El Maestro Laba Sosseh is screening for $15 on May 20 as part of the New York African Film Festival.

The 29th New York African Film Festival is presented under the banner Visions of Freedom: tuning into diverse and interconnected notions of freedom pertinent to Africa, the diaspora, and the world at large. This year’s festival presents programs that recall activisms past and usher in new anthems of the future to embrace a united front for liberation and expression.

El Maestro Laba Sosseh

Maky Madiba Sylla, Lionel Bourqui, 2020, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Gambia & Senegal, 70m

English, French and Spanish with English subtitles

With the first continental gold record in 1980, prolific singer, Laba Sosseh, became an emblematic figure of Afro-Cuban music in Africa. His career spanned more than 45 years, until his death in 2007. This documentary takes us on a journey ten years later, tracing his ever-present influence from Dakar, Senegal, to Banjul, the capital of Gambia, where Laba Sosseh was born. From the Gambia, we follow his trail to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Cuba, and New York City, painting a portrait of the multifaceted artist's immense musical career. Along the way, we meet musicians, friends, and El Maestro’s family members who share their insight, allowing us to trace Cuban music's journey to West Africa, and Senegal in particular, to see how the music evolved. We gain a better understanding of Laba Sosseh's role in this process and the legacy he left. Co-presented with Cinema Tropical

A Q&A with the filmmaker Maky Madiba Sylla will follow.