Professor Florence Ayisi

“I teach on the MA Film (Documentary) and BA (Hons) Film, as well as doing my own research around diverse aspects of film theory, history and documentary film practice. 

“I was studying for my PhD at Leicester University, and was shocked by the negative stereotypes of Africa that I saw on British TV. Between 1986 and 1989, most media coverage seemed to be about the negative aspects of Africa – disease, corruption, famine – but I knew there was another reality that wasn’t shown. That’s when I decided to use my experience of how the media can help shine a spotlight on people, stories and communities that UK audiences didn’t know about. I wanted to focus on the positive narratives about Africa. 

“After the atrocities of 9/11, I went to the Sheffield Documentary Film Festival where I met Kim Longinotto, a British documentary film maker who is well known for making films that highlight the plight of female victims of oppression or discrimination. We chatted about possibilities of collaborating on projects in Cameroon. Three years later we were commissioned by Channel 4 to make the film Sisters in Law, which was about female lawyers, in a small town, in the Cameroon judicial system. It was a privilege to go back to the town where I grew up to focus on the female lawyers who worked at the magistrates’ court. Before we started filming, I went to see the Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals. He was really pleased with the fact that he had female lawyers working at the highest level in the judicial system and that we wanted to highlight the role that women play in the judiciary. Sisters in Law has been screened in over 200 film festivals and on Television world-wide, it has won over 30 prestigious international film awards and was short-listed for an Academy Award nomination (Oscars) in 2006. 

“In 2006, I travelled to Zanzibar to make a documentary about a female Muslim football team, called Zanzibar Soccer Queens. It tells the story of a community of strong-willed women, determined to better their lives and define new identities through playing football. The women’s show of resilience as a collective enables them to resist societal obstacles and insults to empower themselves.  I then made another film there in 2007 called Our World in Zanzibar, about Western women who have migrated to Africa. The film unveils their personal stories through workshops, candid discussions, in-depth interviews and staged performances. It explores why they have travelled to Africa and left their comfortable lifestyles in the USA, Netherlands, Spain and the UK behind. 

“Meanwhile, Zanzibar Soccer Queens had made a big impact on the lives of the female footballers and on society, changing attitudes to the point where the government allowed girls to play soccer in school as part of their physical education. 

“It was then that I realised the power of film and the impact it can have on people’s lives and in society. It has been shown at several international festivals and this consolidated my belief that people want to see another side of Africa, not just stories of victimhood. 

“In 2018, I made a documentary film called Marie Madeleine, A Female Chief, about a woman who was enthroned as chief in Nkol Ngock I, a small village on the outskirts of Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon. The film captures an unusual occurrence in Africa, where the position of traditional ruler or chief is customarily handed down from father to son; presenting a rare glimpse into a community undergoing change. This film has also been screened widely widely and well-received at international festivals. 

“One of the films I’m most proud of is The Bronze Men of Cameroon, was released in 2020. It presents an intimate portrait of bronze artisans in the Western Region of Cameroon, and highlights important aspects of cultural identity and heritage, and the threats to traditional practices of bronze casting. It has been shown at more than 26 film festivals and has won some prestigious awards. I’m delighted and feel privileged that the bronze craftsmen proudly allowed me to document their work and lived experiences. 

“Since the pandemic, I’ve worked on my first UK project, which was following an initiative by the Mental Health Foundation to recruit and train refugee and asylum seekers to be peer leaders; to lead groups themselves, aiming to stimulate conversations that use English and other languages to increase emotional literacy, empathy and cultural understanding. 

“In early 2021, I was part of a research consortium, Co-POWeR made up of female professors from nine  UK universities who were successful in a £2.5million UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) grant to explore the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the wellbeing and resilience of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic families and communities (BAMEFC). 

“Being in Wales for so many years, I’ve realised that there is so much we need to shine a light on. There’s a huge multicultural community here. Wales is a nation of diverse cultures and they are all living well together.  I like to focus on the positives in society, and multiculturalism and cross-cultural exchanges are important aspects of Wales to celebrate, to highlight a strong sense of community, connections and commonality, despite differences in ethnicities. Diverse cultures enrich societies, so I’d like to explore this more in my future work, and Wales offers a unique context for this.”