Introduction I RECOVERING THE AFRICAN PAST Out of Africa (1985) - Yaaba (1989) - Keita! (1995) II FIGHTING COLONIALISM Sambizanga (1972) - Flame (1996) III THE STRUGGLE FOR MAJORITY RULE IN SOUTH AFRICA The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) - A Dry White Season (1989) - Mapantsula (1988) - Fools (1997) IV BETRAYALS OF INDEPENDENCE Kongi's Harvest (1970) - Xala (1974) - Tableau ferraille (1997) - The Blue Eyes of Yonta (1992) V THE EXPLOITED & NEGLECTED PEASANTRY Finzan (1990) - Kasarmu Ce (1991) VI BETWEEN THE AFRICAN MASS MARKET & INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION Kini & Adams (1997) - La Vie est belle (1987) - Epilogue

About the Author

Josef Gugler is Professor of Sociology & Director of the Center for Contemporary African Studies at the University of Connecticut

Reviews

...provides a succinct and thoughtful introduction to fifteen of the most widely-known films produced in Africa over the past four decades, including Xala, Keita, Finzan and La Vie est belle. -
*RESEARCH IN AFRICAN LITERATURES*

...not only a great treat for movie fans but a book that will enlarge any reader's horizons. -
*NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER*

...the book that many have been waiting for. Josef Gugler has composed a lively and loving handbook for African film aficionados and for those willing to be converted. Erudite without being stuffy, informative without being pedantic, Gugler condenses years of viewing and critiquing films into a dense but accessible compendium of stimulating observations. The format, replete with photos, film frames, reproductions of film posters and intriguing side notes, is extremely attractive. The cover design welcomes readers with the faces of the two smiling children from Yaaba, which Gugler analyzes early and at length. The text is arranged in an orderly manner in six categories, primarily historical, and is preceded by a Table of Contents followed by a briefly annotated list of the main films, humorously entitled '17 films in 17 sentences'. An author's preface is followed by a useful chart of Basic Indicators for African Countries - all countries cited are south of the Sahara with some in this region not included. A simple map provides a further reference for the discussions of films spanning the continent. -
*AFRICAN RENAISSANCE and INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AFRICAN STUDIES*

... an easy read, suitable for those in tertiary institutions and the general reader... this study poses a critical and urgent question to African and Africanist scholars about the fate of African arts and cultures in the 21st century in the face of a rapidly globalising world where capitalism and market forces increasingly determine artistic and cultural production and circulation. -
*AFRICAN REVIEW OF BOOKS*

...excellent reading for students and scholars of African cinema looking to understand the socio-cultural contexts of the African films discussed therein.
*MODERN AFRICAN STUDIES*