Summer 2008

WGS s340 • AFRICAN FILM

Course Description

Of all art forms, African cinema is the least known to the West. The term 'African cinema' generally refers to films produced in Africa following independence in many countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The derogatory/stereotyping representation of Africa during the pre-colonial and particularly the colonial periods led to a quest for new and realistic images in films on Africa by Africans. This course examines the different themes explored in contemporary African films including gender relationships, independence struggles and post independence socio-political discourses, all of which will be examined in light of theories from African film schools including Gaston Kaborés, among others. Discussions and analyses will focus not only on the aesthetics of production as well as the language of discourse ---indigenous or colonial languages--- but also on film production and distribution, cultural enrichment, and economic exploitation. Films will be selected from different regions of Africa, particularly Anglophone and Francophone Africa.

Texts

- Armes, Roy. Studies in North African Film. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004, ISBN: 0-253-21744-X -Diawara, Manthia. African Cinema: Politics and Culture. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992 , ISBN : 0-253-20707-X Paperback Edition -Ukadike, Nwachukwu Frank. Black African Cinema. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994, ISBN 0-520-07748-2 - COURSE PACKET

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