We Were Here – The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe, is a multilingual film, shot across Europe, which challenges the notion that all black people in Renaissance Europe were slaves or servants. It reveals their diverse presence, including as princes, ambassadors, merchants, and religious figures, and highlights the overlooked presence of African and Black individuals in Renaissance Europe, focusing on how they were depicted in masterpieces by some of the era’s most celebrated artists. How did they arrive in Europe? Why were they portrayed? Were they truly all servants or slaves? If the Black faces portrayed in these Renaissance masterpieces could speak, what would they tell us?

Narrated from an Afro-European perspective, the film explores stories absent from traditional history books. It interweaves art history with social narratives, offering a fresh lens on the European Renaissance and the complex tapestry of Black presence often overlooked in conventional historical accounts

The film was exhibited in the Central Pavilion directed by Adriano Pedrosa at the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. More information: https://www.wewereherethefilm.com