This paper traces the construction of African identities in A Reasonable Man (South Africa 1999), Chikin Biznis: The Whole Story (South Africa 1998), Fools (South Africa/France 1997), Hyènes (1992), Le cri du coeur (Burkina Faso/France 1994), Pièces d'Identités (France/Congo/Belgium 1998), Une couleur café (France 1997), and Xala (Senegal 1975) based on an analysis of race, ethnicity, tradition, modernization, Westernization, and cultural hybridity theories; as a way of contextualizing African history in general, this paper also explores the significance of colonialism, postcolonialism, and forms of neo-colonialism. I argue that nineteenth century perceptions of “race” that arose during the Enlightenment era are mistaken. Instead, African identities presented in film should be re-conceived based on concepts of ethnicity and culture and not simplistic racial constructions—for example “white,” “black,” or “mulatto” to name a few—since such interpretations inevitably surrender to problematic analysis. However, I also contend that neither a typical conception of fixed identities nor cultures can be applied to the understanding of contemporary African identities expressed in African film. The conception of African identities can and ought to be reconsidered as a fluid, social construction based on changing historical phenomena. As an alternative, I suggest that tradition, modernization, and Westernization processes contribute to the overall fluidity of contemporary African identities, which can be elucidated by cultural hybridity theories. Therefore, I ultimately propose that the hybridization of African identities is specifically linked to forms of modernization and Westernization—the practice of Western medicine, beliefs in monogamy, and entrepreneurial aspirations—that have also been filtered through traditional African value systems such as polygamy, traditional healing, patriarchy, communitarianism, and traditional religions within various African communities depicted in African film. Thus, a fixed “African” category that we strive to define—against either Western or African points of reference—is actually neither a fully Westernized nor entirely African distinction but a hybridized identity of traditional, modernized, and Westernized elements.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:8401 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Inocencio, Jessica Lynn |
| Publisher | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Arts |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MA |
| Format | xvi, 210 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |
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