Water cooler: Celebrating African cinema
If you do a quick Google search of the term “Africa” you’ll find a lot of maps, landscape photos and links to news stories. In order to learn more about the people and culture across the continent of Africa today, you’ll have to dig a little deeper. One of the most accessible ways to learn more about the vast and varied cultures and experiences found within modern, African life is to watch African cinema.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, it’s even harder to measure the worth of information in a moving image with sound. See people, homes, cities and objects of daily life. See and hear how African people interact, what their mannerisms are like, what their expressions sound like. Explore what stories African people have to tell. Perhaps most importantly, experience all this from an African perspective instead of an outsider perspective – something that is hard to come across in the Western world when seeking out information about modern African art, culture and expression. Kanopy, a free streaming service available to anyone with a library card, has a wealth of African cinema to choose from, but here are a few suggestions to get you started.
“Rafiki” – Kena and Ziki are told that “good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives” but both of them long for something more in life. Both girls remain close friends and support one another to pursue their dreams, despite a tense political rivalry between their families and the pressures of a conservative society. When the two fall in love, their world forces them to choose between their safety and their happiness. Directed by Wanuri Kahiu. 2018. 83 minutes. Filmed in Kenya. Languages: Swahili, English.
“Timbuktu” – A cattle herder and his family live quiet lives among the dunes of Timbuktu. Their lives are abruptly disturbed when Jihadists travel from town and come into the area with determination to control their religious faith and impose new laws with improvised courts and tragically absurd sentences. Directed by Abderrahmane Sissako. 2014. 96 minutes. Filmed in Mauritania. Languages: Arabic, Bambara, French, English, Songhay, Tamashek.
“I Am Not a Witch” – Shula, a 9-year-old orphan, is accused of witchcraft and is forced into exile to live at a witch camp run by a corrupt government official, where the prisoners are forced to do hard labour and act as tourist attractions. Being the only child at the camp, she is at even higher risk for exploitation and must make the decision between resigning to life at the camp or to risk everything at a chance for freedom. Directed by Rungano Nyoni. 2017. 93 minutes. Filmed in Zambia. Languages: Nyanja, Bemba, Tonga, English.
“War Witch” – 14-year-old Komona finds herself pregnant somewhere in sub-Saharan Africa. She decides to tell her unborn child the story of her life since she has been at war, beginning with her abduction at the age of 12 by a rebel army. Her story is one of hope for survival and a tender relationship with a fellow soldier. Directed by Kim Nguyen. 2012. 90 minutes. Filmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Languages: Lingala, French.
“As I Open My Eyes” – A young Tunisian is forced to constantly balance the traditional expectations of her family with her life as a creative, singing in a politically-charged rock band. Her family envisions her as a future doctor, but her life passions pull her in another direction and she discovers love and the night life of her city. It is 2010, only a few months before the Arab Spring revolution. Directed by Leyla Bouzid. 2015. 102 minutes. Filmed in Tunisia. Languages: Arabic, French.