This course will trace the ways in which documentary film, traditionally associated with objectivity and capturing reality, has been used to represent the African continent since the birth of cinema to the present. Its emergence concomitant with European colonization, we will look at documentary cinema's role in forging collective imaginations of the continent. First documented in European colonial propaganda and ethnographic films, later in works by African filmmakers seeking alternative portrayals of their realities, we shall examine how this historical/political context has shaped representations.
Alternating the viewing and analysis of a corpus of documentaries by the continent's leading filmmakers, spanning predominant themes, styles, and epochs, we shall adopt a contextual and textual approach to understanding these works.
Melissa THACKWAY
Séminaire
English
Written and oral English,
Autumn 2025-2026
Assessment will be based on students' viewing of the film corpus, their ability to think about and analyse the works clearly, and to participate in collective discussions, demonstrating both personal reflection and informed research.
Class participation 10%
Oral presentation 45%
Final paper 45%
Extracts of texts, chapters, and articles on documentary film, postcolonial and decolonial theory, and cultural studies/film studies will be given once a fortnight.
Indicative Filmography* : - Afrique sur Seine, Paulin S. Vieyra & le Groupe africain du cinéma (Senegal/France) - Kaddu Beykat, Safi Faye (Senegal) - The Zerda and the Songs of Forgetting, Assia Djebar (Algeria) - Chief & Alex's Wedding, Jean-Marie Teno