Mahen Bonetti, founder and director of the New York African Film Festival had this to say about love stories from Africa: “When thinking of Africa," she says, "the definition of love is vague or absent. The word love is always overshadowed by crisis—AIDS, drought, warfare. So when thinking of the continent of Africa, one does not think of the word love in relation to the emotions and tension that accompanies the concept."
Hence African women's cinematic love stories relate the myriad sentiments on the continuum of expressions of the heart: the taboo, desire, obsession, forbidden love, longing, passion, jealousy, revenge, courtship, first love, sexualities.
Ekwa Msangi's Farewell Amor attempts to explore this affective characteristic which Mahen Bonetti finds lacking in representations of the African experience. She has this to say about her interest in the theme of love in her film Farewell Amor: …I want to explore the theme of black love in this film, and specifically how it pertains to African people. Probably for religious reasons (among many others), the ways in which love, longing and relationship is discussed and portrayed in African film is very limiting. I’m hoping to expand to scope with this film.
In her film Vers la tendresse (Towards tenderness), Alice Diop reveals the experiences of four young men who while speaking openly, are either locked in the sexual and romantic representations they have internalized or are on the verge of breaking out of them. Similarly, Leyla Bouzid's Une Histoire d'amour et de désir (A Tale of Love and Desire), Leyla Bouzid wanted to go beyond the clichés that show representations of men of North African origin with a very virile, visible masculinity on display. She wanted to relate the experiences of a shy young man with a passion for literature and a pure vision of love.
Notes to continue...
A selection of articles about cinematic loves stories and other matters of the heart on the African Women in Cinema Blog:
Holy Fatma: Please Love me Forever
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2021/11/francetv-libre-court-holy-fatma-please.html
Leyla Bouzid: A Tale of Love and Desire
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2021/09/a-tale-of-love-desire-leyla-bouzid-falila-gbadamassi.html
Désirée Kahikopo: The White Line
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2020/12/ecrans-noirs-2020-white-line-la-ligne.html
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2016/04/tanzanian-american-ekwa-msangi-launches.html
Before the Vows by Nicole Amarteifio
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/10/ndiva-womens-film-festival-2019-before.html
Dorcas Gloria Ahouan-Gonou : Le fruit defendu | The Forbidden Fruit
http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/06/mis-me-binga-2018-dorcas-gloria-ahouan.html
Rafiki by/de Wanuri Kahiu : Cannes 2018 - Un Certain Regard (Kenya)
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/04/rafiki-byde-wanuri-kahiu-cannes-2018-un.html
Zin’naariya ! | The Wedding Ring | L’Alliance d’or by/de Rahmatou Keïta (Niger)
http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2017/02/luxor-african-film-festival-2017_28.html
Jacqueline Kalimunda : Love in Rwanda | De l'amour au Rwanda
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2017/02/jacqueline-kalimunda-love-in-rwanda-de.html
Single Rwandan / Celib Rwandais by/de Jacqueline Kalimunda analyse/analysis by/par Viviane Azarian
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2015/06/single-rwandan-celib-rwandais-byde.html
Nijla Mu’min’s Jinn, A Film About Identity, Islam and First Love
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2016/07/nijla-mumins-jinn-film-about-identity.html
When Alice Diop takes us "towards masculine tenderness"
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.fr/2016/03/when-alice-diop-takes-us-towards.html
Hermon Hailay: Price of Love | Le Prix d’amour
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2015/02/fespaco-2015-hermon-hailay-price-of.html
Experiments with love: young South African women filmmakers
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2015/10/experiments-with-love-young-south.html
Difficult Love by Zanele Muholi
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.fr/2015/09/difficult-love-by-zanele-muholi-and.html
Constance Ejuma, producer-filmmaker-actor, discusses Ben & Ara
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2014/11/constance-ejuma-producer-filmmaker.html
Marie Kâ : L’Autre Femme | The Other Woman (Senegal)
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2013/11/marie-ka-lautre-femme-other-woman.html
Report by Beti Ellerson