Culture
Fred Kuwornu’s ‘We Were Here’ Documentary on Black Africans in Renaissance Europe Accepted For 2026 Oscars
When Italian-Ghanaian filmmaker and historian Fred Kudjo Kuwornu set out to challenge Europe’s selective memory of the Renaissance, he knew the work would be disruptive.
What he didn’t know was that his documentary, We Were Here: The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe, would make its way into the race for the 98th Academy Awards.
The film has now been officially accepted for consideration in the Best Documentary Feature category for the 2026 Oscars, a milestone for both African historical storytelling and global cinema.
For Kuwornu, whose work has long centered on recovering suppressed histories, this project is personal.
“Among all artists with Ghanaian heritage in this awards cycle, I am the only one whose work is currently in consideration,” he wrote in a recent note to followers on Instagram. “My documentary brings back the stories that Europe tried to forget.”
Rewriting the Renaissance
We Were Here excavates a rarely acknowledged truth: Africans were not mere spectators — nor solely enslaved laborers — in 15th and 16th century Europe. They were ambassadors, soldiers, scholars, courtiers, artisans, diplomats, and religious figures, shaping cultural and political life from Venice to Lisbon, Florence to Paris.
The documentary traces the lives of figures whose stories have been buried for centuries:
- Alessandro de’ Medici, Europe’s first head of state of African ancestry.
- Juan Latino, the first Black professor in European university history.
- Ne Vunda, the African ambassador to Rome, buried in the historic Santa Maria Maggiore.
- João de Panasco, the African knight immortalized in the King’s Fountain.
- Benedict the Moor, the son of enslaved parents who became a figure of veneration across the Americas.
Through archival work, art analysis, and expert interviews, Kuwornu reframes the Renaissance as a multiracial, multicultural epoch, rather than the homogenous image often taught in textbooks.
A Cultural Intervention With Global Momentum
Debuting at the 2024 Venice Biennale inside the Central Pavilion, the film has since been embraced by universities, museums, cultural institutions, and diaspora scholars across three continents. It has become part of academic conversations about race, migration, identity, and pre-colonial African-European exchanges.
Its Oscar consideration has amplified its reach — and its message.
Historians say the film arrives at a time when Europe is being forced to reckon with monuments, memory, and long-silenced histories. Kuwornu’s project serves as a corrective, arguing that a fuller understanding of Europe’s past necessarily includes Africans whose contributions have been neglected or erased.
Why This Matters
The Oscars often overlook African historical narratives unless framed through slavery, colonialism, or conflict. We Were Here breaks that pattern by presenting Africans as active agents of political and cultural life in pre-modern Europe.
It challenges audiences — in Europe and the African diaspora — to see the Renaissance not as a fortress of white European exceptionalism, but as a meeting point of civilizations.
For Kuwornu, this is not just filmmaking. It’s restitution.
His documentary, he wrote, “reconstructs an erased legacy that connects Europe, Africa, and the Americas.”
A Historic Moment for African Storytelling
Whether the film secures a nomination or not, its presence in the Oscar race marks a powerful moment: a global acknowledgment that the stories of Black Europeans in the Renaissance are not footnotes — they are history.
And after centuries of silence, they are finally being heard through a lens wide enough to include them.
Arts and GH Heritage
From Kantamanto to the Gallery: Reclaiming Identity Through Textile Art
There is a quiet revolution in taking a word once used as an insult and turning it into a badge of imagination.
That transformation lies at the heart of KUBOLOR: In Search of Greener Pastures, where artist Kwabena Ofe Gideon Amponsah invites audiences to see wandering not as failure, but as a form of curiosity that shapes cities, identities, and creative expression.
In Ghana, “kubolor” has long described someone perceived as drifting without direction. Amponsah challenges that stereotype by presenting movement as an act of discovery.
His richly textured tufted works—created using a technique he taught himself after encountering it online—carry the marks of experimentation.

Thick layers of yarn, bold silhouettes, and tactile surfaces encourage viewers to slow down and consider the value of process as much as the finished artwork.
The exhibition draws much of its emotional power from Accra’s Kantamanto Market, one of the world’s largest second-hand clothing hubs.
Rather than treating discarded garments as waste, Amponsah transforms them into sculptures, wearable art, and immersive installations. Each fabric fragment carries traces of another life, suggesting that materials, like people, can find new purpose through reinvention.
That conversation extends into fashion through a collaboration with Ghanaian label DARKOS. The garments are not presented as merchandise but as living artworks, blurring the boundaries between clothing, sculpture, and performance.
Their contemporary forms encourage reflection on gender, identity, and the ways the body communicates personal history.

