AFRYKAMERA
JUJU STORIES
Recommended. Set in Lagos. Based on juju news from newspapers. 3 totally different, yet all engaging stories. The tummy trope combines the three. But the film plays with its own structure also with props: in the first story she pays for mortuary water, in the second he picks it up. Top-notch acting. Surprisingly Vivaldi's score is played out at some point. Riveting and unusual in its form.
A Hausanist's presentation followed. The golden era of Nigerian cinema was in the years 1950-1980. Later Nollywood came in: hand-held camera, edited while shooting, without post-production - 1000 such films per year. "Juju Stories" were shot like back in the golden era. The Africanist went on about magic in African culture. A curious fact is that Nigerian politicians wear fetishes from a babalao round the arm.
STOP FILMING US
Watchable. Barely. I do agree some things are unacceptable, e.g. filming a child naked. There's an interesting mention of the Congolese who wouldn't believe Ebola was real, thinking it was invented by the white man to make money. The main topic of who should film and photograph Africa and how poses a vital question. Silly it's discussed years after Ngugi wa Thiong'o's "Decolonising the Mind". The whole thing though is overtalked. At some point you think they're going to compare two directors' footage - that does not happen. They rabbit on about it again. It drags awfully, made as if they haven't heard of cutting. In fact, this is a very French way of making films, especially documentaries. So they haven't decolonised their own minds.
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