African Science Film Series is an exploration of the untold stories of groundbreaking scientific developments by African people, created by Black History Studies in partnership with the Bernie Grant Arts Centre.

The film festival will feature a selection of documentaries that document, examine and discuss stories from various parts of Africa and each session will end with an engaging post film discussion with audience members.

The programme of events are below:

• Thursday 6th September 2018 – Manuscripts of Timbuktu
• Friday 7th September 2018 – Ancient Astronomers of Timbuktu
• Friday 14th September 2018 – Cosmic Africa
• Thursday 20th September 2018 – Hidden Figures

Tickets are going fast so book now to avoid disappointment on the day!

MANUSCRIPTS OF TIMBUKTU
Thursday 6th September 2018 @ 7pm

Discover Timbuktu, once thriving and home to an advanced civilisation.

One of the definitions for Timbuktu in the Oxford dictionary is “any distant or remote place”. Featuring the knowledgeable commentary by African scholars, rich re-enactments, and an original musical score by Vieux Farka Touré, the essential documentary The Manuscripts of Timbuktu critiques this limited view by firmly demonstrating that Timbuktu was once thriving and home to an advanced civilization. It was a leading cultural, economic, scientific and religious centre that made a significant and lasting impact on Africa and the entire world. The film successfully documents that Africa had vibrant scholarly institutions and written cultures long before European intervention. It establishes the importance of preserving the thousands of manuscripts from long ago as an exciting and empowering legacy for Africana scholarship today.

This event will take place on THURSDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER 2018 from 7pm to 9.30pm.

Doors open at 6.30pm and the film will start at 7.00pm.

The screening will be held at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach Road,
Tottenham Green, London, N15 4RX.

For location details go to http://www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk/index.php/your-visit

Advanced Tickets for this event are £8.50 or £10.00 on the door.

Purchase your tickets from https://www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk/see/film-manuscripts-of-timbuktu/

ANCIENT ASTRONOMERS OF TIMBUKTU
Friday 7th September 2018 @ 7pm

This complex documentary brings ancient science into the modern world.

Guided by astrophysicist Dr. Thebe Medupe, a group of modern scientists engage in the first exploration of the scientific contents of the great manuscript archives of Timbuktu. As the ancient papers are in grave danger of being destroyed by the ravages of time, the team races against the clock to unlock the mysteries of this incredible library before this valuable history is lost forever in the sands of the Sahara.

For four hundred years Timbuktu was an academic centre of the world. The Islamic world brought a different perspective than Ancient Greece, transforming science to solve practical matters such as determining the direction of Mecca and time keeping. Despite having fallen into insignificance by the seventeenth century, thousands of documents have miraculously survived. Dramatic recreations of life in medieval Timbuktu illustrate and enhance the discoveries, while technical and scientific information is explained with computer graphics.

This complex documentary brings ancient science into the modern world, bringing the archives from sandy obscurity to global cyber access.

This event will take place on FRIDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2018 from 7pm to 9.30pm.

Doors open at 6.30pm and the film will start at 7.00pm.

The screening will be held at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach Road, Tottenham Green, London, N15 4RX.

For location details go to http://www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk/index.php/your-visit

Advanced Tickets for this event are £8.50 or £10 on the door.

Purchase your tickets from https://www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk/see/film-ancient-astronomers-of-timbuktu/

COSMIC AFRICA
Friday 14th September 2018 @ 7pm

Cosmic Africa and Thebe Medupe explore Africa’s ancient astronomy history.

Traveling across the scope of the African continent – Namibia, Ghana, Northern Kenya,Dogon country in Mali, and the Egyptian Sahara – this film captures the remarkable personal journey of an African astronomer, Thebe Medupe. Cosmic Africa and Thebe Medupe explore Africa’s ancient astronomy history, while unveiling the deep connection humans have with the cosmos.

This event will take place on FRIDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER 2018 from 7pm to 9.30pm.

Doors open at 6.30pm and the film will start at 7.00pm.

The screening will be held at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach Road, Tottenham Green, London, N15 4RX.

For location details go to http://www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk/index.php/your-visit

Advanced Tickets for this event are £8.50 or £10.00 on the door.

Purchase your tickets from https://www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk/see/film-cosmic-africa/

HIDDEN FIGURES
Thursday 20th September 2018 @ 7pm

The untold stories of the brains behind one of NASA’s greatest operations in history.

Hidden Figures is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)-brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanised the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

This event will take place on THURSDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 2018 from 7pm to 9.30pm.

Doors open at 6.30pm and the film will start at 7.00pm.

The screening will be held at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach Road, Tottenham Green, London, N15 4RX.

For location details go to http://www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk/index.php/your-visit

Advanced Tickets for this event are £8.50 or £10.00 on the door.

Purchase your tickets from https://www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk/see/film-hidden-figures/