The exhibition’s installation mirrors the visual rhythm of Kantamanto itself. Hanging textiles, layered displays, and improvised arrangements recall the ingenuity of market traders, turning everyday merchandising techniques into a carefully orchestrated artistic language.
Visitors move through a space that feels at once familiar and theatrical, where commerce and creativity exist side by side.
Running until Monday, July 27, 2026, KUBOLOR: In Search of Greener Pastures leaves a lasting impression because it reframes a familiar Ghanaian expression with generosity and imagination.
It argues that the search for greener pastures is rarely about escape. More often, it is about resilience, reinvention, and the courage to keep moving until overlooked stories—and overlooked materials—find their place in the spotlight.
Reels & Social Media Highlights
#GhanaTrending: Memes, Money, and a Nation’s Digital Mood on Tuesday
It’s Tuesday, July 14, and as always, Ghana’s social media sphere is a vibrant, chaotic, and endlessly entertaining reflection of the national mood.
The conversations that took over timelines yesterday were a classic Ghanaian blend of sports passion, internet drama, and the biting wit that defines our digital culture.
Leading the charge was the news of Black Stars coach Carlos Queiroz’s salary. Sports Minister Kofi Adams confirmed the Portuguese tactician earns $80,000 monthly, a figure that immediately ignited fiery debates about value for money and investment in local football.

As fans scrutinized the return on investment after the team’s Round of 16 World Cup exit, the nation’s collective sports fervor was also being celebrated through a viral image of an egg seller who painted her entire stock in Ghana’s red, gold, and green ahead of the Colombia clash, a gesture of grassroots patriotism that warmed hearts.
However, the digital streets were equally focused on the ongoing drama surrounding wealthy young figures.
The extradition of businessman Abu Trica to the US cast a long shadow, with speculation linking other influencers, including forex trader Kojo Forex, to potential FBI interest.
In a move that perfectly encapsulates Ghanaian social media, Kojo Forex did not issue a defensive statement but responded with a lighthearted plea to the FBI for a “Free Visa”.
This blend of serious allegations and comedic deflection is a hallmark of our online culture, drawing in thousands of reactions.
Meanwhile, Prophet Roja sent social media into a frenzy with a cryptic call for Abu Trica’s family to meet him, sparking skepticism and a flurry of memes about the “business” of modern-day prophecies.
The mood was one of cautious cynicism, a reminder of how Ghanaians use humor and debate to process serious news.
Festivals & Events
Ideas, AI and Entrepreneurship Take Centre Stage at Accra’s Brilliant Books & Business Summit
Every successful business begins with an idea, but turning that idea into lasting impact requires more than inspiration.
\On 18 July 2026, Accra will welcome entrepreneurs, writers, creators and aspiring business leaders to the Brilliant Books & Business Summit, a two-hour gathering designed to help participants transform their knowledge, personal experiences and creativity into meaningful opportunities.
Hosted at Buro in Osu, one of Accra’s bustling creative and commercial neighbourhoods, the summit reflects a growing movement across Ghana where storytelling, entrepreneurship and technology are increasingly intertwined.
As more Ghanaians embrace digital innovation and creative enterprise, events like this have become valuable spaces for learning, collaboration and professional growth.

Rather than focusing solely on motivation, the summit centres on practical strategies. Participants will hear from experienced speakers and thought leaders discussing business development, marketing, artificial intelligence, confidence building, and personal branding.
The programme encourages attendees to recognise that their life experiences, professional skills and unique perspectives can become books, digital products, consulting services, speaking engagements or successful businesses.
Artificial intelligence will be a major topic of discussion, highlighting how creators and entrepreneurs can use emerging technologies to expand their visibility, create engaging content and reach wider audiences.
The conversation reflects the rapid transformation taking place across Africa’s creative economy, where digital tools are opening new possibilities for authors, coaches, consultants and small business owners.
Visitors can also expect a lively networking environment where conversations continue beyond the stage. Entrepreneurs exchange ideas with authors, creators meet potential collaborators, and experienced professionals connect with people taking their first steps into business.
These interactions often become one of the event’s greatest strengths, creating relationships that extend well beyond the summit itself.
For international visitors, the event offers an opportunity to experience Ghana’s energetic entrepreneurial culture firsthand. Accra has become one of West Africa’s leading centres for innovation, attracting startups, creatives and investors eager to shape the continent’s future.
Spending time in a room filled with ambitious local talent provides valuable insight into the city’s growing influence within Africa’s knowledge economy.
Whether you are planning your first book, preparing to launch a business or simply searching for fresh ideas, the Brilliant Books & Business Summit promises an experience built around learning, collaboration, and possibility. It is a reminder that every great venture begins with a story—and the confidence to share it.
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