African Cinemas: Decolonising the Gaze

This is both a personal journey and an introduction to the cinema cultures of Africa. A book about the politics of cultural survival, it is also an overview of African cinema and television. Olivier Barlet traces the development of African cinema from colonization to Afrocentrism. He analyzes specific films, particularly through narrative and in terms of their African specificity - in the use of silence, orality and humour. He explores the social and economic contexts of the African cinema and television industry - including its often vexed relations with the West and the problems of production and distribution that African film-makers face. He also covers the African television industry and African-American cinema. Exploring the achievements and challenges of those who seek to affirm African cultural values through film, the book is ultimately a plea for seeing and respecting the otherness of the Other.