Film Screening / We Were Here: The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe

Thursday, March 12, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

This documentary explores the roles of Africans and their descendants in Renaissance Europe as revealed in compelling paintings, drawings, sculptures, and printed books of the period. By addressing the visible and invisible, the seen and unseen, award-winning director, artist, and scholar Fred Kudjo Kuwornu and his work emerge as a vital contribution to contemporary visual culture—revealing an understanding of the complex interplay between history, identity, race, and representation in our globalized world. Kuwornu will discuss his influences and inspiration following the screening.

Co-sponsored with the Art History Baldwin Lectures Endowment.

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Registration for this free event is encouraged but not required to attend.

This event will be held in a wheelchair- and rolling walker-accessible building. The lecture space is wheelchair accessible, with moveable seating. Restrooms are gender-specific and wheelchair-accessible. Listening devices will be available for use during the presentation, but ASL interpretation is currently not scheduled for this event. Most talks will be recorded and available with closed captions on the museum’s YouTube page after the event. Please email access questions to Jill Greenwood, jgreenwo@oberlin.edu.