African documentary Film?

Is there such things as African Documentary Film (ADF)? I would argue a LOUD YES! ADF teachers us about cultures, languages, governments and the diversity that lies in Africa. When we mention that phrase we ADF we are talking about films made that's subject matter is in Africa. I don't think that title means it's made by Africans, but that it's about Africans in some way, shape or form. Non Africans can produce ADF. This was the case with American professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and his series that aired on PBS Wonders of the African World. Professor Gates lives in America, has traveled to Africa before, but he isn't truly connected to that culture, yet his film made by Americans for viewing in Western society is still an ADF.

I personally don't know if there is a canon or a scholarly profession that debates the legitimacy of ADF. I do know that ADF is a real genre of documentaries. There is research that can be done on this. The topics range from wildlife safaris, to leaders of African nations. There are many documentaries about Nelson Mandela and The African National Congress of South Africa. There are film festivals held is South Africa explicitly geared towards documentary film. So while I don't know for sure if scholarly discourse of ADF, I'm sure there maybe if film festivals are being held throughout Africa. There is also the West African Documentary Film Forum that is on-line. So in the real world and in cyberspace people are talking about Documentary film from Africa.

We all come from diverse backgrounds. We have unique gifts that we can give the world from our different life experiences. I write that to say that yes someone of African descent can produce documentary films about non-African societies. It's not different than white American or European anthropologist studying indigenous groups in Africa and making films about them. These videos sometimes in appear in French, Dutch, or Spanish, but still they are ADF's. Having films translated into a different language doesn't take away from the Africaness of the films topic or that it was filmed in Africa. Sometimes it's necessary to change the language for the audience you are trying to reach.

So for me I think there is a genre known as African Documentary Film, that can teach and inspire others to travel to the continent of Africa in search of a rich history and culture that is often thought of negatively in the Western world.

The God's Must Be Crazy......

I have a good view of the world. I'm not isolated from it nor do I feel like I'm unable to communicate with people in other countries. I am in the age of the internet so blogs like this one provide me the opportunity to interact with people ALL OVER THE WORLD!! I like having my cell phone to have instant connections with people, or my Yahoo IM, and I especially love showcasing my life on myspace and facebook. But what about life without those lovely things we sometimes take for granted? What must life be like for people without those things?

When watching the film The God's Must Be Crazy, I was amazed that groups of people live such isolated lives away from what we consider the comforts of the world. It was amazing to see how us littering caused the biggest disruption in their lives. A simple glass bottle created issues never seen in their simple yet wonderful community. The bottle caused jealously, envy, and anger amongst the Bushmen. Suddenly this new introduction from the civilized world caused them to forget about things they'd been using for centuries in favor of this new shiny, glass bottle.

In life this happens to us in the civilized world. We get new gadgets and accessories and forget about old methods. It used to be messages were delivered by foot. A person would walk miles and miles to tell the message, but now we use e-mail and cell phones. This movie showed me the beauty of African countryside but also the ugly parts of government there. We see rebels killing government officials, and those same rebels taking over a group of school children. This is the negative side of Africa that many in Western society paints as true, accurate and always occurring. This probably happen few and far in between but when it does it's always sad and devastating for some.

I thought the film The God's Must Be Crazy was a funny movie. I laughed and was astonished at the primitive lifestyle of the Bushmen. I feel we in the modern world can learn from simplistic living. This new technology and such makes life so complicated. That complication causes our relationships with one another to suffer. The Bushman were primitive but their relationships were so much better and they formed strong family units.

Hmmm......the image of Africa in the media....

What comes to mind whe you think about Africa? My professor asked this question to my class this past week. This question caused me to think as well. For many, the image they think of are the safaris in Kenya, Botswana and South Africa. The image to the left is a good example of how people view the motherland. While I can agree that safaris are a big part of Africa, it's only is select countries. Safaris aren't even found all over the continent.

