N'gola (Sao Tome) - Our Ancestors Swam to Shore

Our Ancestors Swam to Shore showcases the rarely heard music of Angolar Creole (N'gola) speakers from the African islands of Sao Tome and Principe. Many of the five thousand residents are descendants of escaped Angolan slaves, who, as their folklore tells, swam to shore after a shipwreck off the coast. Gola has historically been used as a slur on Sao Tome and its speakers are widely regarded as the lowest class; today, most work as fishermen. Our Ancestors Swam to Shorewas produced by GRAMMY-winner Ian Brennan and Italian-Rwandan filmmaker/photographer Marilena Umuhoza Dellias, as a companion to Ancestor Sounds,a collection of field recordings by the descendants of formerly enslaved people of Africatown, Alabama. The N'gola musicians of Sao Tome repurpose common items, including canoes and fishing gear, as instruments. OnOur Ancestors Swam to Shore, the power of music goes beyond melody, harmony, and instrumentation and acts as a transcendent force to tell a people's history with a nod toward the future.