Co-curator of African Effect talks with SFR about African cinema.
How much-beyond the "if it bleeds it leads" coverage by the Western mainstream media-do you really know about Africa? The Center for Contemporary Arts' sixth annual African Effect Film Festival is a chance to learn more, much more. Through discussions, lectures and, of course, the time and space travel device
par excellence
-film-African Effect presents Africans' stories in their own words, images and sounds. From the***image2*** sumptuous, mystical dream that is Bab' Aziz to the fascinating modern reimagining of the Jesus story Son of Man, these films are not only invaluable cultural experiences, but incredible works of art as well. The program is co-curated by Jason Silverman, CCA's film curator, and Samba Gadjigo, an African literature and film scholar at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. Gadjigo spoke with SFR about the past and future of African cinema.
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SFR: Why have you chosen redemption and transformation as central to the current swath of African cinema?
SG:
The issue of redemption is very important because of the images that have been made to historically represent Africa. Cinematography was invented in 1895 and as early as 1900 there were screenings in Africa. Two years later there was colonial cinema that represented Africa. Colonial representations, of course, were ideologically motivated to justify colonialism. These colonial images of Africa portrayed Africans in a very negative light. So when Africans themselves took the camera and started self-representing, their work was not just meant for entertainment, à la Hollywood. It was meant to redeem the representations of Africa and to alter Africans' ways of looking at themselves.
What creative traditions have African filmmakers drawn upon to make truly African film?
***image1***You have in African traditions what are called 'griots.' The griot is a historian, a genealogist and a keeper of traditions. I would say African cinema is an offspring of the griot narrative style.
Why do we in the US know so little about African peoples' positive cultural offerings?
The media only focuses on Africa when there is a disaster. But there are unsung heroes everywhere you go in Africa today: a woman putting her children through school or struggling to end female genital mutilation; men and women fighting together to turn the continent around. But you never see those images here. So in the average American consciousness Africa is still-to paraphrase Joseph Conrad-a dark continent. And it's those stereotypically negative images of Africa in the West that most African filmmakers are tying to counter.
We keep throwing around this term 'African cinema.' How different are the various national cinemas?
Africa is a continent of 54 nation states, with different languages and different cultures. Although all African filmmakers may deal with issues of social justice, they all do it through their own sensitivities, cultural legacies and languages. So to talk about African cinema is to use a misnomer.
What is the future of-for lack of a better term-African cinema?
All peoples around the world have been through difficult histories. Africa-and African cinema-is going through difficulties, too. I'm sure though, that-considering where Africa came from and where it is right now-the future can only be bright.
