The Diaspora Suite

Ephraim Asili’s five-part series The Diaspora Suite is both a personal and global study of the African diaspora. Created over the course of seven years, every film in the series has a unique rhythm built around a specific combination of footage shot in American and international locations that are important sites in the African diaspora. Forged Ways (2010) journeys between Harlem and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; American Hunger (2013) features Philadelphia, Ocean City, and Cape Coast, Ghana; Many Thousands Gone (2014) takes place in Harlem and Salvador, Brazil; Kindah (2016) features Hudson, New York, and Jamaica; and Fluid Frontiers (2017) travels between Detroit and Windsor, Canada.

The Brooklyn Art Museum cites Asili’s suite as a “revelatory cycle of five short films collapsing time and space to reveal the hidden resonances that connect the black American experience to the greater African diaspora.” All videos screen courtesy Video Data Bank, Chicago.

Film Details

Forged Ways
(Ephraim Asili, 2010, 15 min, Ethiopia & United States)

American Hunger
(Ephraim Asili, 2013, 19 min, Ghana & United States)

Many Thousands Gone
(Ephraim Asili, 2014, 8 min, United States & Brazil)

Kindah
(Ephraim Asili, 2016, 12 min, United States & Jamaica)

Fluid Frontiers
(Ephraim Asili, 2017, 23 min, United States & Canada)

Total running time: 77 minutes

Films and schedules may be subject to change.

Thank you to our community partner the Museum of the African Diaspora for promotional support.