Africa in Cinema looks at topics in film on the African continent through the works and theories of key African film scholars of last 25 years. The pervasive influence of film as a distributor of cultural imperialism, and how globalization impacts the way people and cultures see themselves in relation to the rest of the world, and who and what they value and idolize. These topics and others in relation to colonialism, post colonialism\and neo-colonialism will be discussed, with examples in film about and from Africa.
As Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan (1964) predicted, technological advancement has project us into a global village, of instantaneous access to content and information across the world. This course helps students understand this claim, through the perspective of African scholars and theorists, whose work flourishes on the continent, but is almost invisible in the West. A contrast will be drawn between Africa in Western, media and cinema, from a Western point of view and Africa in film depicting how Africans see themselves and their environment.
This course will be focused on revealing the most important efforts in film development on the African continent. It provides a barometer for contrast, not only in the methods of film production and distribution used in low budget industries, but the stories told and the exepreince lived which are revealed in film.
In 1994 South African President, Nelson Mandela engaged South African the Anglican Bishop, Desmond Tutu to demonstrate an application of guerilla theology to administer the Truth And Reconciliation Commission, as the ANC won the first democratic election. The TRC was charged to get South AFrican of all races to congess, repent their wrong doings and to repent and reconcile in a bid to heal the country and move toward unification of a new society and progressive outlook. The are proponets of boths sides is the analysis of whether this has worked or not.
This course will identify films with a missional goal or message, in the Hollywood or Independent film genres, and similar film made by African filmmakers from across the African continent, and the African Diaspora.
Film as a tool of education and visualization enhances the goal of this course, to open students up to understanding alternate perspectives and divergent cultural outlooks in a world where religion has harmed and has healed. Understanding helps to communicate appropriately and to frame messages from the perspective of the audience.
Cinema expresses culture and often we learn how we are similar and different thorugh film. Many times we learn the way the rest of the world looks and thinks media and film. Students consider how consistent with African experiences these representations are.
Money has the power to erradicate an audiences' acceptance of their own reality. What Africans have seen for decades is the validity of other cultures and races above their own, The reason might be economically motivated, as well as the fact that the film infrastructure - is owned by European and American companies. Ownership of the content has a huge impact of what is seen.
One unique aspect of film is that the filmmaker can only reproduce what he or she has seen, has felt. Even fantasy is based on experiential tenets of a filmmaker's reality.
