The Cinema of Africa: A Susinct Elucidation

THE CINEMA OF AFRICA: A SUCCINCT ELUCIDATION
Barthelomew Gerald Aguugo

University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
bartywana2@gmail.com.
Abstract
Film came to Africa almost immediately after its invention. But Africans didn’t get the
opportunity to access it until the eve of the imperialist rules within the regions of the
continent. This essay aims at identifying the margins and definitions of African Cinema, from
prehistoric, historic and post modern points of view. In a way, it also tried to define which
film is African or not. It uses a Qualitative approach to analytically draw it findings and
concludes that African Cinema is a conglomerate of many national cinemas within the
continent and not a single branded cinema as often portrayed in some international cinema
discourses.
Keywords: African Cinema, North African Cinema, South African Cinema, Film,
Filmmaking.
Introduction
Before the emergence of the pioneer African filmmakers, such as: Ousmane Sambene –
referred to as the father of African Cinema, Med Hondo, Paulyn Soumanou Veiyra, Djibril
Diop Mambety, etc., the sort of cinema that existed was utterly imperialistic, European and
stereotypical in content, hence it cannot and does not fit to be structured into the continents’
cinema description. Alongside other agenda, colonial administrations criminalized indigenous
filmmaking for fear of the subversive potential of anti-colonial messages. By this act, they
made film production and communication to come from only one direction, so that they had a
one way channel, i.e., from them to African audiences (McCall, 2018, p.1). It is true that
there is hardly a single definition for anything in the world, not especially a phenomenal
industry like the Cinema of African. However, before any other definition is given to the
African Cinema, it is best to first define it as a counter cinema. This owes to the fact that the
African cinema began as a fight back to the misrepresentations of the African peoples by the
white colonial masters, which depicted the blacks as timid, low class, barbaric, poor, sick,
miserable and animalistic; with low intelligent quotient and existing outside the borders of
life. Ekwazi, (1991) throws more light to the inhumane pictures that the colonial filmmakers
painted about Africans.
African Cinema is therefore that cinema which emanated in a frown against the
foregoing and to make counteractive statements that began to change the narrative. The
beliefs, attitudes and values implicit in any film tend to resonate with those beliefs, attitudes
and values which are dominant in the society from which the film originates (Linton, 1979).
This buttresses the reasons why even though the white colonialists made films in Africa, they
still cannot be referred to as truly African because those films were culturally Eurocentric and
politically aimed at playing a “mind game” on the people.
Defining the African Cinema

African Cinema refers to the holistic embodiments of the African film industry. It is both the
historic and contemporary endeavors concerned with the production, advertising, distribution,
screening and scholarship / criticism of films on the African continent. It also refers to the
practitioners, regulators, critics and scholars as well as the processes involved in this
audiovisual form within the continent. African Cinema or the Cinema of Africa as it is
intermittently called, began at the dawn of 20th century, when the basic technology used in
cinema was “film reels”. During the era of the colonial masters, African traditions and
activities were screened only through the works of western filmmakers, who often represented
the continent and the indigenous people in a negative manner through their films, and exulting
the white casts. Although there are some opinions which see African cinema as film
production activities within Sub-Saharan Africa, it is important to note that however small or
big, sophisticated or primitive, there are over 30 African national cinemas with distinct
audiovisual traditions, hence there is no single 'African cinema'. Historically, culturally,
religiously and otherwise, there are major regional differences between North African and
sub-Saharan cinemas, even as there are distinct cinema cultured between the cinemas of
nations within the sub-regions. In comparison to other continental cinemas, that of African
may be seen as a more recent phenomenon. Evidently, most nations in the continent merely
lunched practice subsequent to the independence, by 1960s. Therefore, going by the model
of imperialism and the agitation for independence, production of films in Africa began by
reflecting the methods of development in the Portuguese, French and English-speaking parts
of the continent (otherwise known as Lusophone, Francophone and Anglophone regions).
However, this emergence gave African cinema the unique attributes that are also obviously
different; especially that of North Africa, which, which is culturally Arabic-inclined with a
longer production history.
The North-South Dichotomy
There seems to be a sort of dichotomy between the North and South that is complicated, and
which indicates ascertained commonalities and on the other hand, disunity among
filmmakers in both regions. Although, geographical, cultural and political state of affairs
may seem unlikely in many different ways, the filmmakers of both regions are still tied
together being under the umbrella of the Pan-African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI).
Also, they have maintained contacts and business relationships together with some Africa’s
foremost film festivals held periodically in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and Carthage
(Tunisia) where issues bordering on the African cinematic practices are raised and attended
to. Consequently, the changing situations and modifications of the basic expressions of the
colonial and post-independence periods present African cinemas as those haven taken off in
unique circumstances that could be said to be incomparable to the threshold of other national
cinemas. South Africa presents a different facet the construction of African cinema history
and discourses regarding African film industries. Following the demise of apartheid, South
Africa became a member of the African Union making its cinema, which was once seen as
“the cinema of apartheid,” gained pupblic awareness and celebrated in the tag of “South
African cinema.” As a multiracial society unique from many other African nations, its film
production is dominated by white South Africans, hence, its configuration is patterned to the
narrative techniques of Hollywood and European cinemas. However, there is a yearning by
black filmmakers for the adoption of a narrative technique that is unique to Africa, a yearn
for production based on the aesthetic principles that are likened to Black African Cinemas,
which been realized to a reasonable extent. Perhaps, it is in line with the foregoing that Botha
avers:
As a result of apartheid and the international cultural boycott, local academics
and film makers have been excluded from the major African film festivals and
congresses. Since the unbanning of the ANC, PAC and SACP and the
concomitant political changes in South Africa, individuals in the local film and
television industries have worked more closely with their colleagues in Africa.
It seems that there is going to be progressively closer contact and cooperation
between the film and television industries of South Africa and other African
countries (2007).
On the northern side of Africa are the Tunisian and Egyptian cinemas. Among the oldest
cinemas in the world are the cinema of Tunisia and that of Egypt. According to a short article
by Heidi Sallam (2021), pioneers Auguste and Louis Lumière otherwise known as the Luniere
brothers screened their works in Cairo, Alexandria, Soussa Hammam-Lif and Tunis in the
year 1896. Albert Samama Chikly is often reported as the first to produce indigenous African
films, having screened his personal documentaries in the Tunis casino as far back as
December 1905. Chikly went on to produce significant early milestones in cinema history,
alongside his daughter Haydée Tamzali. One of the works produced by s Chikly include The
Girl from Carthage. (1924). In the year 1935 a company in Cairo known as the MISR film
studio, began the production of mostly musicals and formulaic comedies and also films like
Kamal Selim's The Will (1939). Meanwhile, the Egyptian cinema boom took off around 1940s
till 1960s, a period in film history considered the Golden Age of African Cinema.
Contribution of the Study

