Talks
We Were Here - The Untold Story of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe

Movie Poster with several faces

Date

Saturday, Feb 7, 2026 14:00

Registration Opens

Wednesday, Dec 17, 2025 10:00

Location

Level B1,
Eaton Theatre

Admission

Talks - Public: Free Talks - Member: Free

Audience

Adults
Contact us

About

Join Afro-Italian filmmaker and artist Fred Kudjo Kuwornu for the Toronto premiere of the documentary We Were Here, which unveils the untold history – through iconic artworks – of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe. This multilingual film, shot across Europe, challenges the notion that all Black people during Europe’s Renaissance were slaves or servants, revealing a diverse presence from royalty to merchants to religious figures. Following the screening, Kuwornu will be joined by Global Africa Curator Tandazani Dhlakama for a Q&A to unpack why this film has so much impact in 2026.   

About the Film

"We Were Here" unveils the untold history of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe through iconic artworks. This multilingual film, shot across Europe, challenges the notion that all Black people were slaves or servants. It reveals a diverse presence, including princes, ambassadors, merchants, and religious figures. Narrated from an Afro-European perspective, it explores stories absent from traditional history books. The film interweaves art history with social narratives, offering a fresh lens on European Renaissance and the complex tapestry of Black presence often overlooked in conventional historical accounts. 

Speakers

Man in colourful jacket
Fred Kudjo Kuwornu

Fred Kudjo Kuwornu is a multi-hyphenate socially engaged artist, filmmaker and scholar whose work is deeply influenced by his background as a person of African descent. Born and raised in Italy, Kuwornu is based in New York. His unique background is reflected in his triple citizenship, holding Italian, Ghanaian, and U.S. passports.

In 2007, Kuwornu worked as a production assistant on Spike Lee's film "Miracle at St. Anna", which inspired him to pursue documentary filmmaking. He made his directorial debut in 2010 with the documentary "Inside Buffalo", a documentary that reconstructs and highlights the significant contributions of African American soldiers to the Liberation of Europe during World War II.

In 2024, Adriano Pedrosa selected Fred Kudjo Kuwornu's "We Were Here" to exhibit at the Central Pavilion of the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale: "Foreigners Everywhere". This prestigious selection highlights the film's significance in addressing themes of cultural identity and historical erasure within the global contemporary art discourse. He was also named among the top ten “Culturepreneurs of Tomorrow: Pioneers Who Shaped the Global Cultural Landscape in 2024” by Cultured Focus Magazine. 

Tandazani Dhlakama

Zimbabwe born, Tandazani Dhlakama is Curator of Global Africa at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Toronto. Previously she was curator at Zeitz MOCAA. Prior to that she worked at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare. Amongst several exhibitions she co-curated When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting (2022) and curated Five Bhobh: Painting at the End of an Era (2018) at Zeitz MOCAA, Witness: Afro Perspectives from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection (2020) at El Espacio 23 in Miami, and recently co-curated Seekers, Seers, Soothsayers (2023) at Zeitz MOCAA.

Bio

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Rules & Guidelines

These events are offered in English only.