African Woman of the Moving Image: Practicing Beauty, Redefining Femininity, Re-imagining Representations of Womanhood

African Woman of the Moving Image: Practicing Beauty, Redefining Femininity, Re-imagining Representations of Womanhood

Focusing their camera on practices of beauty, African women of the moving image investigate, among other related issues, societal notions of femininity, as well as the politics of aesthetics, the importation and internalization of Eurocentric normative standards of women's beauty, experiences and mythologies around hair, the practice of depigmentation in order to attain a perceived beauty derived from light skin, that in Dr Hadja Maï Niang's view, glamorizes skin lightening, to the detriment of 'blackness'". Mame Woury Thioubou's inquiry into practices of beauty probes women's self-fashioning and the characteristics that embody notions of elegance. Problematizing aesthetics choices and expressions of beauty, she investigates the reasons why women resort to artifices to feel beautiful, and in so doing, to what need are they submitting.

Following are related articles from the African Women in Cinema Blog on discourses of beauty as practiced by women of African descent.

"Papicha: Mounia Meddour in resistance mode" | "Papicha : Mounia Meddour en mode résistance" analysis/analyse by/par Falila Gbadamassi
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/05/papicha-mounia-meddour-in-resistance.html

Chez Jolie Coiffure by/de Rosine Mfetgo Mbakam (Cameroon/Cameroun)
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/02/fespaco-2019-chez-jolie-coiffure-byde.html

Cinéma au féminin (Kinshasa) : Meduse, Cheveux Afro et Autres Mythes | Medusa, Afro hair and other myths by/de Adèle Albrespy, Johanna Makabi
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/07/cinef-4-2018-cinema-au-feminin-kinshasa_74.html

Comfort Arthur’s animation film “Black Barbie” deals with skin bleaching in Ghana and Africa
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2017/07/comfort-arthurs-animation-film-black.html

Pretty, a documentary series that focuses on the perceptions of beauty by women of the global African diaspora
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2016/03/pretty-documentary-series-that-focuses.html

Ng'endo Mukii’s animation/mixed-media film: Yellow Fever, about African women and skin bleaching
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2013/09/ngendo-mukiis-animationmixed-media-film.html

This Colour that Disturbs Me | Cette couleur qui me dérange : Khady Pouye sounds the alarm on the practice of xessal (skin bleaching) by Mame Woury Thioubou
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2013/04/this-colour-that-disturbs-me-cette.html

Mame Woury Thioubou: Face to Face, Women and Beauty in St. Louis (Senegal)
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2012/01/mame-woury-thioubou-face-to-face-women.html

Akosua Adoma Owusu’s Triple Consciousness
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2010/11/akosua-adoma-owusus-triple-consciousness.html

Report by Beti Ellerson

The title is inspired by Hudita N. Mustafa's PhD thesis, Practicing Beauty: Crisis, Value and the Challenge of Self-Mastery in Dakar, 1970-1994, Harvard University, 1998.

Pavillon Afriques Chronicles presents "Strategizing the Post-Covid Era: Working Together to Elevate the African Continent Film Industry" - 28 January 2021

Pavillon Afriques Chronicles presents "Strategizing the Post-Covid Era: Working Together to Elevate the African Continent Film Industry" - 28 January 2021

PRESS RELEASE

Looking beyond the current situation, the focus will be on solutions to implement now and in the long run. About action, not just talk.

Date And Time
Thursday, 28 January 2021
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM CET

Conditions
It's free! Register here to receive the Zoom link to the event.
The number of seats is limited

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/strategizing-the-post-covid-era-for-the-film-industry-in-africa-diaspora-tickets-136824552921
 

Speakers:
Angela Martins - African Union Senior Cultural Officer
Femi Odugbemi - Academy Director, Multichoice Group (West Africa)
Jackie Motsepe - KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, COO (South Africa)
Jimmy Jean-Louis - Actor / Producer - Ambassador at large to Haiti
Marinda Stein - Filmmaker, Namibia Film Commission Board member

Moderators:
Hortense Assaga, journaliste
Karine Barclais, Pavillon Afriques, founder

Recent films. Muneera Sallies: Twisted Christmas

Muneera Sallies
Twisted Christmas
South Africa
Comedy - 82min - 2020

Synopsis

Themes of reconciliation and family unity drive this local Christmas comedy. After losing everything, a wealthy family spends Christmas with their Muslim landscaper and his family. Together, they celebrate “Mubarak” Christmas and learn the true meaning of family.

