African cinemas: decolonizing the gaze

Study by Olivier Barlet, translated by Chris Turner, of African cinema and television culture. The book looks at the development of African cinema from the colonial era to Afrocentrism by considering themes such as the quest for legendary African origins and the mobilisation of cultural values. This is followed by a detailed analysis of individual films through narrative and African specificity. Finally, the book focuses on the social and economic contexts of African cinema and television and on problems of production and distribution encountered by African film-makers. The African television industry and African-American cinema are also explored and the study contains interviews and numerous stills. [This book was first published in French as 'Les cinemas d'Afrique noire' by L'Harmattan, Paris, 1996]

Part of the Bill Douglas and Peter Jewell Collection