinema evolving beyond stereotypes and survival narratives?And why are festivals like this becoming increasingly important in the global cultural conversation?From heritage and spirituality to resistance, identity, language, migration, and liberation, the festival promises to spotlight films that challenge dominant narratives while celebrating the richness and complexity of African experiences.


As Nollywood, independent African cinema, and diaspora storytelling continue gaining international recognition, platforms like Abibitumi are helping redefine what global African storytelling can look like — bold, rooted, unapologetic, and deeply connected to history.This is more than film.It is memory, identity, culture, and connection projected onto the screen.#abibitumifilmfestival


#africanstorytelling #africancinema #diasporaconnection #abibifahodie #nollywood #afiatv #blackculture #africanfilmfestival #door #panafricanism #filmandculture #creativeafrica #globalafrica #africanidentity

⁣Link Up Podcast — Episode 2 | Featuring Baba Kofi and Mama Abena (The Shakirs)

Hosts: Niara Esi Ìjèawelē Ọmọlará Kwento & Bakari Kwadwo Ọbatayé Kwento

* with an Abibitumi 20 year tribute from Ɛna Nkanyezi *

Akɔaba, Woezɔ, Oɔbaake (welcome) Black to the Link Up Podcast, where we connect with Abibifoɔ (Black People) doing Black powerful work across Abibiman (the Black Land) and the diaspora.

In this episode, we Link Up with Baba Kofi and Mama Abena (The Shakir's) — a Blacktacular couple who share their journey from life in the snakkkes to repatriating home to Ghana. Their story moves through family, community, raised consciousness, the Marcus Garvey influence, Nation of Islam experiences, travel across the Black Land, and the deeper process of (the 4 R's) relocating, repatriating, reclaiming Blackness, and recovering from life inside the “snakkkes”.

This is a conversation about more than moving. It is about coming home, building family infrastructure, recovering humanity, and demonstrating over conversation.

Feel free to share your thoughts, and Link Up!

if you like the music featured during the episode, check out https://www.abibitumi.com/kwento-xpr/

⁣Link Up Podcast — Episode 1 | Featuring Agya Kwadwo Danmeara Tókunbọ

Hosts: ⁣Niara Esi Ìjèawelē Ọmọlará Kwento & ⁣Bakari Kwadwo Ọbatayé Kwento

with an Abibitumi 20 year tribute from Baba Amn and Sister Nuru

Welcome to the premiere episode of Link Up Podcast, where we connect with Abibifoɔ (Black People) doing Black powerful work across Abibiman (the Black Land) and the diaspora.

In this first episode, we Link Up with Agya Kwadwo Danmeara Tókunbọ — longtime builder, administrator, "the Commissioner", solutionary, and one of the behind-the-scenes forces connected to Abibitumi.

We discuss his personal journey from raised consciousness into raised behavior, the importance of language, repatriation, building independent Black platforms, Sankɔfa Journey experiences, Abibitumi’s 20-year legacy, and what it means to do real work for the Nananom (grandcestors) and future generations.

Feel free to share your thoughts, and Link Up!

#linkuppodcast #abibitumi #kwentoxpr #r2gh #nkwadua #SankɔfaJourney #abibiman #kmt #podcast

Our heroes are their enemies and their heroes are our enemies. Who decides which heroes we honor? Who decides what films we will watch? Who decides who we will look up to? Who decides whose statues stand on our campuses, whose stories are told on screen, and whose images shape the minds of our children?In this powerful conversation, Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé Bakari Kambon breaks down the politics of soft power, from the Gandhi Must Fall movement at the University of Ghana to the deeper question of why Black people must choose, honor, document, and project our own heroes.This discussion moves through statues, murals, film, Kmt, Nana Amanirenas, Nana Malcolm X, Nana Nat Turner, Nana Yaa Asantewaa, Nana Marcus Garvey, Nana Kwame Nkrumah, Nana Thomas Sankara, Nana Patrice Lumumba, Nana Harriet Tubman, Nana Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and the ongoing work of building institutions that tell our stories for ourselves.The message is clear: those who control images control minds. If we want our stories told truthfully, we must document our own grandmothers, grandfathers, artists, builders, freedom fighters, healers, teachers, and visionaries.Learn more about the mural project: https://www.abibitumi.com/traoreLearn more about repatriation support:https://www.r2gh.comWatch and upload Black-centered content:https://www.abibitumitv.comJoin the Abibitumi community:https://www.abibitumi.comTopics covered:Gandhi Must Fall, soft power, statues, Black heroes, Abibifahodie Film Festival, Ibrahim Traoré mural, Black storytelling, Kmt, Abibitumi, repatriation, documentaries, Ghana, Burkina Faso, cultural memory, and why we must give our people their flowers while they are still here.Hashtags:#abibitumi #blackpower #abibifahodie #gandhimustfall #blackheroes #africanfilm #ghana #burkinafaso #repatriation #blackstorytelling #softpower #kmt #abibitumitv

