At the tail end of 2020, three film lovers Jesse Mpango, Gertrude Malizana and Darragh Amelia came together to form the audio-visual collective Ajabu Ajabu. At first, the three would meet to watch independent African films on a big screen with friends. Over time, they added members, panels, discussions and workshops all centred around engaging with film and audio art. The combination of streaming culture’s erosion of communal viewing and how rare African independent film showings are, meant that this filled a gap in the Dar es Salaam film scene. Eventually, the purpose was clear: to foster space for the preservation, production and presentation of audio-visual art.
Creating Community: Tanzanian Film Collective, Ajabu Ajabu
