Africans filming Africa: Questioning theories of an authentic African cinema

Murphy, David

doi:10.1080/713674315

Cited by 38 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…Nevertheless, Ethiopia has registered considerable historical development which could have enriched the history of African cinema in particular and world cinema in general. But almost nothing has been said about Ethiopian cinema in articles (Murphy, 2000;Tcheuyap, 2010), books (Grainge, 2007;Nowell, 1996) and encyclopedias (Petty, 2007) written on African and world cinema. Those few who attempt to do so provide erroneous and incomplete account (Angela, 1982, p. 54).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethiopian Cinema: The Socio-economic and Political Impacts of Imperial Era on the Development of Screen Media

Ashagrie¹

2016

JCRS

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Ethiopia that had been at the high-up as one of the few world powers in the 1st and early centuries of the 2nd millennium, and later to descend to poverty line to the extent of being synonym for famine and degradation in an English dictionary, is currently on the verge of socio-economic renaissance. Likewise, the country that experienced film viewing in the very early years of the development of world cinema for more than hundred years had eventually lagged behind those African countries exposed to cinematic arts a few decades ago; but now relatively ascending to its historical status. These days, over hundred films are produced on annual bases in Ethiopia.Nevertheless, articles, books, and encyclopedias written on African and world cinema do not as such include the Ethiopian account, hence adversely affecting the wholeness of universal knowledge. This research thus attempts to investigate the socio-economic and political impacts that governed the development of the Ethiopian screen media during imperial era . The inconsistency in the development of Ethiopian cinema will be analyzed and demonstrated in conjunction with the socio-economic and political features in the era of Emperor Menelik II, Lij Iyasu, Empress Zewditu, and Emperor Haile Sellassie. The study will portray the strong link between Cinema and mode of productions that would be of a scholastic benefit to the Ethiopian and the international academia. The article hopefully, will contribute to the historiography and completeness of African screen median in particular, and world cinema in general.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethiopian Cinema: The Socio-economic and Political Impacts of Imperial Era on the Development of Screen Media

Ashagrie¹

2016

JCRS

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“…African film should be understood in terms of its ability to fit within as well as to modify the established universal film codes. Even though Diawara (Ibid) attempts a vivid categorisation of African film, Murphy (2000), p.14 says "we do not yet have the theoretical basis to talk about national or ethnic film styles. Instead ... (he proposes) an approach that attempts to negotiate the relationship between the 'universal' and the 'local' aspects of filmmaking.…”

Section: The Interface Between Film and The Oral Tradition In Africamentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Postcolonialists find in the cultural products being created after the colonial contact, vestiges of the pre-colonial art forms of the colonised which exist as hybridised or hegemonic responses to the relations and situations that followed the colonial contact. To Murphy (2000), "the Western critic must be sensitive to differing cultural values when dealing with African culture." To me, African cinema occupies a big portion of what Murphy calls "African culture."…”

Section: African Film Drawing From Orature's Rich Cultural Repertoirementioning

confidence: 99%

Message films in Africa: A look into the past

Diang’a

2016

Cogent Arts & Humanities

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Message film-making has characterised much of films produced in post-independent Kenya. The country produced very few films in the 1980s, when indigenous film-making actually began to take root. Liberalisation of the economy, embracement of the digital technology and democratization in the 1990s paved way for a more stable film culture in the decade. A more promising growth of the film industry has been largely witnessed since the turn of the 21st century. Through this period, I note a strong tendency to produce films that are loaded with social messages deemed urgent and important to the target audience. In making these films, the film-makers hope to make a positive impact in the lives of the target audiences. These films tend to valorise the message, sometimes, neglecting the basic filmic codes, a practice that renders the films less entertaining. This endangers the growth of the industry since local films find very stiff competition from foreign films that are common on Kenyan screens. This study therefore investigates possible roots of message film-making in Africa that directly influence the tendencies in Kenya by making references to other African countries' film experiences. My assumption is that Kenya's cultural experiences are shared by other African countries.

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“…Rather, it has produced a series of complex and often contradictory visions of a continent." 38 That is why the notion of "African" cinema has recently been subject to several attacks by directors whose perception of cinema does not fit into 50 years of dated liberationist imperatives.…”

Section: Cultural Nationalism As Foundational Discoursementioning

confidence: 99%

African Cinema(s)

Tcheuyap

2011

Critical Interventions

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Africans filming Africa: Questioning theories of an authentic African cinema

Cited by 38 publications

References 1 publication

Ethiopian Cinema: The Socio-economic and Political Impacts of Imperial Era on the Development of Screen Media

Ethiopian Cinema: The Socio-economic and Political Impacts of Imperial Era on the Development of Screen Media

Message films in Africa: A look into the past

African Cinema(s)

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