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Santilla Chingaipe

@santigrams

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words. archives. moving images.
ministress of enjoyment @firstchapterpresents.

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three years ago today, @ourafricanrootsfilm premiered on @sbs_australia! it was my first time juggling multiple roles (creator/writer/producer/host) on a television project and remain so proud of this doc, and the creative team behind it. it opened to critical acclaim and won awards here, and overseas (including in cannes 🥳). and importantly, so many australians now know things about their colonial history that they did not know prior to this show airing.

and how about the u.s. government honouring john joseph thanks to the doc! and the nytimes picking up the story! anyway, it is streaming on sbs if you’d like to rewatch. or see it for the first time. it’s never too late. 🤲🏿✨ by @santigrams

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Happy Publication Day to Black Convicts by Santilla Chingaipe! 🖤

Shortlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize and the 2025 Queensland Literary Awards, Black Convicts is a remarkable work of historical recovery that shines a light on the Black convicts whose stories have been erased from Australia’s national memory.

Pick up a copy of Black Convicts now from jacarandabooks.co.uk, and catch Santilla on one of her UK tour stops! Tickets available from the link in bio 📚💜 by @santigrams

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a day ago

spent the weekend in pisa, home to the leaning tower, galileo’s birthplace, and the hometown of luca cappelli, my closest collaborator and friend. he’s cut most of the work i’ve directed, and with our biggest project yet ahead, face-to-face creative chats were a must.

cappelli didn’t hold back on the current screenplay because he knows full well there’ll come a day in the edit when my stubborn ass wished i’d listened, and he’ll inevitably say “santi, i told you so.”

also, i run an osteria in pisa.

nourished in all the ways. grazie, pisa. taken in Pisa, Italy by @santigrams

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4 days ago

straight from the airport to opening night of the 70th @britishfilminstitute london film festival.

good to be back, london. by @santigrams

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8 days ago

celebrated the work of octavia e. butler at the big house! made new friends, danced until my feet hurt, saw friends i hadn’t seen in ages and randomly met a reader on my flight who was reading my latest essay in @themonthlymagazine. ty @sydneyoperahouse! by @santigrams

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11 days ago

very excited to be bringing @blackconvicts to uk audiences. see you soon. x by @santigrams

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13 days ago

back in the director’s chair for this one.

last year, i wrote an essay for @themonthlymagazine about clarence reeves, an african american boxer who escaped the jim crow south, arrived in australia in the 1930s, fought across the country, married and raised children here, and was eventually deported under the white australia policy.

that research opened up a whole world of black boxers who made their way to this island in the 19th and 20th centuries, and i figured there’s a film in it.

i’m having a lot of fun learning about boxing, and thinking about masculinity and power. 🥊

big thanks to @screenaustralia for the vote of confidence, and a shout-out to luke hickey at the @nationallibraryaus in canberra, who made it possible for me to dig through the archives on my last visit to the capital.⚡️🐓 taken in Ancestors in the Archives by @santigrams

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15 days ago

We’re so excited to have the brilliant Santilla Chingaipe, author of Black Convicts, joining us in the UK very soon and speaking at #OzLitFest on the 18th October 🙌🏾

Shortlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize and the 2025 Queensland Literary Awards, Black Convicts is a remarkable work of historical recovery that shines a light on the Black convicts whose stories have been erased from Australia’s national memory. In recovering their lives, Santilla Chingaipe offers a fresh understanding of this fatal shore, showing how empire, slavery, race and memory have shaped the nation.

Get your tickets to OzLit Fest at foyles.co.uk or fanza.org, and pre-order Black Convicts now at jacarandabooks.co.uk 📚💜 by @santigrams

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16 days ago

in the october issue of @themonthlymagazine, i’ve written about australia’s much-touted “world-first” social media ban for under-16s.

the piece is less concerned with whether the ban works (the evidence says it doesn’t) than with how it came to be. it took a radio broadcaster and an ad executive just over twelve months to get it up, and the legislation itself went through federal parliament in eight days with little scrutiny.

it’s a story about power, influence, and how expertise is sidelined when a politically expedient measure is on offer. and as the rest of the world moves to replicate australia’s experiment, the question worth asking is what lessons can be drawn from this rushed reform.

as one expert put it to me: any reasonable adult wants children to be safe online, but good intentions don’t make good policy.

and dear ones: i know the snippets might make you feel like you already know the story, but i’d encourage you to read all 7,000-odd words before rushing to a conclusion. by @santigrams

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18 days ago

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a month ago

Hello Spring! We hosted our first ever “No Skips” all-ages party with guest selector Arlo over at @ultraculturecommunity yesterday!

Arlo’s band, The Messy Checkers, treated us to a special performance, and together we listened to The Beatles’ 1966 album “Revolver”.

A big thank you to @ukoofamilycare for sponsoring the event and ensuring all the big and little humans stay moisturised.

Thanks also to everyone who came along. ☀️♟️ by @santigrams

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2 months ago