U.S. EMBASSY
PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION
LUANDA, ANGOLA
Media Note
For Immediate Release February 22, 2023
U.S. Embassy Celebrates Black History Month with Screening of FENCES
In celebration of Black History Month, the Embassy of the United States of America, in partnership with Generation 80, will screen the film Fences today at 6:00 pm. The film will be shown at Cine.80, Rua Ramalho Ortigão, N.1, Alvalade in Luanda, followed by a discussion exploring the 2016 film adaptation of the 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning play written by August Wilson. Denzel Washington stars in the lead role, alongside Viola Davis and other stars. Washington also produced and directed the film. Fences portrays an African-American family in 1950’s Philadelphia and the literal and figurative barriers faced by the characters due to the effects of racial discrimination. It was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2016 and was nominated for numerous awards, including four Oscar nominations at the 89th Academy Awards and two Golden Globe nominations. The celebration of Black History Month began in 1926 and coincides with the week of the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln, signer of the Emancipation Proclamation, and Frederick Douglass, who fought slavery and became a social reformer following his escape from slavery. To this day, every President of the United States has established the month of February as a time to recognize the diverse contributions of this population within the country and in the African Diaspora. In the annual proclamation to celebrate Black History Month, President Biden stressed that “we honor and continue the work of black Americans who have created a more just and inclusive democracy, helping our Nation move closer to realizing its full promise for all.” The U.S. Embassy in Luanda seeks to continue to promote diverse voices and representations of all Americans as we engage with diverse Angolans across the 18 provinces of this country with whom we share a history of resistance and resilience. For more information, please contact the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs section, via e-mail at PressLuanda@state.gov or by telephone at 222-641-000.
