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The Africa Institute, in collaboration with the June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive, presented a film program titled “Decolonizing African Cinema: A History,” launched on October 21, 2021. This program aimed to position influential works of African cinema in relation to contemporary films, highlighting trends and developments that have shaped critical conversations and debates around this cinema.
“Decolonizing African Cinema: A History” examined the influences that have shaped the foundations of African ideas about cinema. By placing these perspectives in a broader context, the program discussed how various interventions have been informed throughout history. Presenting a curated selection of films and critical perspectives echoing across contemporary debates on filmmaking throughout Africa and the African diaspora, the program explored the impact of the past on present-day African cinema, with its various intersections, continuities, and discontinuities.
Structured over four webinar symposiums, each session focused on a theme explored by expert discussants. Each symposium was accompanied by a complimentary set of films for both essential and recommended viewing. The theme of each symposium provided a framework for the discussions and created a dialogue around the foundations of African cinema and its significance for contemporary and ongoing debates.
The recorded symposiums are open to the public and will be of particular interest to students of African cinema. Both The Africa Institute and the June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive acknowledge the lack of knowledge and resources for the study of African cinema in Africa and hope this program serves as an accessible contribution to the field. There is also a recognized need for reframing contemporary debates, inviting and encouraging new perspectives that prioritize issues pertinent to the African cultural economy and its future.
These symposium recordings are available on The Africa Institute’s YouTube page, providing a convenient platform for broader accessibility and engagement with the valuable discussions on African cinema.
This symposium examines the ideas that led to the emergence of African cinema. Acknowledging that ‘African Cinema’ first received critical global recognition through themes of cultural identity, national independence movements, and Pan-African solidarity, the discussants examine the vision and work of those referred to as the ‘Pioneers of African Cinema’. These notions are also considered in the context of contemporary debates around filmmaking in Africa and the African diaspora; and in relation to current perspectives on cinema that incorporate concepts such as ‘Black Africa’, ‘Africa North of the Sahara’, Afrofuturism, Afrosurrealism, and the meaning of cinema in the twenty-first century. The films were made available for free streaming via the Africa Institute website between October 21 – 23. On October 23, 2021, at 6 pm (Gulf Standard Time), filmmaker Gaston Kaboré moderated a discussion between professors Mamadou Diouf and Lindiwe Dovey, in which they explored the theme of Foundations of African Cinema.
Gaston Kabore
Mamadou Diouf, Lindiwe Dovey
‘Cinema Cultures in Africa’ focused on the ways in which the moving image has been encountered and used by African people throughout time. Experiences that framed the first representations of Africa and Africans on film were examined through the perspective of audiences, including the reception of ‘silent cinema,’ ‘colonial films’ of the Bantu Education Kinema Experiment (BEKE) in east and central Africa, and the Kuxa Kanema national cinema movement in Mozambique. Noting the precedents in still photography and the use of the camera in the pseudo-discipline sciences of the ‘explorer,’ the experience of the spread of ‘cinema’ in Africa was given significance as a formative moment in the African experience of cinema.
At the core of this symposium is the question of ‘Africa’ and the notion of ‘national cinema’ emerging from colonialism into the post-independence era. Among the central concerns are the responses of African filmmakers as cultural producers to the historical ambiguities and challenges. It is in this regard that a pivotal question was placed at the heart of the discussion: what might be the tradition or heritage informing cinema cultures in African societies?
The films were made available for free streaming via the Africa Institute website between October 28 – 30. On October 30, at 6 PM (Gulf Standard Time), film producer Pedro Pimenta moderated a discussion between filmmaker Jihan el Tahri and Dr. Jude Akudinobi, in which they explored the theme of Cinema Cultures in Africa.
Pedro Pimenta
Jihan El Tahri, Jude Akudinobi
‘Historicizing the Decolonizing Principle’ focused on the need for a critical intervention into contemporary debates on African cinema, including its transnational global reality, its intersections across popular cultures, and its place within the pervasive global mediascape and networks. This symposium focused on crucial ideas around the articulation of ‘African cinema’ and its practices, with the intent to invite new perspectives that prioritize issues pertinent to the African cultural economy and its future. The African Union’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want is an example of a defining influence in relation to perceived futures of the cultural economy, as it provided a historically informed vision for Africa, its people, and their cultures, against which to examine African cinema.
African independence, development, and sovereignty are the focal points of this discussion. Discussants examined how Africans have been engaged in African cinema in the decades of post-independence, how they have provided new ways of experiencing the moving image while highlighting issues of Africa’s decolonization process, and the impact – nationally and globally – of African filmmaking in terms of challenging and redefining perceptions, structures, and discourses.
