On November 10, the Center for 17th– & 18th–Century Studies, in conjunction with Director Bronwen Wilson’s class on Renaissance and Baroque Art History, hosted an illuminating screening and discussion of the powerful documentary We Were Here: The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe. Award-winning filmmaker Fred Kudjo Kuworno was on hand to invite the audience to reconsider long-held assumptions about the Renaissance with his film that foregrounds the lives, roles, and representations of African and Black individuals whose stories have too often been overlooked or erased.
Featuring commentary from leading scholars in Art History, Black Studies, and History, as well as Black activists and curators, We Were Here weaves together academic insight and lived experience. The result is a richly layered, thought-provoking reexamination of European cultural heritage. The film has garnered significant international attention, including its presentation in the Central Pavilion at the 60ᵗʰ International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, where it reached an audience of more than 700,000 visitors. Critics have praised its timely and compelling engagement with race, art, and identity in the Renaissance.
We were honored to welcome filmmaker Fred Kudjo Kuwornu to the UCLA campus for this meaningful event, which inspired thoughtful conversation and deepened our understanding of the global dimensions of Renaissance history.
For more information about the film, please visit https://www.wewereherethefilm.com.