The purpose of the African Women in Cinema Blog is to provide a space to discuss diverse topics relating to African women in cinema--filmmakers, actors, producers, and all film professionals. The blog is a public forum of the Centre for the Study and Research of African Women in Cinema.
Le Blog sur les femmes africaines dans le cinéma est un espace pour l'échange d'informations concernant les réalisatrices, comédiennes, productrices, critiques et toutes professionnelles dans ce domaine. Ceci sert de forum public du Centre pour l'étude et la recherche des femmes africaines dans le cinémas.
Director/Directrice, Centre for the Study and Research of African Women in Cinema | Centre pour l'étude et la recherche des femmes africaines dans le cinéma
In support of Rokhaya Diallo, shame on Charlie Hebdo
Translation of Rokhaya Diallo’s response:
I discovered with astonishment this horror that appeared in the columns of Charlie Hebdo. In the same vain as slavery and colonial imagery, Charlie Hebdo is incapable of confronting the ideas of a black woman without reducing her to a dancing, exotic, supposedly savage body, frocked in bananas, that are thrust in the face of black people who dare to present themselves in the public sphere. This hideous drawing is made to remind me of my place in the racist and sexist hierarchy.
(And such lack of respect for Madame Joséphine Baker!)
Rokhaya Diallo répond :
J’ai découvert avec stupéfaction cette horreur parue dans les colonnes de Charlie Hebdo.
Dans le droit fil de l’imagerie esclavagiste et coloniale, Charlie Hebdo, se montre incapable de confronter les idées d’une femme noire sans la réduire à un corps dansant, exotisé, supposément sauvage serti de ces bananes qu’on lance à la figure des personnes noires qui osent se présenter dans la sphère publique.
Ce dessin hideux vise à me rappeler ma place dans la hiérarchie raciale et sexiste.
(Et quel manque de respect pour Madame Joséphine Baker !)
Initially a tribute to migrants lost at sea, this revised post highlights
migrant stories by African women of the moving image.
African women
of the moving image have a particular concern for the plight of the migrant,
heightened by the dramatic impact of migrancy and its consequences and effects
in many African countries. They have used diverse manners of storytelling to
highlight the cultural, social and political manifestations of migrancy,
especially as a phenomenon that has myriad intersecting implications for the
homeland and the receiving countries. And increasingly a focus on identity
processes and the formation of migrant diasporic communities. Some focus on
the perilous passage in the desert and at sea, others on those who await their
return: wives--since the majority of those who leave are men, whole families,
neighborhoods,villages. Still others direct their cameras at the migrant
experiences at the site of their destinations-- waiting grounds in many
instances, or, semi-permanent spaces where hope, despair and possibility
intermingle.
A selection of reflections on migrant stories by African women.
Alice Diop: La permanence | On call "This is a film about the pain of exile, but it is told through the
contemplation of the faces of these men. What grabbed me when I started
working on this subject were the images of these undifferentiated and
anonymous masses who flock to our doors. While initially, this image was not
negative in its intent, it produced something that can be experienced as
threatening. For me it was important to put faces, to put names and specific
stories on what is often treated as an all-encompassing problem."
Mame Woury Thioubou: 5 Étoiles The film highlights the lives of African migrants in Lille, France in order
to bring these "undocumented migrants" to the realisation that after braving
the desert and the sea to arrive in France, Europe is only the beginning of
their ordeal…."The film does not tell young Africans not to leave, but what
I want them to know" is that Europe "is not going to be the end of the
ordeal, that it is the beginning of a new struggle"…
Rahel Zegeye, a migrant worker in Lebanon and filmmaker, has this
to say about why she made her film Beirut: "My main aim with the film was to show a different perspective on the lives
of Ethiopian workers in Lebanon. We often hear stories of abuse and bad
treatment of Lebanese employers towards their foreign domestic workers
(maids). Most media and organizations working to help migrant domestic
workers (MDWs) in Lebanon portray the worker as a helpless victim, her fate
ruled by evil agencies and bad madams. Although this often does happen and
is definitely an issue that needs attention, reality is much more
complicated. I want to shed light on the inner lives and thoughts of a
domestic worker, an aspect which is usually hidden from the Lebanese and
foreign public."