Bio

Muneera Sallies is a South African director, producer and writer from Cape Town.
 

To view follow link to Showmax: https://www.showmax.com/eng/movie/nj9xue2k-twisted-christmas

À l’œuvre en cinéma! Des femmes en Afrique et au Moyen Orient : Programme journées d’étude des 29-30 janvier 2021

À l’œuvre en cinéma! Des femmes en Afrique et au Moyen Orient 

Programme journées d’étude des 29-30 janvier 2021

COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE

En lançant le projet « Les filières cinématographiques en Afrique et au Moyen-Orient au prisme du genre : Enjeux, questionnements et terrains » par le biais de l’appel à articles publié fin 2018, nous revendiquions une démarche innovante qui consistait à interroger au prisme du genre et dans une approche comparative, le fonctionnement des filières du cinéma dans leurs dimensions professionnelle, créative et culturelle. Notre volonté était de mettre en lumière des parcours individuels en interrogeant la méthode, et d’entamer une démarche patrimoniale de recueil de données sur des pays et/ou métiers qui n’en disposent pas (ou de manière parcellaire) afin de rendre compte de l’accès genré aux différentes activités de la production, mais aussi de la circulation et de la valorisation des films. L’enjeu de ces journées sera de valoriser les premiers résultats obtenus, à paraître prochainement dans À l’œuvre en cinéma : Des femmes en Afrique et au Moyen Orient, de faire un bilan des recherches menées, de réfléchir à la méthodologie, aux démarches privilégiées, aux difficultés rencontrées, afin d’envisager dans une discussion collective de cette expérience, les moyens de développer et d’approfondir les questionnements et les terrains, d’évoquer les points aveugles et faire émerger les axes de réflexion qui nous semblent les plus pressants. Ces journées bilan constitueront par là-même une étape cruciale du développement du nouveau projet « Création collective au cinéma en Afrique et au Moyen Orient : activités techniques et créatives au prisme du genre et des générations » qui sera lancé dès que les conditions sanitaires le permettront.

Pour toute information, contacter patricia.caille@unistra.fr ou calin.raluca@gmail.com. 

Pour participer aux différentes sessions, un formulaire d’enregistrement est à votre disposition, contactez-nous : https://forms.gle/5SeqsTJUf9GmdaKe9. Vous recevrez un mail avec l’ensemble de renseignements et le lien de connexion. 

Vendredi 29 janvier 2021

Matinée: Penser les héritages comme leur absence

Introduction : Patricia Caillé, Raluca Calin, Hülya Tanriöver 

9h-9h45 – Mot d’accueil : Hülya Uğur Tanriöver et Ayse Toy Par 

9h45 – 11h15 – Session n⁰1 –  Parcours singuliers: quel héritage ? – Modératrice: Hülya Uğur Tanriöver

Claude Forest (Paris Sorbonne Nouvelle, IRCAV), “Andrée Davanture, monteuse. Un œil à l’écoute”

Marie-Pierre Ulloa (Stanford University), “Mise en mots de la mise en scène : le cas Gitai-Sanselme”

Patricia Caillé (Université de Strasbourg, CREM), Heiny Srour, reconstitution d’un parcours aux marges du cinéma libanais

11h15-11h30 – Pause 

11h30 – 13h00 – Session n⁰2 – Revisiter l’histoire du cinéma : rendre compte de l’héritage laissé par les pionnières – Modératrice: Raluca Calin 

Anna-Marie Jansen Van Vuuren (Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria), Representing Suffrage and Female Agency within the South African Film industry: the Role and Influence of Director Katinka Heyns 

Alejandra Val Cubero (Universidad Carlos III, Madrid), Nujoom Alghanem: Filming in the United Arab Emirates 

Ons Kamoun (ESAC/IRMC, Tunis), Kahena Attia, un combat pour une inaltérable intelligence du montage

Après-midi: Femmes en activité dans les secteurs du cinéma

14h15 – 16h15 – Session n⁰3 – Des femmes dans les filières nationales: Enjeux de la transformation des regards – Modératrice: Patricia Caillé

