The development of black African cinema is directly connected to the colonial legacy of the region. The French invested more into the advancement of (Francophone) culture and arts in their colonies than did the British or the Germans. The French have been heavily involved in the production of films over the past century, producing over 21,000 films - twice as many as were made in the U.S.A. They exported cinema to their colonies and financed movie theaters there as well. As a result, the former French West Africa has become the center of financing and production of black African cinema. Places like Mali, Senegal, and Burkina Faso have become an African Hollywood. The important distinction between Burkina Faso and Hollywood is that in the West African nation they make wonderful movies with very little money or resources, unlike in Hollywood. Herein lies the beauty of black African cinema and what makes it a great teaching tool; the strengths of the films derive from the people and the land. They are made without the potentially distracting million dollar special effects and Hollywood glamour. This allows the viewer to focus solely on the subject of the film: Africa and Africans.
It is essential to understand, however, that this approach to film making is not simply a result of a lack of resources. Leaving their movie theaters and film equipment behind, the French withdrew from their colonies in Africa in the early 1960's. Their departure allowed the cinema of Africa to become African. Black African cinema began with the first black African film, Ousmane Sembene’s Black Girl, in 1960. It immediately adopted a "cinematic third worldism": films with dominating themes of slavery, colonialism, neocolonialism and the peripheral issues that surround them. In his book Black African Cinema, Nwachuukwa Frank Ukadike explains6 what Black African cinema sought to achieve upon emerging from oppressive colonial systems: "(1) decolonize the mind, (2) contribute to the development of radical consciousness, (3) contribute to the transformation of society, and (4) develop a new film language with which to accomplish these tasks."7 The cinematic revolution was a revolution of the mind. The film Sankofa is good example of this revolutionary consciousness.
In terms of content, prior to my teaching this unit, the class will have explored the following topics: Early River Valley Civilizations, Greece, Rome & Christianity, and Islam. Following this unit: Age of Exploration, Asia, and The Americas.
