The specifics of some of the information has changed, especially as it relates to geographical location, but will not be updated as this is the original text written in 2004.
Introduction
As a general introduction to African Women Cinema Studies, the text examines African women's cinematic practices, African women as cultural readers within the cinema arena both in front of and behind the camera, and in front of the screen as critic and audience. The essay explores the following questions: In what ways do African women use "cinema"? What are their commonalities and differences? Is there an emergence of film criticism practices by African women indicative of African realities? How are African women going beyond dominant gazes (masculinist, white feminist, western) to visualize the specificities of Africa and its extended boundaries? What are African women's experiences in cinema?
The broad categories for
examination are: the contextualization of African women's cinema within
African filmmaking; women's voices and cinematic practices; women's
stories, experiences and realities; theoretical and critical practices
of interpretation; thematic approaches to African women's cinematic
practices; women organizing and working together.
The essay
provides the groundwork for readers from the diverse disciplines of
African Studies, Women Studies, and Cinema Studies to appreciate the
myriad aspects of African women in the cinema and their evolution in
this domain. It explores the various political, social and cultural
contexts of African women in the audio-visual media, examines current discourse on
gender and cinema and its role in cultural policy development, and
analyzes the various networks that contribute to women's expanding roles
in the cinema. In the process, the reader will be exposed to
theoretical questions and criticism by African women that probe the
issues of identity, subjectivity, the body, and positioning; and
critical perspectives that consider how African women's contributions in
the cinema through pedagogy for mass communication and
consciousness-raising are directly related to African development.
Likewise, the essay looks at African women's cinemas as an "alternative
discourse", as another way of experiencing cinema outside western and
masculinist hegemony. One of its goals is to contribute to the ongoing
dialogue in the areas of Women Studies and World Cinema.