CfP: "Glimmering Utopias: 50 Years African Movie", Panel 12 der Tagung der Vereinigung für Afrikawissenschaften
- Ort: Mainz
- Beginn: 07.04.10
- Ende: 11.04.10
- Disziplinen: Medien-/Kulturwissenschaft
- Sprachen: Französisch, Italienisch, Portugiesisch, Spanisch, Sprachenübergreifend
Glimmering Utopias: 50 Years African Movie
(Panel 12 der Tagung der Vereinigung für Afrikawissenschaften (VAD e.V.))
Prof. Dr. Ute Fendler (Bayreuth), Cassis Kilian M.A. (Mainz)
Call for papers
At the beginning of the year 2008 Cinémathèque française celebrated 50 years African movie with the event „Africamania“. The birthday cannot be dated precisely but only after independence was the emergence of an African film culture possible. Before, in the Francophone colonies African directors did not get permission to shoot movies due to the décret laval. „Décolonisez les écrans“ was therefore the motto of the avant-gardists of the African movie. The founding of the festival FESPACO in 1972 was an important step and the video productions was another important step in more recent times.
In spite of all technical, political and financial problems, numerous movies have been created since the independence in which the manifold processes of consolidation, differentian and transformation show up which have been decisive for Africa.
Some controversies are like a golden thread through the history of African movie: the antagonism of town and country and the conflict of generations, above which the antagonism between tradition and modernism can be staged, the debates about polygamy, socialist ideas and ritual practices which can be mounted as conflicts within the family, as well as the antagonism between Africa and the rest of the world, that can be dealt with in movies on the topic migration.
The antagonism between desperation and the dream of a better life is almost always central and the visions of the future specific to a certain time can be traced at the diverse conceptions of the roles of youths – since the turn of the millenium single fighters try adventurous ways out of the Afro-pessimis.
We don’t want to see movies just as a back reference but also as a draft, for the glimmering fictions conserve and question African utopias. The focus therefore shall be on the question how these utopias have been dealt with during the 50 years of African movie making.
Deadline for application: 15/05/2009
Application via www.vad-ev.de/2010/
Publiziert von: Kai Nonnenmacher