By Fred Kuwornu
I am currently developing a new documentary project on St. Benedict The Moor, the Black saint born in Sicily whose life opens a powerful window onto faith, migration, race, and belonging in Italian history.
Born in San Fratello, near Messina, in 1526, to African parents who had been enslaved, San Benedetto later lived in the Palermo area, where he became known for his humility, spiritual strength, and deep connection to the poor. Over time, his story traveled far beyond Sicily and became part of a wider Black Catholic devotion across Italy, Brazil, Latin America, African-Americans in the United States.
What interests me most is not only his sanctity, but also what his life reveals about the African presence in Italy and Europe, and how memory can survive through religion, ritual, and popular devotion. Even in New York, his legacy can still be felt in churches dedicated to St. Benedict the Moor in both Queens and Manhattan. For me, this project is both historical and personal. It is a journey through Sicily and beyond, searching for a figure who helps us rethink Italy’s past and its connections to a broader global history.
Fred Kudjo Kuwornu is an Afro Italian and U.S. socially engaged artist, filmmaker, curator, and scholar based in New York. His work explores race, identity, memory, and the African presence in Europe and the wider diaspora through documentary cinema, archives, and visual storytelling. His recent documentary We Were Here – The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe received the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Documentary, was officially submitted for consideration in the 2026 Academy Awards documentary category, he received the Dan David Prize 2025, the largest History’s prize award and the Folgers Library Fellowship