This symposium provided an analysis of various approaches to African cinema and cinema in general. The parameters of theoretical and aesthetic considerations were also explored to frame a rationale for the various perspectives on African cinema. The films were made available for free streaming via the Africa Institute website between November 4 – 6. On November 6, 2021, at 6 pm (Gulf Standard Time), Professor Aboubakar Sanogo moderated a discussion between film programmer Mahen Bonetti and film curator Keith Shiri, in which they explored the theme of Historicizing the Decolonizing Principle.
Aboubakar Sanogo
Mahen Bonetti, Keith Shiri
1. Camp Thiaroye/Camp de Thiaroye (Thierno Faty Sow and Ousmane Sembene | 157 mins | 1988)
2. The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo | 120 mins | 1966)
Contemporary expressions of ‘African cinema’ showcase a diversity of trends, aesthetic preferences, and audience experiences. This symposium delved into films being produced at this historical moment, reflecting on how the aspirations of the ‘pioneers of African cinema’ are being contested, reinforced, or realized. The discussants analyzed and compared the films’ aesthetic approaches, storytelling techniques, and a diverse range of contemporary concerns for filmmakers.
The symposium ‘Continuity and Change’ considered the ways in which the archetypes and expressions of the past remain relevant to the historical continuum of African cinema, addressing questions like, ‘what is emerging as “new” around the idea of the ‘decolonizing principle’?’.
In focusing on the reframing of contemporary debates, with the aim of opening the conversation to allow for new perspectives, the discussion also highlighted issues of national and Pan-African cinema, the significance of the prevailing media economy including Netflix, ‘donor films’, ‘auteur cinema’, Nollywood, the established institutional sources of production finance and support, ‘new technology’ and its potential and challenge for contemporary African film production and cinema. The films were made available for free streaming via the Africa Institute website between November 17 – 19. On November 19, 2021, at 6 pm (Gulf Standard Time), Dr. Samantha Iwowo moderated a discussion between filmmaker Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda and Dr. Boukary Sawadogo, exploring the theme of Continuity and Change.
Samantha Iwowo
Balufu Bakupa Kanyinda, Boukary Sawadogo
1. Hyenas (Djibril Diop Mambéty | 110 mins | 1992)
2. Arugba (Tunde Kelani | 95 mins | 2008)
The Africa Institute, in collaboration with the June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive, presented a film program titled “Decolonizing African Cinema: A History,” launched on October 21, 2021. This program aimed to position influential works of African cinema in relation to contemporary films, highlighting trends and developments that have shaped critical conversations and debates around this cinema.
The Africa Institute, in collaboration with the June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive, presented a film program titled “Decolonizing African Cinema: A History,” launched on October 21, 2021. This program aimed to position influential works of African cinema in relation to contemporary films, highlighting trends and developments that have shaped critical conversations and debates around this cinema.
“Decolonizing African Cinema: A History” examined the influences that have shaped the foundations of African ideas about cinema. By placing these perspectives in a broader context, the program discussed how various interventions have been informed throughout history. Presenting a curated selection of films and critical perspectives echoing across contemporary debates on filmmaking throughout Africa and the African diaspora, the program explored the impact of the past on present-day African cinema, with its various intersections, continuities, and discontinuities.
Structured over four webinar symposiums, each session focused on a theme explored by expert discussants. Each symposium was accompanied by a complimentary set of films for both essential and recommended viewing. The theme of each symposium provided a framework for the discussions and created a dialogue around the foundations of African cinema and its significance for contemporary and ongoing debates.
The recorded symposiums are open to the public and will be of particular interest to students of African cinema. Both The Africa Institute and the June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive acknowledge the lack of knowledge and resources for the study of African cinema in Africa and hope this program serves as an accessible contribution to the field. There is also a recognized need for reframing contemporary debates, inviting and encouraging new perspectives that prioritize issues pertinent to the African cultural economy and its future.
These symposium recordings are available on The Africa Institute’s YouTube page, providing a convenient platform for broader accessibility and engagement with the valuable discussions on African cinema.
This symposium examines the ideas that led to the emergence of African cinema. Acknowledging that ‘African Cinema’ first received critical global recognition through themes of cultural identity, national independence movements, and Pan-African solidarity, the discussants examine the vision and work of those referred to as the ‘Pioneers of African Cinema’. These notions are also considered in the context of contemporary debates around filmmaking in Africa and the African diaspora; and in relation to current perspectives on cinema that incorporate concepts such as ‘Black Africa’, ‘Africa North of the Sahara’, Afrofuturism, Afrosurrealism, and the meaning of cinema in the twenty-first century. The films were made available for free streaming via the Africa Institute website between October 21 – 23. On October 23, 2021, at 6 pm (Gulf Standard Time), filmmaker Gaston Kaboré moderated a discussion between professors Mamadou Diouf and Lindiwe Dovey, in which they explored the theme of Foundations of African Cinema.
