Movies/Documentary

District 9

I don't watch t.v. or movies very often when I am in the States.  However, since I've been here I've seen a couple of movies by African filmmakers which I have greatly enjoyed.  We went to the theater to see District 9.  I was not keen in seeing the movie at first when Brie described it--it involved aliens invading Johannesburg.  In the end, I enjoyed the movie and recognized the symbolism behind it.  The aliens represented the history of the treatment of blacks throughout Africa.  The government's attempt to move the aliens to their own district (district 9) was similar to thousands of blacks who were relegated to townships throughout South Africa during the apartheid era.  They were treated as foreigners.  The movie also symbolized the government's treatment of blacks with HIV/AIDS living in Africa.  I am not certain if the movie is playing nationwide, but I strongly recommend watching it.  It's great once you get adjusted to the aliens.

This is My Africa

We also attended the Atlas Studios premiere of the documentary This is My Africa.  The movie is by Zina Siro-Wiwa.  I strongly recommend the documentary to anyone interested in learning about African culture, from the perspective of artists, musicians, actors, anthropologists, etc.  I learned authentic African phrases such as "the sea has drowned the fish" which is a phrase that people sometimes use to articulate when something has gone terribly wrong.  They discussed some of their favorite African dishes--one that stood out was called chakalaka (probably not spelling it right).  I can't remember all of the ingredients, but it included a mixture of beans and mayonnaise.  Many of their foods include the Jamaican staple--plantains.  Some of their favorite books were Things Fall Apart by Acehbe and Black Girl by Sembene (I've added Black Girl to my reading list). As far as music, it seems that every African appreciates the musician Fela Kuti (a nigerian musician and human rights activist who used his music to articulate his social and political views).

For me, one of the most moving parts of the documentary was when the producer asked what they think of when they think of Africa.  One person said "1,000 frustrated geniuses"; "Africa needs to take ownership of our problems while realizing there are also great things about our continent", and another man made a point that resonated within me.  He said, "if Africa improves, then it will improve the image of black people all over the world."  I could not agree more.  It is a known fact that there is an overall negative image of black people around the world.  I could pontificate on all the reasons why this exists, but irrespective of the reasons, I strongly believe that when we strengthen our entire image of Africa, this will vastly improve how others view blacks in other countries.

The beauty of a place like Johannesburg, SA is that it has the infrastructure for black/African growth and improvement. Many, like Oprah, have come to put their stamp on the improvement of this continent.  I hope that this blog will become the catalyst for maybe one more pioneer.

White Wedding

I'm not only watching "deep" movies and documentaries.  The other day we watched a comedy called White Wedding.  It was hilarious!  White wedding is what Africans call a non-traditional wedding where the bride wears a white gown instead of the usual African garb and many of the traditional wedding practices are not performed.  The movie was hilarious, and the softie that I am, it brought me to tears at the end.  It's kind of a chick flick, but I still recommend it.