Written by: Luso Mnthali, Cape Town
When asked where the classic African films were, the guys behind the counter at Nouveau looked puzzled. This told me plenty about the image that this town, and this country, has of me as a black person. “Erm…”one said, “are you looking for Jim goes to Joburg?” Actually I wasn’t looking for Jim Comes to Joburg, but had to give him kudos for knowing at least one film about black South Africans in the late forties. But that was it. That was the extent of the knowledge that this young white South African had about black Africans in the early days of South African film. I have to ask though, do young black South Africans know about it too? Do they know about the rest of Africa? Are they even curious about themselves as Africans, and not in the context of an African in South Africa, but an African in Africa, and as juxtaposed with the rest of the world?
Due to cultural, societal and historical realities, Africans have been marginalised when it comes to media representation. The cultural reality is that Africans are not only under-represented in more well-known movie markets, but also highly under-appreciated. It is a well-known fact that Europeans and Americans have portrayed Africans as lacking in beauty, intelligence and any redeeming cultural traits from the first time black people appeared in Western film. From the time when African-Americans portrayed ‘mammies’ and ‘sambos’ in silent movies to now, black people have had a struggle getting decent roles that are reflective of their lives. Representing the kind of aesthetic that not only appeals to non-black viewers but black people as well has always been something akin to balancing with one leg on a needle point. It’s been tricky. Needless to say the under-representation of black people in film and various forms of media has had a detrimental effect on black society. Africans and people of African descent have had to search (many times fruitlessly) for positive representations of themselves in media. In the US it is especially galling when all around there is the blue-eyed and blonde-haired aesthetic being accepted as ‘normal’. Black children growing up in such a society have grown up to see themselves as ‘less’ and as inferior. The values projected by the mainstream media does not include them, so they feel as though they matter less, and look for unsatisfactory ways to gain acceptance.
The Power of Film
Besides having a positive psychological reinforcement, film projects certain values to a people. It reflects a people’s stories, desires, ways and customs. Not only that, it shows a people’s beauty and ugliness, diversity and sameness, in one fell swoop. It is, by design, some of the best propaganda weaponry you can find anywhere. If we look at the American film industry as an example once again, we will realise several things. One is that Americans generally believe the propaganda about themselves, and members of their society. Even though many will say “it’s just a movie” somehow they feel proud that they can be associated with quality merchandise that tells the story of how great they are, and how important their history is, even if it’s only known to themselves. It’s always amazing to hear Americans say “that was a great day in world history”, meanwhile that day is mostly celebrated by them alone. They truly believe that the world revolves around them, which explains why a powerful PR and propaganda machine thrives on telling the tale of how great and powerful that country is.
So the idea is that we get Africans to think in terms of an ‘African propaganda machine’. Going to war, if you like, on the negative stereotypes presented not only by Western media, but by our own media as well. It may sound strange, but our media is not doing us any favours at times by being lacklustre and mediocre. We need to get beyond the deer in headlights syndrome of most of the programming that goes on, on the continent. Viewers need to express their displeasure at the continual churning-out of old irrelevant shows and movies from the US and other countries and demand more contemporary African programming. If you went to China today you would not see one African program on their TV sets. Nor would you see one in Korea, nor in the UK, and certainly not in the US. And no, the Number One Ladies Detective Agency does not count – it was a US initiative from the start.
The more screen time you give Africans, the more opportunities will open up. The more the talent will want to be part of the industry, and be able to see that yes, it makes sense to follow this path, because there is a safe space for us, and at least our own people will have a chance to see the work. It makes sense to build institutions related to a film industry that train people effectively, so they can compete with their peers anywhere. It also makes sense for governments to fund film projects because they encourage non-mineral and non-agrarian economies. It is the other part of Africa that comes to the fore and gives more people a chance to succeed at something. Granted this is the utopian view of what film can do, and what we would like to be able to achieve in Africa, but given that development projects on this continent are a favourite with donor communities, this is not something that Africans should overlook.
As Africans we have a rich history of music, dance, storytelling, visual arts and innovations, which should also contribute to our economic growth and rebirth. The power that film has to transform a society cannot be overstated. There are admirable starts to making African cinema more well-known within Africa itself, yet many stops and starts are on display. Good examples are the Africa Magic and Africa Magic Plus channels on DSTV. These channels have provided an outlet or platform for some film-makers – namely Nollywood’s prolific writers and directors. Tanzania has also had a boost on these channels.
African cinema still needs to grow
While African cinema is in its nascent state, it is being corrupted by a number of low-budget films, which sometimes have little artistic merit, but, because of the high entertainment value, may win big in the hearts of ordinary viewers. This is all good and well, and films don’t have to have huge budgets to be good, but scripts and intentions shouldn’t also be low budget. Understandably, these brave souls who venture into the world of making movies do so at great cost to themselves, and face a number of technical difficulties. So kudos to them for having the fortitude and insight of growing an industry that is currently under-rated, but appreciated by so many.
The fact remains that while the industry is still growing, it cannot be nipped in the bud because it is focused largely on popcorn productions that even the actors who star in them cannot fully remember. The rate at which some of the films are produced only shows that the end result – making profit – is what’s most important. What’s at stake is a cultural heritage. Much as the Indians did with Bollywood, the African film industry, which in itself is hard to pin down into one whole entity, needs to be schooled in production values, the merits of story and also the ability to bring wider attention to the work. The lessons from Bollywood might be that they started off small, aimed low and profited quite high. They still do that to some extent, churning-out thousands of movies every year, yet many productions still garner much attention and critical acclaim. It is not only that they have beautiful stars, as Nollywood does too, but that they have focused on getting the best to do the best projects. It seems that there is rather a lot of cross-pollinating going on, with rich businessmen taking up the helm to produce these blockbusters that sell the image of India far from its own shores.
