Film Africa 2024: Queer Ghanaian Stories

These films show vignettes of queer Ghanaian lives at home and in the diaspora. Wrestling with the internal and societal tensions of an identity that is often (mis)represented as being in juxtaposition to itself, this programme showcases stories of familial, platonic and romantic relationships as experienced by queer folks. 

The screening will be followed by a Q&A. 

This screening is a special Dine & View event. All ticket prices include a plate of food to enjoy during the screening. 

PROGRAMME: 

Reluctantly Queer, 2016, USA (8 mins) 

This epistolary short film invites us into the unsettling life of a young Ghanaian man struggling to reconcile his love for his mother with his sexuality. 

Akosua Adoma Owusu is a filmmaker, producer, and educator. Owusu’s work has been screened extensively at festivals and venues worldwide, including the New York Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Locarno International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, BlackStar Film Festival, CCA Wattis Institute, Flaherty Seminar, Studio Museum in Harlem, Anthology Film Archives, Museum of Modern Art, and African Film Festival, Inc. in New York. 

Dzifa, 2022, UK (19 mins) 

An intimate drama following Esther and Chioma as they navigate the nuances of their relationship. They find themselves at a Ghanaian naming ceremony where they are invited to reconnect in a rhythmic celebration of diasporic Black queer joy. 

Savannah Acquah is a writer, actor and director. Acquah’s short film Dzifa has screened at festivals in the UK and US, including Encounters Film Festival, Pan African Film Festival, Leeds Queer Film Festival, and EFN Short Film Festival. 

Waterlily, 2022, USA (12 mins) 

When a phone call triggers a young Ghanaian immigrant woman, she must move through the conflict of the desires of her inner and outer selves. 

Ami Tamakloe is human unravelling and reconstructing. Originally from Ghana, they are currently a PhD candidate in the department of Anthropology at Cornell University. Tamakloe is a multi-modal artist who creates work that tells stories around accessibility, Blackness, gender, sexuality and culture. They utilise their body, voice, material and immaterial world around them as conduits for stories that are moving and impactful. 

Nyame Mma, 2024, Ghana (27 mins) 

Following his father’s sudden death, Kwamena returns home for the funeral and closure as his father journeys to the afterworld. Nyame Mma explores how lack of space for queer men and male grieving makes their loss very isolating. 

Joewackle J. Kusi is a writer, filmmaker and podcaster. His focus is on telling stories that have soul. His work includes the feature film, Lucky, and short films Boy Bo Dey Cry and Nyame Mma. Nyame Mma is currently on the festival circuit, and is featured in the Short Film Corner’s Video Library at Festival de Cannes. 

This screening is part of Film Africa 2024. Film Africa, London’s biggest celebration of African and African diaspora cinema presented by the Royal African Society, returns for its 11th edition from Friday 25 October to Sunday 3 November 2024.

• Room will be dark
• The films are captioned.
• Wheelchair Access and/or Disabled Toilets are available at this site.
• Please contact [email protected] with any additional access requirements.
• If you would like to attend this event but the ticket price is a limitation please get in touch as we have reserved a number of free tickets for low-income individuals. Contact us at:

All tickets purchased through the South London Gallery’s website and/or the South London Gallery’s Eventbrite account are non-refundable. We therefore ask you to please double-check your availability before purchasing any tickets. In the case of an event being cancelled we are able to offer a refund.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

South London Gallery, 65 Peckham Road, London, United Kingdom