Nyanga

Medhin Tewolde Serrano
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Country: Mexico
  • Runtime: 20 min
  • Director: Medhin Tewolde Serrano
  • Language(s): Spanish
  • Subtitles: English

Synopsis

During the colonial era, Nyanga was kidnapped off the coast of Africa, brought to Mexico and enslaved. Though forced to work on the master’s plantation, he never stopped dreaming of freedom.

Based on historical facts, and using shadow theater and handmade cinema, ‘Nyanga’ is an homage to resistance against colonial chains.

Director Statement

Inspired by the biography of Gaspar Yanga, ‘’Nyanga’’ tells the story of a man who was kidnapped, enslaved and brought to Mexico during the colonial era, under inhumane conditions. Official history taught us little about our own history. All that it taught us is that we are the descendants of enslaved people. For this reason, it is necessary to change the narrative and learn how our ancestry is not only shaped by slavery, but also by the men and women who fought and rebelled against the chains of colonialism to obtain their freedom.

The short film tells a story based on historical facts that are relayed through a first-person narration that goes beyond the hero figure of Nyanga, bringing us closer to the emotionality of the person. The film uses the animation techniques of shadow theater and handmade cinema, which in an artisanal and analogue way, breath life and magic into the story.