Nigerian media entrepreneur and film producer Mo Abudu has launched a new cultural centre in London featuring a cinema dedicated to African films and Black storytelling, creating a platform to showcase the continent’s creative industry to international audiences.
Named EbonyLife Place London, the centre is located near the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. It is expected to open to the public this weekend and has been described as the first venue of its kind in Britain and Europe.
Abudu, founder of EbonyLife, a leading African media and production company, said the project was driven by her desire to give African creatives greater control over how their stories are presented to the world.
Speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP), she said the centre would celebrate African identity and highlight the continent’s creative achievements.
“It’s time to tell our own stories,” she said, adding that she wanted visitors to experience African culture at its best.
Born in London, the 62-year-old entrepreneur recalled growing up in the United Kingdom without access to cinemas showing Black films. She said the new venue would make African cinema, fashion and other cultural expressions more accessible to audiences in the British capital.
The two-storey facility features a restaurant, bar, lounge named Fẹhinti, a boutique showcasing designers from Africa and its diaspora, and artworks by artists from across the continent.
Its main attraction is the Amani cinema, fitted with red seats, wooden panelling and soft lighting. The name Amani means peace and harmony in Swahili.
The project, financed largely by Abudu’s media group, follows the establishment of EbonyLife Place in Lagos in 2019. Abudu is widely recognised for her contribution to the growth of Nollywood and the production of commercially successful African films.
She said African creatives should take the initiative in creating platforms for their work rather than waiting for existing institutions to accommodate them. She described the London centre as a welcoming space where visitors could engage with African fashion, art, music and film.
Access to the venue will be managed through a membership scheme, with further details yet to be announced. Abudu said membership would be open to everyone, regardless of nationality or ethnic background.
The cinema’s programme is still being finalised, but it is expected to feature films from across Africa, alongside productions celebrating Black actors and storytelling. Abudu confirmed that the venue would also screen works by acclaimed African filmmakers, including Senegalese director Ousmane Sembène and Algerian filmmaker Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina.
The centre will showcase productions from EbonyLife as well as other films featuring Black actors, including the next instalment in the Black Panther series. Its opening-week programme is expected to feature Nigerian filmmakers Nwani Orire and Ifeyinwa Arinze.
Looking beyond London, Abudu said she hoped to establish a similar venue in Paris, potentially through a partnership with other organisations.
The launch marks another step in efforts to expand the international reach of African cinema and create dedicated spaces for the continent’s stories, talent and cultural heritage.
