USA / 2025 / 72mins / Documentary / English

When I Say Africa unpacks the myths of the white savior complex. African storytellers, changemakers and thinkers talk back to Western volunteers and journalists, exposing the power dynamics behind these portrayals. Sparked by a flmmaker’s reckoning with her role in perpetuatng Western stereotypes about Africa, When I Say Africa challenges viewers to confront the true cost of these misrepresentatons while showing how new generatons are engaging with each other in more meaningful ways.

Cassandra Herrman

Cassandra Herrman is a documentary director and producer and a Continuing Lecturer at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Her films have been nominated for three national Emmy awards and have been shown on PBS's Independent Lens, the NewsHour, Al Jazeera and the New York Times, as well as film festivals around the world. As a former volunteer in Kenya and a journalist and filmmaker, she is working to challenge how outsiders, including herself, have framed and mediated representations of Africa. Learn More