This preview is only the first 8 minutes 59 seconds.https://www.abibitumi.com/prod....uct/reparations-and- this explosive TV3 interview, Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé Bakari Kambon breaks down the role of the Catholic Church in the kidnapping, enslavement, and exploitation of Black people, showing how religious authority, papal decrees, monarchy, capitalism, and violence worked together to create one of the greatest crimes in world history.The full interview runs 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 45 seconds, and the complete conversation goes much deeper than what you see here.In the full interview, Ɔbenfo Kambon addresses:The Catholic Church’s role in giving religious sanction to perpetual enslavementThe papal bulls Dum Diversas and Romanus PontifexWhy the term “slave trade” hides the reality of organized kidnappingThe false “400 years” narrative and why the timeline must begin earlierThe Georgetown 272 and wealth built from Black sufferingWhy apologies without restitution are meaninglessThe myth that “Africans sold Africans”The role of Christian records, baptism, and bookkeeping in distorting historyThe connection between reparations, retribution, and blood debtWhat Ghana and Black institutions must do now to demand accountabilityThe preview gives you the foundation. The full interview gives you the fire.To watch the complete 1 hour, 4 minutes, 45 second interview, purchase it on Abibitumi for $10 here:https://www.abibitumi.com/prod....uct/reparations-and- is not just another discussion about history. This is a direct challenge to the institutions that profited from the blood, labor, land, and lives of our Ancestors.Watch the preview. Then get the full interview.Title of full interview:Reparations and the Role of the Catholic Church in Enslavement: TV3 Complete InterviewPurchase the complete interview here:https://www.abibitumi.com/prod....uct/reparations-and- #catholicchurch #enslavement #blackhistory #georgetown272 #abibitumi #abibifahodie #blackliberation #tv3ghana #repatriation #ghana #blackpower

Picture this. It’s August 1905, and you’re standing near Mahenge in what was then German East Africa.

There’s fighting breaking out. Dust in the air. Gunfire in the distance. And then, out of the bush, you see something striking.

Large groups of African fighters moving toward a German position. Not scattered. Not hiding. Moving forward, directly into it.

Now here is the thing. This is a very uneven fight.

On the German side, you have colonial troops led by officers like Theodor von Hassel.

They’re dug in. They’re organised. And they have machine guns.

They’re also supported by askari, African soldiers trained under German command.

On the other side, most of the fighters are carrying spears and bows.
Some have firearms, but nothing close to what they’re up against.

And yet, they keep advancing.

Not because they don’t understand the danger. But because many of them believe they are protected.

Before the fighting, they had taken part in a ritual.

They were given what was known as maji, a kind of sacred water.
The belief was that this would protect them. That bullets would not harm them.

Now, from a distance, that might sound irrational.

But when you place it in context, it starts to make more sense.

Because this wasn’t just about belief. It was about pressure.

By 1905, German rule in the region had become extremely harsh.
Forced labour. Heavy taxation. And in particular, forced cotton farming.

Entire communities were being pushed to the limit. So what you’re seeing here is not just a battlefield moment.

It’s the point where that pressure finally breaks.

This is the Maji Maji Rebellion. One of the largest uprisings against colonial rule in African history……..


************************************************************************

Sources:

https://blackpast.org/global-a....frican-history/maji-

https://www.encyclopedia.com/h....istory/encyclopedias

https://afrolegends.com/2023/1....1/27/maji-maji-upris

https://unitedrepublicoftanzan....ia.com/history-of-ta

https://www.globalsecurity.org..../military/world/war/

https://iloveafrica.com/the-ma....ji-maji-rebellion-in

https://www.dw.com/en/kinjeket....ile-and-the-maji-maj

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67285182

***************************************************************

Music:

Epidemic Sound

#majimaji #tanzania

In this powerful episode of the *Raw Success Podcast*, we sit down with Afiya Mbilishaka, psychology expert and founder of PsychoHairapy, to explore the deep connection between mental health, culture, and identity.

Afiya breaks down how traditional psychology frameworks were not designed with the Black community in mind—and how that gap has impacted the way mental health is understood, treated, and even stigmatized. We dive into the origins of these systems, the cultural disconnect, and why representation and culturally relevant approaches are essential for real healing.

This conversation goes beyond theory. Afiya shares how PsychoHairapy is redefining therapy by creating safe, culturally affirming spaces—starting with something as personal and symbolic as hair. From generational trauma to self-expression, this episode challenges the status quo and opens the door for a new perspective on mental wellness.

If you're interested in mental health, cultural awareness, and breaking cycles that no longer serve us, this is a must-watch.

🎯 In this episode, we cover:

* Why mainstream psychology often misses the mark in the Black community
* The cultural roots of mental health stigma
* How PsychoHairapy is changing the game
* The connection between hair, identity, and healing
* Tools for building culturally aware mental wellness practices

Connect With Us:
https://www.instagram.com/rawsuccesspodcast/
https://www.instagram.com/truekhepra/​

Produced by:
https://www.instagram.com/visuallyfocusednyc
@visuallyfocusednyc

Get Dr. Afiya Mbilishaka's Book Here:
Laid to the Side: Disrupting the Silence of Black Girls' Hair Stories in Schools
https://amzn.to/3Qw3IV5

Get True Khepra's Book:
The Power Of Choice: You Are Not Stuck
https://amzn.to/3XtJo7Q​

Get a Free 30 Day AUDIBLE Trial to listen to the books mentioned in this episode.
https://amzn.to/3A2Ccqn

Get a Free Kindle unlimited 30-day trial: https://amzn.to/41ulnQj

Or Get the physical Copies of our favorite books here:
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
https://amzn.to/3YgKqEx​
Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success by Napoleon Hill
https://amzn.to/3OIeYcH
The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley
https://amzn.to/4irkSwo
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
https://amzn.to/3ZpCZuf


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in starting your own podcast? Here's our equipment list.
New Setup---
Mic Stands: https://amzn.to/3ZdgGtc​
Mics: https://amzn.to/3ZdKTs5​
Recorder: https://amzn.to/3MHGrud​

Old Setup---
Full package: https://amzn.to/4eijWaV​

This video is not sponsored but we might make a small commission of any purchases made through the links above.