Black Atlantic

The Africa We Carry

This feature documentary traces a living cultural continuum across the Atlantic—from Sierra Leone to Barbados to the Sea Islands of the American South—where the descendants of enslaved Africans still carry the rhythms, language, and traditions of their ancestors. Along the Gullah Geechee coast, these histories are not distant, but alive—moving through story, memory, and everyday life.

Rooted in the forced movement of Africans to the Caribbean and on to the Sea Islands of the American South, Black Atlantic follows a people whose stories continue to unfold. From fighting in the American Revolution to the Civil War, they also confront the broken promises of Reconstruction, including “40 Acres and a Mule.” Through it all, they uplift African retentions in language, foodways and basketmaking. A visual gumbo, Black Atlantic is Black history lived and continuously renewed.