Join Me in Sharing Africa In Me with the World

Hi! I’m Karma Bridges, a recent graduate of Spelman College with a passion for storytelling and documentary filmmaking. For my senior thesis, I created Africa In Me, a short documentary that explores my identity as an African American and my profound connection to the continent of Africa. I had the honor of writing, directing, producing, editing, and shooting this project myself, and it’s a story that means the world to me.

Now, I’m raising funds to submit Africa In Me to local and international film festivals, and to cover travel costs so I can attend and represent my film. With your support, I can share this personal journey with a wider audience and inspire others through my story.

Thank you for helping me take this important step in my filmmaking career! Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference.

Why this story?

As an African-American girl, I grew up identifying more with the American side of my identity, while the African side felt distant. My history lessons in school began with slavery, framing my ancestors as enslaved people rather than focusing on their origins as African kings and queens. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I learned about my ancestors before the slave trade, which shifted my perspective and made me think deeply about the cultural gap between how my ancestors lived in 1619 and how the Black community identifies today. For the first time, I considered my connection to Africa, realizing that being African American also means grappling with the loss of that identity through centuries of cultural erasure.

My personal connection to Africa began at eight years old when I traveled to Nigeria for the first time and experienced its vibrant culture—the music, the food, the clothes, and the energy of the people. Over the years, my identity has expanded even further, especially through my relationship with my stepmother, who is from Gabon. Traveling to Gabon in 2019 and receiving my Gabonese passport was a pivotal moment that deepened my sense of belonging to the continent. While I continue to navigate the complexities of claiming my African heritage without being born there, my hope for my film is to inspire others to embrace their journey of self-discovery and give themselves grace as they explore who they truly are.