Mo Abudu Says Dedicated London Venue Can Broaden How African Stories Are Seen
Mo Abudu says a permanent London cinema can give African and Black stories greater visibility while welcoming wider audiences.
Nigerian media executive Mo Abudu has linked the creation of a permanent London cinema for African and Black films to a wider effort to improve how African experiences are represented and understood internationally.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Africa that was shared on X on Friday, Abudu said changing perceptions requires different stories to be presented more consistently. She connected that argument to racism, saying stronger representation can offer audiences narratives that challenge stereotypes and incomplete ideas about African and Black communities.
The new venue is intended to provide a continuing platform for African cultural expression rather than operate only as a place for occasional film screenings. Abudu said its focus would extend to cinema, food and fashion, bringing several aspects of African creativity together within one permanent setting.
She stressed that establishing a dedicated space does not mean African or Black films should be separated from mainstream platforms. Instead, she presented the venue as an additional option in an environment where she believes such content remains insufficiently represented. Her view is that creators and audiences should have spaces where their work can be shown and shared while still participating in the wider entertainment industry.
Abudu also said the project is intended to attract people from outside African and Black communities. She argued that having greater control over how stories are presented can create an opportunity to introduce those narratives to audiences who may have had limited exposure to them.
During the interview, she reflected on growing up in England and said she often felt expected to explain African and Nigerian life to others. She recalled encountering questions and comments she regarded as offensive or poorly informed and said such experiences were sometimes endured without confrontation.
Her comments place the London cinema within a broader discussion about representation rather than treating it solely as a commercial film venue. For Abudu, the purpose is to provide African and Black creative work with a dependable platform while also giving international audiences another route to engage with those stories and cultural expressions.