AI: African Intelligence

Manthia Diawara’s latest essay film, AI: AFRICAN INTELLIGENCE, explores the contact zones between African rituals of possession within traditional fishing villages of the Atlantic coast of Senegal and the emergence of new technological frontiers known as Artificial Intelligence. Considering the confluence of tradition and modernity, Diawara questions how we could move from disembodied machines towards a more humane and spiritual control of algorithms. Could Africa be the context of emergence for such improbable algorithms?

Production Jürgen Bock. Production company Lumiar Cité / Maumaus (Lisboa, Portugal). Director Manthia Diawara. Cinematography James Newitt. Editing Mohamed Al Mubarak. Sound Bernardo Theriaga. Assistant director Daman Diawara. Production manager Carlos Alberto Carrilho. With Mère-Bi (Marymata Seck), Diyé Dia, Raoul Frese, Makhou Lebougui, Jean-Paul Colleyn, Hadja Dramé, Marieme Seck, Oulimata Ndoye, Awa Diop, Mamadou Diouf.

Manthia Diawara is a writer and filmmaker. He is a distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and Film at New York University. Diawara’s notable films include: A LETTER FROM YENE (2022), AN OPERA OF THE WORLD (2017), NEGRITUDE, A DIALOGUE BETWEEN SOYINKA AND SENGHOR (2016), and ÉDOUARD GLISSANT: ONE WORLD IN RELATION (2010). His films have been presented at festivals, biennials, and a wide range of exhibition venues, including the 34th Bienal de São Paulo; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; documenta 14, Kassel; Museu de Serralves, Porto; and Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin.

Films: 1994: Sembène: The Making of African Cinema (with Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, 60 min.). 1995: Rouch in Reverse (52 min.). 1997: In Search of Africa (26 min.). 2000: Diaspora Conversations: From Gorée to Dogon (47 min.). 2002: Bamako Sigi-Kan (76 min.). 2003: Conakry Kas (82 min.). 2007: Who's Afraid of Ngugi? (83 min.). 2008: Maison Tropicale (58 min.). 2010: Édouard Glissant: One World in Relation (50 min.). 2015: Negritude, a Dialogue between Soyinka and Senghor (59 min.). 2017: An Opera of the World (70 min.). 2022: A Letter from Yene (50 min.), AI: African Intelligence.