This opening module treats African cinema as a plural field. A film may be African because of where it is shot, who makes it, who produces it, which audiences it addresses, which languages it carries, how it circulates, or how it participates in visual sovereignty. The method is simple: always name the criterion before making a claim.
Learning goal
Define African cinema through multiple criteria without reducing it to one origin, region, language or production model.
Completed lessons
0/3
Course
Introduction to African Cinema
Lesson list
Lesson 1
Distinguish at least six possible definitions of African cinema and explain why no single definition is sufficient.
Estimated duration
60 minutes
Learning goal
Distinguish at least six possible definitions of African cinema and explain why no single definition is sufficient.
Reading sections
2
Resources
4
Lesson 2
Distinguish colonial cinema, ethnographic film, missionary film, exploration film and postcolonial African counter-gaze.
Estimated duration
60 minutes
Learning goal
Distinguish colonial cinema, ethnographic film, missionary film, exploration film and postcolonial African counter-gaze.
Reading sections
2
Resources
3
Lesson 3
Explain why African cinema has several historical starting points depending on the criteria used.
Estimated duration
60 minutes
Learning goal
Explain why African cinema has several historical starting points depending on the criteria used.
Reading sections
3
Resources
7
Open only when you are ready to apply this module. The complete prompts are preserved here.
Choose one film and explain why it can be considered part of African cinema. Name the criteria you use, identify which criteria remain debatable, distinguish between an African film, a film about Africa and a diaspora film, and list what should be verified before publishing the claim on Unga.
Expected output
A structured sheet with title, year, filmmaker, country or spaces, information status, main argument and conclusion.
Build a timeline that separates colonial images, films made by African filmmakers, and institutions or archives. Include Afrique sur Seine, Borom Sarret, Black Girl / La Noire de..., FESPACO, FEPACI and the African Film Heritage Project.
Expected output
A timeline that explains why African cinema has several origins depending on the criterion used.
Quiz structure
10 questions are prepared to validate the core concepts of this module.
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