“I have the deepest respect for archives. I know the importance of archives. One of the principal reasons that I make cinema is so that memory remains – the Memory that passes from one generation to the next. For African peoples all over The world our memory is what defines us. A people who do not know and have not preserved their heritage is destined to disappear. The loss of memory and the undervaluing of A heritage is dangerous: sharing knowledge is our responsibility. If you don’t know who you Are others will define you and convince you that you are what they have defined you to be.
I am pleased for my sister and for this passion she has that has led her to share the collection of materials she has gathered concerning pan african cinema. It is also my passion and I think this is why June and I have worked together at many levels since we first met in Amiens in France in 1984 and she organised from the GLC, the wonderful community screenings in London for my first film Rue Cases Negres, in Brixton, Wood Green and Ladbroke Grove. I am honoured to be a Patron for this initiative, and will do my best to help this archive on Pan African Cinema realise its potential as a valuable cultural resource. I urge you to do the same.”
Euzhan Palcy
PATRONS