African Women, the Body, and Representation in African Cinemas

African Women, the Body

and Representation in African Cinemas

Parts 1 and 2

Notes by Beti Ellerson

My first works on African women and cinema, which emerged in the mid-1990s reflected the tendencies of the time, focusing on the cinematic representation of women in African feature films, predominantly authored by men. At the same time, a specific focus on the female body similarly reflected the prevailing discourse during that period. The ideas formulated during the writing of these first works, concretized during the preparation in 1995 of my post-doctoral project on African Women in Cinema for the 1996-1997 academic year. In many ways, through these first studies, my desire to delve into the world of African women in cinema contextualized through framing foundational 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?

Hence, to return to these first works provides a point of departure in which to follow the evolution of my work in African Women in Cinema Studies, during which so many of the above questions found answers. 

African Women, the Body, and Representation in African Cinemas (part 1)

The Female Body, Culture and Space: The Female Body in African Cinema 

African Women, the Body, and Representation in African Cinemas (part 2)

The Female Body as Symbol of Change and Dichotomy: 

Conflicting Paradigms in the Representation of Women in African Film