Gülsenem Gün et Hülya Uğur Tanriöver (Festival FILMMOR, Université de Giresun), Les femmes qui “osent faire” leurs films en Turquie

Lambert Ndzana (Paris Sorbonne Nouvelle, IRCAV), La présence des femmes dans l’activité cinématographique au Cameroun 

Raluca Calin (Université d’Avignon, LCC), (R)évolutions tacites : trajectoires cinématographiques éthiopiennes

Florence Martin (Goucher College, Baltimore), Lamia Chraibi, parcours d’une productrice marocaine

16h15-16h30 – Pause

16h30-18h15 – Table ronde : Des femmes à l’œuvre en cinéma: Accéder et maintenir une activité en cinéma en Afrique et au Moyen Orient

Modératrice: Hülya Ugur Tanriöver

Naïma Bachiri, monteuse, Suisse et Maroc

Deniz Eyüboğlu, cheffe opératrice, Turquie

Christelle Magne, cheffe opératrice, Cameroun

Yağmur Misirlioğlu, première assistante de réalisation, Turquie

Océane Étincelle Nyetam, cheffe opératrice, monteuse, Cameroun

Samedi 30 janvier 2021

Matinée : Comment contester, intégrer et collaborer ?

9h00-10h30 – Session n⁰4 : Capacité d’agir et contestation de l’ordre établi

Modératrice: Ayse Toy Par

Salima Tenfiche (Université de Paris, CERILAC), La place des femmes dans le cinéma algérien contemporain, un indicateur d’affranchissement vis-à-vis de l’Etat.

Emna Mrabet (Université de Paris 8, ESTCA), Femmes réalisatrices en Tunisie : une tradition révolutionnaire ?

Stéphanie Pourquier-Jacquin (CNAM-Inseac, DICEN-Idf), Les réalisatrices qataries, vitrine d’un cinéma en devenir ?

10h30-10h45 – Pause

10h45-13h15 – Atelier de préparation au projet CREACOLCIN « Création collective au cinéma en Afrique et au Moyen Orient : activités techniques et créatives au prisme du genre et des générations » du réseau HESCALE qui sera mené au printemps et à l’été 2021. Réservé aux participant.e.s du projet

13h15-13h30 – Conclusions du colloque

Comité d’organisation  et responsabilité scientifique: Patricia Caillé (Université de Strasbourg, CREM EA 3476), Raluca Calin (Université d’Avignon, LCC), Aurore Renaut (Université de Lorraine, CREM EA 3476), Hülya Uğur Tanriöver (Université de Giresun, FILMMOR), Ayse Toy Par (Université de Galatasaray, MEDIAR)

Comedy and Humor in the Works of African Women of the Moving Image

Comedy and Humor in the Works of African Women of the Moving Image

Malian actress Hélène Maïmouna Diarra notes the important role of the Koteba Theatre tradition of the country, which employs satire and burlesque comedy to make critical commentary regarding a variety of societal issues, such as power and gender.

After viewing the Malian film Taafa Fanga at FESPACO in 1997, Lucy Gebre-Eghziabher was convinced that humor has its place in African cinema, that films should not be only about sending messages and exploring politicized issues. During our interview she expressed delight that African films could be funny as well. She realized that there is also a role for comedy even when the topic has significant consequences, such as issues of power, the fight for gender equality, health, and economic survival. For instance, in her short Les pasteques du Cheikh (2019), Kaouther ben Hania's satirical comedy reveals the inner workings of power. Moreover, British-Sierra Leonean has a fascination for "the humor that comes from the many contradictions in our existence and I don't think that you have to be gloomy and preachy about life to make a point."

There is a universal comedy of representations of power, generational and gender conflicts that are easily employed in films with the specificities of each culture.

Fanta Régina Nacro uses humor to interrogate Burkinabé customs, and its relationship between tradition and modernity. In Le truc de Konaté (1998) she deals with the issues around the use of condoms for the prevention of AIDS, and subtly addresses the practice of polygamy. Similarly, Rumbi Katedza confronts social norms and the expectations of tradition with comedy and farce, pocking fun of customs that may be viewed as "outdated" in modern Zimbabwe. In our interview she had this to say about her 2011 film, Playing Warriors: "our lives are full of conflicts and contradictions, and this is what I show in the film, and I encourage audiences to allow themselves to laugh at those realities, reflect on them and challenge them."

