The Ubuntu International Film Series Online
MSU Libraries in partnership with the Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities Program presents the Ubuntu International Film Series.
Ubuntu: a Zulu word translated as humanity that has become a global philosophical principle: “I am because we are.”
The two-week film series (Monday-Thursday) includes eight unique films from different global contexts. The film screenings will be followed by discussions with local and African experts who will explore global evocations of the concept of Ubuntu. The closing in-person screening and panel discussion is on April 3 at TBD.
All events are free and open to the public. Online registration is required to access the zoom events.
The film series is co-sponsored by the MSU Library, the African Studies Center, the Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities Program and the Institute for Ubuntu Thought and Practice. For more information contact Erik Ponder, the African Studies librarian: ponderer@msu.edu
Click here for the full film series schedule.
- Date:
- Monday, March 31, 2025 Show more dates
- Time:
- 12:00pm - 2:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Online:
- This is an online event. Event URL will be sent via registration email.
Film: Nor Any Drop to Drink (Directed by Cedric Taylor, USA 2018: 124 minutes)
The documentary, Nor Any Drop to Drink, focuses on the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan. In 2014, in order to save money, the state switched Flint's water supply to the heavily polluted Flint River as a cost-saving measure. Almost immediately, residents complained of poor water quality, rashes and hair loss. As the water crisis unfolded, concerns about lead poisoning emerged. Punctuated by the experiences of ordinary residents, Nor Any Drop to Drink sheds light on how the failure of government and economic policy created the Flint water crisis.
Discussant: Dr. Cedric Taylor (Michigan)
A Jamaican-born filmmaker, Cedric Taylor is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Central Michigan University. His teaching and research focus on environmental justice, health disparities, and visual sociology. He is a public sociologist who employs film, visual media, and storytelling to engage the broader community in conversations on social justice and environmental challenges. He is the writer, director, and co-producer of the documentary film Nor Any Drop to Drink: Flint's Water Crisis, which has been screened throughout the country and internationally. From 2021to 2023, Taylor was a visiting professor at the University of Michigan - School of Environment and Sustainability.