Gaston Kabore
Mamadou Diouf, Lindiwe Dovey
‘Cinema Cultures in Africa’ focused on the ways in which the moving image has been encountered and used by African people throughout time. Experiences that framed the first representations of Africa and Africans on film were examined through the perspective of audiences, including the reception of ‘silent cinema,’ ‘colonial films’ of the Bantu Education Kinema Experiment (BEKE) in east and central Africa, and the Kuxa Kanema national cinema movement in Mozambique. Noting the precedents in still photography and the use of the camera in the pseudo-discipline sciences of the ‘explorer,’ the experience of the spread of ‘cinema’ in Africa was given significance as a formative moment in the African experience of cinema.
At the core of this symposium is the question of ‘Africa’ and the notion of ‘national cinema’ emerging from colonialism into the post-independence era. Among the central concerns are the responses of African filmmakers as cultural producers to the historical ambiguities and challenges. It is in this regard that a pivotal question was placed at the heart of the discussion: what might be the tradition or heritage informing cinema cultures in African societies?
The films were made available for free streaming via the Africa Institute website between October 28 – 30. On October 30, at 6 PM (Gulf Standard Time), film producer Pedro Pimenta moderated a discussion between filmmaker Jihan el Tahri and Dr. Jude Akudinobi, in which they explored the theme of Cinema Cultures in Africa.
Pedro Pimenta
Jihan El Tahri, Jude Akudinobi
‘Historicizing the Decolonizing Principle’ focused on the need for a critical intervention into contemporary debates on African cinema, including its transnational global reality, its intersections across popular cultures, and its place within the pervasive global mediascape and networks. This symposium focused on crucial ideas around the articulation of ‘African cinema’ and its practices, with the intent to invite new perspectives that prioritize issues pertinent to the African cultural economy and its future. The African Union’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want is an example of a defining influence in relation to perceived futures of the cultural economy, as it provided a historically informed vision for Africa, its people, and their cultures, against which to examine African cinema.
African independence, development, and sovereignty are the focal points of this discussion. Discussants examined how Africans have been engaged in African cinema in the decades of post-independence, how they have provided new ways of experiencing the moving image while highlighting issues of Africa’s decolonization process, and the impact – nationally and globally – of African filmmaking in terms of challenging and redefining perceptions, structures, and discourses.
This symposium provided an analysis of various approaches to African cinema and cinema in general. The parameters of theoretical and aesthetic considerations were also explored to frame a rationale for the various perspectives on African cinema. The films were made available for free streaming via the Africa Institute website between November 4 – 6. On November 6, 2021, at 6 pm (Gulf Standard Time), Professor Aboubakar Sanogo moderated a discussion between film programmer Mahen Bonetti and film curator Keith Shiri, in which they explored the theme of Historicizing the Decolonizing Principle.
Aboubakar Sanogo
Mahen Bonetti, Keith Shiri
1. Camp Thiaroye/Camp de Thiaroye (Thierno Faty Sow and Ousmane Sembene | 157 mins | 1988)
2. The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo | 120 mins | 1966)
Contemporary expressions of ‘African cinema’ showcase a diversity of trends, aesthetic preferences, and audience experiences. This symposium delved into films being produced at this historical moment, reflecting on how the aspirations of the ‘pioneers of African cinema’ are being contested, reinforced, or realized. The discussants analyzed and compared the films’ aesthetic approaches, storytelling techniques, and a diverse range of contemporary concerns for filmmakers.
The symposium ‘Continuity and Change’ considered the ways in which the archetypes and expressions of the past remain relevant to the historical continuum of African cinema, addressing questions like, ‘what is emerging as “new” around the idea of the ‘decolonizing principle’?’.
In focusing on the reframing of contemporary debates, with the aim of opening the conversation to allow for new perspectives, the discussion also highlighted issues of national and Pan-African cinema, the significance of the prevailing media economy including Netflix, ‘donor films’, ‘auteur cinema’, Nollywood, the established institutional sources of production finance and support, ‘new technology’ and its potential and challenge for contemporary African film production and cinema. The films were made available for free streaming via the Africa Institute website between November 17 – 19. On November 19, 2021, at 6 pm (Gulf Standard Time), Dr. Samantha Iwowo moderated a discussion between filmmaker Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda and Dr. Boukary Sawadogo, exploring the theme of Continuity and Change.
Samantha Iwowo
Balufu Bakupa Kanyinda, Boukary Sawadogo
1. Hyenas (Djibril Diop Mambéty | 110 mins | 1992)
2. Arugba (Tunde Kelani | 95 mins | 2008)
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