Comedy and humor are often employed in web series and sitcom genres, as the lives and drama of the everyday continue from one episode to the next; with intrigue and suspense embedded in the short timeline of events. Akre Loba Diby Melyou guarantees that laughs will abound with the busy-body neighbor in her series entitled Blog. Mary-Noel Niba employs subtle humor in her series Mary and Jane about the good-natured sibling rivalry of two sisters in search of social mobility and job success in the urban city. Aminata Diallo-Glez's Three Women, One Village reveals the gender dynamics within a small village, reversing the plot of the previous comedy series, Three Men, One Village, this time with the women in charge. Similarly, Marguerite Abouet's animation film, Aya of Yopou City is well suited for comedy, while the every day dramas are played out with dancing, reconciliation, wit and humor.

In 2017, FESTICO, the Cameroonian-based International Festival of Comedy hosted a colloquium to explore the role of comedy and its impact on women of the moving image. Thus, highlighting the growing interest of African women towards humor and comedic expression in their work.

Report by Beti Ellerson

Following are related articles published on the African Women in Cinema Blog:

Mary-Noel Niba's Mary and Jane
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2020/05/interview-mary-noel-niba-jane-mary.html

Nicole Amarteifio: Before the Vows
http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/10/ndiva-womens-film-festival-2019-before.html

 Kaouther ben Hania's : Les pasteques du Cheikh
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/09/kaouther-ben-hania-les-pasteques-du.html

FESPACO 2019: Blog de/by Akre Loba Diby Melyou (Côte d’Ivoire)
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/02/fespaco-2019-blog-deby-akre-loba-diby.html 

FESPACO 2019: Caribbean Girl NYC (Une Guadeloupéenne à NYC) by/de Mariette Monpierre https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/02/fespaco-2019-caribbean-girl-nyc-une.html 

Festival International des Images Comiques (FESTICO) : L’impact de la femme dans la comédie | Women's Impact on the Comedy Genre - 2017 (Cameroun)
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2017/04/festival-international-des-images.html

Issa Rae: Golden Globe Award 2017 Nominee - Musical or Comedy Insecure
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2016/12/issa-rae-golden-globe-award-2017.html

Wanjiru Njendu launches Seed and Spark crowdfunding for “Reghost” and “Black Licorice” film projects
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2016/07/wanjiru-njendu-launches-seed-and-spark.html 

Nigerian-American Yvonne Orji's First-Gen sitcom pilot web series
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2015/11/nigerian-american-yvonne-orjis-first.html

Awkward is the New Black: A documentary about Senegalese-American Issa Rae
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2015/09/awkward-is-new-black-documentary-about_25.html 

Aminata Diallo-Glez: 3 femmes, 1 village (3 women, 1 village)
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2011/04/aminata-diallo-glez-3-femmes-1-village.html 

Victoria Marcellina Thomas: A Portrait
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2010/10/victoria-marcellina-thomas-portrait.html

A decade, going forward : (JCFA) Cinema Days of African Women of the Moving Image - Journées cinématographiques de la femme africaine

A decade, going forward : (JCFA) Cinema Days of African Women of the Moving Image - Journées cinématographiques de la femme africaine

The Journées cinématographiques de la femme africaine - JCFA (Cinema Days of African Women of the Moving Image)  was launched in 2010 under the auspices of FESPACO. The event takes place every two years alternating with FESPACO--thus providing African women stakeholders in cinema a visible presence. Its objective is to promote African women in the cinematic landscape, to examine the challenges that they face in the profession, and to network and establish lasting relationships with other festivals of its kind around the world. The JCFA takes place in the form of a gala though no prizes are awarded. The selected films, however, receive participation trophies called "the Sarraounia".

Burkinabé Laurentine Bayala, filmmaker, film activist and organizer, who also is one of the JCFA journalists who covers the festival events, had this to say:

"I think it's a great initiative that also promotes women's work…It an opportunity for women to discuss the many challenges in cinema. The festival has as objective to promote African films made by women."

