Organisers
Richard Dowden – Director, Royal African Society
Richard began working in journalism, joining The Times foreign desk in 1980. He reported on the Middle East and African, and was appointed Africa Editor at The Independent when it was founded in 1986. He has written extensively about Africa, and has made three full length documentaries on Africa for Channel Four and the BBC, and several shorter films.
He became director of the Royal Africa Society in November 2002.
He continues to write on African issues and appear frequently as a commentator on African affairs on the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, Sky News and other broadcast media.
His book: Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles was published by Portobello Books in September 2008 and in the US in March 2009.
Dr Lindiwe Dovey – Co-Director and Programming Director
Lindiwe is Senior Lecturer in African Film and Performance Arts at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Lindiwe has been programming African film for ten years, since she founded the Cambridge African Film Festival in 2002, and has also been the African programmer for the Cambridge Film Festival since 2003. In 2008, she was one of the founders of the London African Film Festival. Lindiwe was a jury member at the 2010 Kenya International Film Festival and the 2010 Amakula Kampala International Film Festival of Uganda, and is on the jury for the Mapungubwe Golden Rhino South African film festival.
Her book, African film and literature: adapting violence to the screen (Columbia University Press, 2009) won a Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award.
Namvula Rennie – Co-Director & Arts and Education Programmer
Singer, songwriter, photographer and cultural events curator, Namvula continues to enjoy a diverse career! After working as a press photographer in Sierra Leone, she returned to London to run the Royal African Society’s vibrant events programme for three years, during which time she became one of the founders of the London African Film Festival. She is on the jury for the Mapungubwe Golden Rhino South African film festival.
Eric Cooper - Festival Manager
Eric is currently pursuing a joint honours BA in Development Studies and African Studies at SOAS. From as early as 1997, Eric has been involved with medical, education, and labour related development projects in Africa, Latin America and the United States -- inspiring him to pursue a degree from SOAS. Prior to his time in London, Eric co-managed a production design studio in Portland, Oregon, US and in 2009 joined the David Lynch Foundation in New York working as a project manager and media consultant. He is passionate about travel, food, photography, politics and film.
Basia Lewandowska – Online Marketing Manager & Programme Associate
Basia Lewandowska is a writer, editor and film programmer based in London.
She is a regular contributor to Sight & Sound and an editor at the website Africa Is A Country.
You can follow her on Twitter, or read some of her work here.
Sebastiana Etzo - Volunteer Manager
Sebastiana arrived in London five years ago, after completing her PhD in African politics. Since then she has been working in the no-profit sector, as a consultant in international development, as an independent researcher, and she is now collaborating with the Center of African Studies at SOAS. Sebastiana is always interested in finding new angles to look at and understand Africa, and she previously collaborated with Namvula and Lindiwe to organize the London African Film Festival.
Christine Singer - Arts and Education Programming Intern
Christine holds a BA in African Studies and Development in addition to
an MA in Global Media and Post-national Communication from SOAS. She
has worked at local and international NGOs and charitable media
organisations, focusing on young people in South Africa, Germany and
the UK. These experiences eventually led her back to SOAS where she is
currently pursuing a PhD in Media and Film Studies. Her research
explores contemporary film, video and television in South Africa in
relation to children and youth. Also enjoys writing, yoga, baking and
dancing.