Because the movie industry is such serious business in India (with millions of dollars to be made by both producers and actors alike) the production values are quite high. This comparison may not go down easily when one thinks that Bollywood has existed in its current incarnation for decades longer than African cinema, but it is also a good one to make. African cinema needs to get to a point where it can be seen as a good money-making venture, and a great addition to the cultural landscape.
Not only that, it should be seen as the kind of entity aspirant filmmakers look to as part of the possibilities in their lives. They should think that their stories have a chance to be told, and one day come to life. Not only should it be an exercise in PR, but one that creates jobs and gives some young people a future to dream of. We need the dreamers and the creators, their vision will be our future. They should expect to do better than their predecessors, and not see hopelessness in the telling of their stories. They should also be able to see themselves, in all their multi-dimensional glory as Africans. They shouldn’t have to take cues from anyone, but should understand that in order to learn and progress, some things need to be borrowed or discarded. I think Nollywood has set the standard for a very African form of entertainment. Africans around the continent are being schooled in the mores of a culture not completely unlike their own. We can laugh out ourselves, and also marvel at how others live, even when they look like us, but are not us. We also need to work with stories that are true to our experiences, not the glorified savagery that some films, for example District 9, tends to run with. In that movie the representation of a cannibalistic Nigerian crime-lord was just too much. We cannot gloss over the bias that some in the West like to use against us as a group of people, and if it is us, our own people doing that, it’s even worse!
If we allow the bias to continue, we will continue to suffer indignities. How we stop this is by looking at ourselves, honestly, and seeing what we have to offer. One thing we have is our experiences, and a story-telling culture that goes back centuries, amongst most groups on the continent and in the diaspora.
Djibril Diop Mambéty’s seminal film ‘Touki Bouki’ is a case in point. It should have given rise to an African aesthetic that has metaphor, mastery and full-on technical ability, all done at a time when world cinema was basically still on the rise and there was still much to be discovered. The one major stumbling block with contemporary filmmakers has been getting their work released to wider audiences. The trend has been perhaps screenings in their countries of origin and then perhaps a few international festivals, if even that.
That success is coming slowly is not in doubt, but I believe more could be done about getting the images of Africa to Africa, and out of Africa. I believe that this would be an exercise in positive PR, and cancel out much of the negativity about Africa, or lessen the chances of, as the amazing Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie puts it, “the danger of a single story.”
South Africans should start seeing themselves as part of Africa
South Africans are fortunate in that they have long had a close association with Western ways of filmmaking which they keep adapting to suit their purposes and to tell their stories. However, they have been lax in rising to the challenge of meeting with Africa. It sometimes seems that they see themselves as another part of ‘the West’ and not really as part of Africa – an integral part of the story of Africa, actually. If they did so, they would see that more of the stories of Africa need to be told, and that they can play a vital role in doing that. Not to say that some amazing writers, actors and directors are not currently doing that, but it is not enough. This is the point where the divisions lie too deep even when the players should be on the same side. Some South Africans are too caught up in thinking that Africans from other parts of the continent are very different from them, and are here to take “their jobs, their women and their property.” They rather forget that it was Africa that housed their struggle heroes in exile. Africa that got caught up in wars and border skirmishes with their former oppressors, and to put the mantle of an oppressor on to those who have helped them in the past, is a hurt that cannot easily wash away.
South Africa may be economically stronger than much of Africa, but culturally it has much to learn. The message of Ubuntu seems to have become lost, and the hatred some South Africans have for ‘makwerekwere’ seems to have replaced the hatred they had for their former oppressors under apartheid. If they could see what the rest of Africa really looked like, what it is that other people have left behind or are fleeing from, it would open up worlds for them. When South Africa was in pain, the whole of Africa was in pain. This is what South Africans need to understand – that they too are a part of this wonderful, tumultuous and rich continent. Theirs is not the only rich country here. Other Africans come from amazing places, and are doing amazing things.
I’d like to see young African filmmakers collaborating more, no matter what their colour is. I’d like them to write about and show the truth and the beauty, the devastating beauty; that is this continent. We as Africans have to be our own PR machine. Movies can do that, they are just that powerful. I’d like these filmmakers to take up the baton, and pass it on to the next generations, just as Sembène did all those years ago. To see a true and accurate reflection and affirmation of ourselves.
Rock on Luso! Excellent and expansive article!
Indeed - your description of the 'popcorn' productions are quite apt. For all intents and purposes South Africa has failed to produce the kind of quality films that come from countries as oppressive and (seemingly) inaccesible to such a 'Western' tradition as movies. Iran is a case in point: director Majid Majidi's films are grounded in the tales of ordinary Iranians, but the themes are universal.
And that is what South African filmmakers should strive for - to reflect both the diversity and universality of our people and our continent, without degrading it by using toilet humour and dressing up in fake leopard skins.
This article was very very helpful. I'm at college studying film studies and for my coursework I have decided to look at African cinema and how Africans are represented in Western cinema. This article was very helpful so thankyou!