Popular movie-videos emerged in Ghana and Nigeria in the late 1980s as a result of media deregulation and commercialization of the film industry. These popular videos spread quickly throughout Africa. Their themes address a war between the Christian God and the “powers of darkness,” embodied by indigenous priests, magic, and witchcraft. Whereas “tradition” and “cultural heritage” are honored in the African films marketed to many European and American audiences, these filmmakers seriously challenge those discourses.
Hosted by: Center for African Studies

In conjunction with: Center for Global Studies, Department of Anthropology, Department of English, Department of History, Department of Journalism, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities, International Programs and Studies, Program for the Study of Religion, Program in Comparative and World Literature, School of Art and Design, School of Music, Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education Program, Spurlock Museum, Unit for Cinema Studies Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory

WILL-AM580 FOCUS interview with Birgit Meyer