Other images that come to mind are that of starving people. We've all heard about the famines in Ethiopia, Niger and Malawi. I feel that starvation is a problem all over the world. Why does the media act as if this is a unique issue only for Africans? The picture to the right is of hungry children. There are hungry children in the US. We don't put them on TV or advertise that problem to the world. But hunger and starvation are real problems here in the mighty US. We just choose to ignore and cover it up, all the while acting as if this is the correct image to portray and AFRICAN!!

Many view Africa as a continent in ruins because of war. They see the images of men fighting and government being overthrown by armies and they think it's an accurate portrayal. The images that accompany this piece of my blog are the images that come to mind for many people. It could be furthur from that truth. My professor told me his mother arrived back in Kenya this past Wednesday and that all was well in Nairobi, Kenya. There weren't signs of fighting or a goverment in turmoil. The sad thing is American media has you thinking that fighting is errupting all over Kenya and that lives are in danger. In some small villages in Kenya there have been reports of deaths, looting, violence and people fleeing. But that is not all over Kenya like the media wants to portray. While wars are being fought is some parts of Africa the question that needs to be asked is how are people who are economically unstable getting the weapons and bombs they use? If we answered that one question then we would know why it seems that African are always fighting against one another and overthrowing their government. Ohh, and we must not forget that presently America is fighting wars in Aghanistan and Iraq.

People have one monolithic view of Africa. They don't know that Africa is a continent comprised of 53 countries including the islands of Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Madagascar, the Comoros, the Seychelles, and Mauritius. It is estimated that there are more than 2,000 languages spoken in Africa. With stats like that it's hardly right for people to think of Africa as one country. It is a vast continent with so many difference from country to country. Looking at the map to the left, it is clear that Africa is a very large continent. The idea of the monolithic view that some have in the media is unfair to the beauty of the various people, languages and cultures that inhabit the continent.

When I think of Africa, I think of beauty, of home, of music, of dance and of the cradle of civilization. I love music from Africa. I love Femi Kuti and his afrobeat music. The ryhthms that he uses causes my body to move in a way that is so sexy and sensual. I loved reading Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart. It gave me insight into how many villages in Africa were colonized wrongly by Europeans. It taught me how the villagers struggled with the new ideas brought about by Europeans. I loved the complex view of Igbo society and European colonization that Achebe was able to present in his novel.

When I think of Africa I think of the film Sarafina. This movie gave me a new perspective on life in South Africa during apartheid. I was able to identify with the struggles of the South African to gain rights from whites. The dance and music really made the film light hearted considering the dark subject matter. It also introduced me to the actress Leleti Khumalo. Since seeing her in Sarafina, I've watched her in Yesterday and she even played in Hotel Rwanda.I love the cinema that I see from Africa. Even if done in a dialect, the movies still educate me on life in Africa and help me move away from the monolithic images in American media. So when I think of Africa, I think of the positive and not the negative because I know the beauty that exist there.

A Brotha Like Me.....

I'm president of the University of North Texas collegiate chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, for short it's UNT-NABJ.

I'm currently planning UNT-NABJ's first event for the Spring 2008 semester. I'm so excited to be able to plan educational and elightening events for the UNT campus through my organization. I'm so proud of UNT-NABJ and what's we have accomplished so far with my presidency and what the future holds.

A Brotha Like Me will focus on the media's portrayal of Africna American men. It's something that people talk about but that we don't really acknowledge out in the open in front of everyone. There are certain aspects of African American culture that we try to keep from the masses. But some things need to be discussed out in the open. We need to come up with solution to the issues that are ailing the African American community. The media and it's portrayal of us is something we need to examine. We need to know why our young black boys and girl are growing up with the assumption that they aren't valued by America's society at large.

The image above was taken from Kiri Davis's wonderful documentary A Girl Like Me. In it we see young black children who are consistently thinking that white is right. The negavtive images of African Americans in media are contributing to this school of thought. It's sad! It's DEPRESSING! I'm so glad that being a member of an organization like UNT-NABJ enables me to plan programming that will provoke thoughts and ideas in the minds of college students who are poised to make a difference in this world. "A Brotha Like Me" will cause people to look critically at the images of black men set before us on TV, in film and in music.

If you want to check out Kiri Davis's "A Girl Like Me" you can do so at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17fEy0q6yqc