Volkswacht Bodensee - 'Mad dream': New showcase for African film opens in London

Close to the Houses of Parliament and its Big Ben clock, a massive concrete facade conceals the venue, which opens to the public this weekend - the first of its kind in Britain and Europe.

A small sign reads "EbonyLife Place London".

While the name may mean little to many passers-by, film lovers will recognise the reference to EbonyLife, a leading African production company and a major player in Nollywood, Nigeria's film industry.

Mosunmola "Mo" Abudu, 62, heads a media empire that stretches far beyond Nigeria's borders.

In 2025, Forbes ranked her among the world's 100 most influential women.

"It's time to tell our own stories," she told AFP. "I want to showcase the best of who we are, celebrate who we are. Let them see us at our very best."

Abudu, who was born in London, is pursuing that ambition in the British capital through the cultural centre, which she describes as both "literally a blank canvas" and "a bit of a mad dream".

"We have to make the journey because the thing is that we have consumed so much of the world. How much of the world has consumed us?" she asked.

She recalled that growing up in England: "I could never go anywhere during my youth and watch a black movie."

So she decided to act.

"I'm not waiting anymore for anyone to take a six-hour trip from London to understand what it is to watch a Nigerian film or to see Nigerian fashion and so on and so forth. It's right here in London."

- 'Open to everyone' -

The two-storey venue includes a bar, a lounge called "Fẹhinti" -- a Yoruba word meaning to lean back and rest -- a restaurant and a boutique showcasing designers from Africa and its diaspora. Paintings by artists from across the continent line the walls.

Its centrepiece, however, is the new cinema, fitted with red seats, wood panelling and soft lighting. It has been named "Amani", meaning peace and harmony in Swahili.

The project, financed almost entirely by Abudu's media group, mirrors the upscale lifestyle complex she launched in Lagos in 2019.

Abudu, who is widely credited with helping usher in the era of Nollywood blockbusters, said African creatives should stop asking others to make room for them and instead "take responsibility for creating our own spaces".

Describing the centre as a "safe space", she said it would be a place where "you can shop our fashion, you can view our art, you can listen to our music, and we can tell our stories".

Access will be through a membership scheme, details of which have yet to be announced. Such systems are common in Britain, particularly among cultural institutions.

There will be no ethnic or nationality restrictions. "Membership is open to everyone," she insisted.

The cinema's programme is still being finalised. But here too, the objective is clear.

"We will have films from all parts of Africa. Everything should be on the table. We would show movies that celebrate black actors, black storytelling; that is why we are here," Abudu said.

Will audiences be able to see films by Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene or by Algerian filmmaker Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, the only African director ever to win the Cannes Palme d'Or? Her answer was an emphatic "yes".

The centre will also showcase its own productions and films with black actors, including the next in the "Black Panther" series. Opening week will feature Nigerian filmmakers including Nwani Orire and Ifeyinwa Arinze.

And after London?

"I would love to do the same thing in Paris, perhaps through a partnership. I'm always open to collaborating with others," Abudu said.

K.Hofmann--VB