Mati Diop : Atlantique "I especially wanted to pay homage to this youth vanished at sea. This is
my primary intention because it was very important for me to dedicate a film
to this lost generation, ghost, while giving it life through the living. It
is also a way of making sense out of their actions. They have not reached
Spain (destination targeted by young Senegalese who go to sea), their
dream... But maybe they are for many of those in the riots of 2012 (Note by
Africine: especially driven by young Senegalese who opposed a new term of
the incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade). Having disappeared at sea, these
young people may have allowed the rebirth of a new youth."
Mary-Noël Niba : To Leave? In this documentary,
Mary-Noël Niba is interested in the stories of migrants and their personal
trajectories. Far from the images we all know, she gathers rare voices and
offers a unique perspective on illegal economic immigration.
Jacqueline
Nsiah’s digital storytelling from the diaspora "I termed my research, which is part of an academic thesis “Returning from
exile” because the motivation for most of the Ghanaian diaspora is to return
on behalf of their parents and build this great nation, something that most
of our parents were not able to do for various reasons…Also, one mustn't
ignore the many Ghanaians who are still trying to leave Ghana almost daily
for economical reasons. A lot of them are working class or lower who
struggle to find work or make a decent living in Ghana. They spend thousands
of dollars or euros, all their savings and risk their lives in hope for a
better life abroad."
Following are articles from the African Women in Cinema Blog regarding
migrant stories by African women of the moving image
Maïram Guissé, journaliste et réalisatrice parle de son livre « Sous nos peaux »
Maïram Guissé, journalist and filmmaker speaks about her book Sous nos peaux (tr. Under Our Skins)
The never ending question: "Where are you from? "Maïram Guissé responds: "from Normandy". A hesitation. A barely disguised surprise: one expects her to evoke her Senegalese origins, to justify the color of her skin and her presence in France. Hence, to her daughter, here Maïram Guissé wants to tell her who she is. As a child and teenager, she searched on television, at the cinema, in books, for those who looked like her. Where are the black characters, and more specifically, the black or mixed-race girls and women? Those girls and women who she meets and connects with on a daily basis, in Canteleu, Lille, or in the Paris region, where are they represented, who talks about them? What are their stories? In Sous nos peaux, Maïram Guissé goes to connect with those black women around her. She portrays them in their ordinary lives and the private spaces that they inhabit. She is a partner in crime, sharing in their secrets and in her own memories. A dog trained to "catch the negroes", a group of girls dancing through the night at Coconuts, her arrival, the only black journalist, in a well-known daily... She traces itineraries full of hope, sometimes chaotic, in a school that excludes, at work or on a beach in Deauville, when racism is not censored. Here, Maïram Guissé engages in a subjective inquiry. From the shared experience of black bodies and skins, with finesse and discretion, she explores female friendship. (Description of book (Grasset) translated from French)
La question lui revient sans cesse : « Tu viens d’où ? » Maïram Guissé a pris l’habitude de répondre « de Normandie ». Un flottement. Surprise à peine déguisée : on attend qu’elle évoque ses origines sénégalaises, qu’elle justifie la couleur de sa peau et sa présence en France. Alors, à sa fille, Maïram Guissé veut dire ici qui elle est. Enfant et adolescente, elle cherche celles qui lui ressemblent à la télévision, au cinéma, dans les livres. Où sont les personnages noirs, et plus précisément, les filles et femmes noires ou métisses ? Où parle-t-on de celles qu’elle croise et côtoie au quotidien, à Canteleu, à Lille, ou en région parisienne ? Quelles sont leurs histoires ? Dans Sous nos peaux, Maïram Guissé part à la rencontre de femmes noires de son entourage. Elle les dépeint dans leur ordinaire et leur intimité. Accueille en complice leurs confidences et partage ses propres souvenirs. Un chien dressé pour « choper les négros », des filles en bande qui dansent la nuit au Coconuts, son arrivée, seule journaliste noire, dans un grand quotidien… Elle retrace des itinéraires empreints d’espoir, parfois chaotiques, dans une école qui exclut, au travail ou sur une plage de Deauville, quand le racisme ne se censure pas. Maïram Guissé se livre ici à une enquête subjective. À partir de l’expérience partagée des corps et des peaux noires, elle explore avec délicatesse l’amitié féminine. (Éditions Grasset : Description du livre)
3 December, International Day of Persons with Disabilities: A tribute to Zambian filmmaker Musola Cathrine Kaseketi
Musola Cathrine Kaseketi declares: “You can make a difference”, and she certainly has, by showing that women with disabilities are not different than anyone else; given the chance to learn, excel and succeed. Musola Cathrine Kaseketi founded Shungu Namutitima International Film Festival of Zambia (SHUNAFFoZ) with this objective in mind: to showcase through cinema, the capabilities of people and women in particular, with disabilities.