***

2010 - The first edition, which launched the JCFA, took place from 3 to 7 March 2010 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

2012 - The second edition of the JCFA was held 3 to 8 March 2012 in Ouagadougou and Dédougou, Burkina Faso, around the theme "Women, cinema and professional training". In addition to the objectives highlighted in the theme, the goal of African women in cinema is to effect change in societal norms that impede their development, and to work towards a real future for African women in this milieu.

2014 - The third edition of the JCFA was held from 3 to 7 March 2014 in Ouagadougou and Banfora, host of the International Women's Day celebrations.  There were a variety of screenings, workshops, and symposia around the theme “Women’s Cinemas in Africa”.
Follow link for the announcement on the African Women in Cinema Blog:
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2014/02/la-3eme-edition-des-journees.html

2016 - The fourth edition of the JCFA, under the theme, "the actress in the creation of African cinema" took place in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from 3 to 7 March 2016.
Follow link on the report by Laurentine Bayala on the African Women in Cinema Blog:
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2016/03/report-by-compte-rendu-par-laurentine.html

2018 - The fifth edition of the JCFA, held from 2 to 7 March 2018, in Ouagadougou, focused on the theme "the African woman professional meeting the challenges of the digital age". The event included film screenings, a panel on the theme and training workshops on acting, shooting and digital editing.
Follow links on African Women in Cinema Blog of the three-part report compiled by Editor in Chief Laurentine Bayala:
Report - Part III: Journées Cinématographiques de la Femme Africain de l'Image | African Women Image Makers Cinema Days 2018
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/03/report-part-iii-journees.html

Report - Part II: Journées Cinématographiques de la Femme Africain de l'Image | African Women Image Makers Cinema Days 2018
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/03/report-part-ii-journees.html

Report - Part I: Journées Cinématographiques de la Femme Africain de l'Image | African Women Image Makers Cinema Days 2018
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/03/report-part-i-journees.html

2020 - The sixth edition of the JCFA, was held in Ouagadougou from 2 to 7 March 2020 under the theme, “Cinema, Gender and Fighting Violence Against Women”. The theme is a follow up of the revelations at the FESPACO in 2019 during which at a gathering of women the discussion of harassment and violence against women professional within the cinema industry.
Follow links on the African Women in Cinema Blog:
Of the announcement of JCFA 2020
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2020/03/journees-cinematographiques-de-la-femme.html
At #Metoo and FESPACO
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/02/memepaspeur-nothing-to-fear-metoo.html

Recent Films. Maimouna N'Diaye: Madjigui

Maimouna N'Diaye
Madjigui
Burkina Faso - 2020 - 18:27

En français : Voaafrique

In an interview with Yacouba Ouedraogo for the Festival Dakar Court, where the film is in competition, Maimouna N'Diaye has this to say:

Madjigui is a term in Dioula, a language spoken in several Western African countries, Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, among others, it is the commercial language of West Africa. It means catch your heart, calm down, be still. Do not go in the direction of violence. The film is a form of resilience, in fact. It is about the resilience of a woman. I wanted to show the force, the power of women, who do the heavy lifting, who carry the weight of the household, who get things moving. Everything depends on women. She is the pillar of the household, everything evolves around her. That is what I wanted to present.

Synopsis:

Amina, business manager, is a dynamic and modern woman. Married to August, a geologist, for the past fifteen years, they live happily together with their children. While on a mission, August's car is caught in an ambush, he is hospitalized in a coma. To save his life he must undergo an amputation, a decision left to Amina to make. At the hospital Amina discovers that August has a double life. She is in shock, will she save the father of her children? (Source: courtderriere.re - translated from French)

Amina, femme dynamique et moderne, Business Manager est mariée à August un géologue depuis 15 ans. Ils vivent heureux avec leurs enfants. Au cours d’une mission, le véhicule d’August est pris en embuscade. Il se retrouve à l’hôpital dans le coma. Pour le sauver, il doit être amputé et cette décision revient à Amina, sa femme. Amina découvre à l’hôpital qu’August a une double vie. Elle est sous le choc. Va-t-elle sauver le père de ses enfants? (Source: courtderriere.re)

Image: http://www.courtderriere.re/maimouna-ndiaye/