NYAFF to Spotlight Rural Photographer Kibaate Aloysius Ssalongo’s 50-year Career

A 22-year journey began one April day in 2002 when Ntare Mbaho Mwine’s car broke down while visiting his family in Mibirizi, Uganda. When he decided to take a walk to pass the time while waiting for repairs, Mwine happened upon a small photo studio. By chance, he met photographer Kibaate Aloysius Ssalongo, who was revealed to have had an extensive career dating back to the 1950s until his passing in 2006.

The results of this journey would come in the form of the documentary film Memories of Love Returned, which will be the centerpiece of the 32nd annual New York African Film Festival, which begins on Wednesday, May 7. 

“For the festival to spotlight work from a rural community in a small village in Uganda as their centerpiece really speaks to their vision to celebrate artists not just from capital cities or high-grossing blockbusters, but from small parts of the world,” says Mwine. “It’s great that they are elevating Kibaate’s work on such a level.” 

Fascinated and haunted by his work, Mwine began documenting and exploring Kibaate’s life, work, and the effect his photography had not just on Mwine but the community he documented for 50 years.

“Quite a lot of time was put into making this film,” says Mwine. “When I met Kibaate, I was so amazed by his work that I told him we needed to get it out there. Unfortunately, he passed before I was able to keep that promise.”

Unless you were from the area, you most likely wouldn’t have heard of Kibaate’s work, which was never exhibited or published and spans five decades, affecting tens of thousands of people living their lives. 

“He was one of those quiet, sort of hidden geniuses,” says Mwine. “His work captures moments of intimacy that I had rarely seen before that time. A lot of the work you see from the past 50 years focuses on the capital cities of the continent: the strife and the hardships. Kibaate focused on everyday life, from weddings to graduations. People starting new jobs. People who were in love. Friends. Brothers and sisters. Mothers and fathers. He was just capturing moments of love in a way I hadn’t seen.” 

As someone who lost their own childhood photos, Mwine was very taken by Kabaate’s work and wondered if his own photos of his life could be out there somewhere. 

“To discover this trove of photos, I thought if there was anything I could do to bring these photos back and show them to a wider community, and that became my mission,” he says. “In a digital age, all of our memories are kept on phones. Then you lose your phone, or in five years it becomes obsolete, and everything on it no longer exists. I think people have connected to this film because of their own similar experiences.”

An American-Ugandan stage and screen actor, playwright, photographer, and documentarian, Mwine is known for his performances in The Chi, The Lincoln Lawyer, and Dead Ringers. He will also be in the upcoming series Dexter: Resurrection. 

Mwine was a part of the NYAFF 10 years ago with a short film of his that was featured. During that time, he would meet Tanzanian-American filmmaker Ekwa Msangi, who would cast Mwine in her 2020 film Farewell Amor. 

“I was able to meet her and a host of other incredible filmmakers who I’ve kept in touch with and collaborated with over the years because of the New York African Film Festival,” he says. “I’m looking forward to meeting the new crop of filmmakers who are a part of this year’s festival and hopefully collaborate with them in the future.” 

Memories of Love will be screened on Saturday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m. at Film at Lincoln Center. A Q&A with Mwine will follow the screening. The film was executive produced by Steven Soderbergh and was named best documentary at the African International Film Festival and won the audience award at the Pan American Film Festival. 

This year’s festival will feature more than 30 contemporary and classic films from Africa and the African diaspora, as well as 100 films in total across multiple venues throughout New York City. The first NYAFF took place in 1993. This year’s theme, “Fluid Horizons: A Shifting Lens on a Hopeful World,” is meant to honor the resilience of African youth and their forebears who have paved the road ahead of them. 

“We’re trying to shed some perspective on these very trying times we’re living in around the globe and show some of the ingenious ways that African and diaspora artists are working around it,” says Tisa Chigaga, program manager of the NYAFF. “From contemporary films like Freedom Way, showing people in Lagos fighting for their lives every day, to classic films like The Draftsman’s Class, which shows the ordinary person’s response to tyranny, wherever your interests lie, we have an informative and multidimensional African cinematic experience to present.” 

The 32nd annual NYAFF will also honor African youth who have turned towards documenting their own experiences in life, along with those who have inspired them, including comedies and experimental films that will offer a number of different takes on African culture, history, and cinema during the week-long event. 

“In a world of uncertainty, the 32nd New York African Film Festival presents a vision of the future through the eyes of Africa’s youth – bold, determined, and endlessly creative,” said Mahen Bonetti, NYAFF founder and AFF executive director. “As the youngest and fastest growing continent, Africa is brimming with stories that demand to be told, not just as reflections of today’s challenges but as blueprints for a future shaped by resilience and possibility. This year’s festival is a testament to the power of cinema to inspire, provoke, and remind us that hope is always in motion.” 

Tickets for the New York African Film Festival, the May 10 screening of Memories of Love Returned, or more information on the festival can be found online at https://africanfilmny.org and https://www.filmlinc.org. The festival runs until Tuesday, May 13.