African Cinemas

Decolonizing the Gaze

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by Olivier Barlet,

Translated by Chris Turner

Zed Books

Due/Published January 2001, 320 pages, paper

ISBN 1856497437

The first part of this book traces the development of African cinema, from colonization to Afrocentrism, through themes such as the decolonization of the imagination and the quest for legendary African origins. The second part of the book analyzes specific films, particularly through narrative and in terms of their African specificity. Finally, the author explores the social and economic contexts of the African cinema and television industry. Winner of the French National Film Center's best film book.

Contents

Part I: Early Days, First Rites
 Human Beings, Not Ants
 Decolonizing the Imagination
 "Proverbs were Once People": Referring to the Past
 Closing One's Eyes
 Prizing Open the Cracked Identity
 The Open Gaze
 Part II:The Roots of Story-Telling
 Black Humor
 Men Die but Words Remain: Narrative and the Oral Tradition
 If Your Song is Not More Beautiful than the Silence, then be Quiet
 Speaking Your Own Language
 Towards a Critique of Necessity
 Part III: A Black Perspective?
 "If You Want Honey, You've Got to Take on the Bees":The Difficulties of Film-Making
 The African Public: Diversity Itself
 Northern Audiences Spinning like A Weathervane
 "When You Have Meat to Cook, You Seek out the One Who has a Fire:" The Logic of Western Aid
 Televisual Strategies