One of the world’s largest continents is also one of its least seen, at least in the U.S. In Hollywood, Africa has long been a sore spot for an industry that has tremendous power to shape the way people see the world. In the entertainment that Americans consume, Africa is rarely depicted except as one massive savannah or an underdeveloped, war- and disease-stricken place. Tiffany Bailey wants to correct that. Through her new African film course at Northeastern University, Bailey, a postdoctoral research fellow, is giving students a chance to get a fuller story of the many parts of the continent, as told by Africans.
“People can maybe admit that they don’t know a lot about Africa, but there are many images of Africa we can conjure,” Bailey said. “People think of animals, ‘The Lion King.’ Africa is very present in our cultural mindset, but from a Western perspective.” Early Hollywood’s image of Africa as one massive slice of untamed wilderness, a “dark continent,” has changed, Bailey acknowledged. The American film industry has made strides to embrace international cinema, but its lens is still narrow when it comes to Africa and its many film cultures, she added. Bailey’s course gives students a wide view of an admittedly broad spectrum of film that spans countries, decades and genres. Over the course of the semester, Bailey works her way through 16 films produced in countries across Africa, from Senegal and Chad to Nigeria and Kenya.