I grew up as a healthy and happy child. I was left with a permanent disability at the age of five from an injection in the nerve of my left leg; nonetheless, my family treated me as a normal child.
I also lived with my stepmother who taught me to be independent and a fighter. Because of the caring way that people in my surroundings responded to me, I had no idea that there was discrimination towards persons with disabilities.
It was in high school that I started to realised that I was not always accepted in society and therefore, not able to do certain things. Often my feelings were hurt after the many instances when the school authorities isolated students with disabilities from the enabled so that they could not get to know each other. My disability became a motivation to work harder and use art as a tool to communicate.
I met a man without hands who led a normal life and could even eat using a fork and knife. This encounter motivated me very much and inspired me to write a story about self-determination in 1989. It was very successful and was a catalyst for the change in attitudes towards disabilities in Zambia.
I continued to use dramatic poetry, writing and stage acting as a tool to foster the spirit of self-confidence and self-help, and to impart self-acceptance, self-determination and independent living.
In 2018, Musola Cathrine Kaseketi received the Her Abilities Award, the first global award honoring the achievements of women with disabilities: “Look at your obstacles as your motivations to achieve your goals. Ignore all the negative intimidating voices. Embrace the positive, empowering words because you are just like any other woman.”
Photo: Musola Cathrine Kaseketi receiving an award.
As highlighted in past commemoration posts, African women in cinema often use the visual media as a tool for awareness building as it relates to matters that touch their societies and burning issues that effect Africa.
In this regard the initiative Scenarios from Africa had as objective to give young people a unique occasion to learn more about HIV/AIDS.The 2011 edition demonstrated the extent that African girls and young adults seized this opportunity to tell these stories. Among the 25 frontrunners 17 were girls/young women--the youngest 12 years old. Furthermore, among the awardees of the three grand prizes two were young women.
Burkinabé Fanta Nacro has played an important role in the above initiative, as prominent African cineastes adapted films using these scenarios: A Call to Action, A Love Story, A Ring on Her Finger, The Champion, Iron Will, Peace of Mind, Never Alone, The Reasons for a Smile, Tiger Tigress. Also from the Series, Cameroonian Kidi Bebey’s Looking for a Brave Man explored relationships in the age of AIDS. A young woman seeking a serious relationship demands that her partner act responsibly which entails taking the AIDS test.
Fanta Nacro’s filmography also includes the 1998 short film, Le Truc de Konate (Konate's Thing). The comedy employed as a means of consciousness-raising proved very popular with the Burkinabé public, intermingling an established distrust of new concepts and old-fashioned masculine virility and honour with female consciousness.
With a more solemn tone, Tsitsi Dangarembga of Zimbabwe relays the tragic costs of AIDS in Everyone's Child, directed in 1995. The film focuses on the devastating consequences for the children who are left to fend for themselves after the AIDS-related death of parents. On a joyful note, in Zambian Musola Kaseketi's film Suwi, the young Bupe finds a happy home, while Tanzanian Beatrix Mugishagwe’s Tumaini tells a story of hope.
Kenyan Wajuhi Kamau, of the Film Production Department of the Educational Media Service of the Minister of Education, emphasises the effectiveness of video as a means of educating people about a range of issues, from AIDS to family planning. Using both the documentary and drama presentations, the objective of the agency is to allow people to see themselves reflected in the images. "When you see yourself, you see your situation, then it is easy to remember and change attitudes and behaviour." Zimbabwean Prudence Uriri has also focused on issues related to AIDS and health in general. The Unesco-commissioned Madizela and Samora (2003), and Life (2002) produced by Rooftop Promotions, are two AIDS-focused films directed by Uriri. She sees her role as a filmmaker to open a dialogue regarding the problems that people face, and in so doing they may be better informed.