This study contributes to the body of knowledge in the cinematic discourses of Africa as it
becomes a relevant research material for future studies. The clarifications made would reflect
of the image of the African cinema by repainting the notion of its monotonousness.
Implication of the Study

Following the findings made, this study will explicate the true position of African Cinema.
Most importantly, it will serve as a resource document for cinema scholars, especially those
who seek to know the true definition and boundaries of the continental cinema as opposed to
the believe that the cinema is homogeneous in culture, techniques and history.
Conclusion
Critical studies and critical inferences of the cinema of Africa have multiplied, since the
inception of indigenous films production in Africa which began in mid-1950s down to the
60s. Most of the ground breaking long texts were scripted in French language, as part of the
published series of d’Africa noire series by (Organisation Catholic Internationale du Cinema
et de l’Audio visuel) OCIC in Brussels. Otten 1984, Bachy 1982a, b&c and Vieyra 1983 all
offer a studies about filmmaking in Africa. Schmidt 1985 gives a useful review of these
books. Vieyra 1975, the first book by an African and which synthesizes the African
filmmaking discourses in a single volume truly is an examplary and interesting introduction to
the history, culture, politics and ideology of African film practices and how no it reinforces
the ideals of the industry (as cited in Ukadike, 2013). From these different documentations,
together with the accounts of Shaka as postulated in his classical masterpiece “Modernity and
African Cinema” that of Uwah in “The Rhetoric of Culture in Nollywood” and that of
McCall’s “West African Cinema”, one can draw a reasonable inference about what African
Cinema is or at least, what it should be.
References
Botha M. P. (2007). https://doi.org/10.1080/02500169408537868
Ekwazi, H. (1991). Towards the Decolonization of the African Film.Africa Media Review Vol.
5 No. 2.
Heidi Sallam (2021). Past, Present and Future: Diving into the Tunisian Film Industry.
https://scoopempire.com/a-lowdown-on-tunisian-cinema-with-the-latest-oscar-
updates/
Linton, J. (1979).'But it's Only a Movie,'Jump Cut. April 17.
McCall, J. C. (2018). West African Cinema.Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African

History.
Nwadike, N. F. (2013). African Cinema.Oxford Bibliographies.

https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/ .

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THE CINEMA OF AFRICA: A SUCCINCT ELUCIDATION

Barthelomew Gerald Aguugo

Defining the African Cinema

Contribution of the Study

Implication of the Study

Linton, J. (1979).'But it's Only a Movie,'Jump Cut. April 17.

McCall, J. C. (2018). West African Cinema.Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African

Nwadike, N. F. (2013). African Cinema.Oxford Bibliographies.

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