Articles

Initially, African women were relegated to roles that were regarded to be suitable for women in filmmaking...[but] they were able to take advantage of a system that had been designed to limit their output, because when they eventually began directing films, they could bring various competencies to their projects.

While there were differences in plots, themes, and structure, the films made during that early period were part of a single postcolonial/decolonial movement. Such a task may have been daunting, but the filmmakers of that era realised that they were undertaking a sacred venture, meaning that recognition as an African filmmaker was one that was not to be taken lightly.

By the time the first African films were made, the tools for documenting history were widely available to Africans around the continent. However, the problems currently faced in accessing early African films, especially within Africa, are serious.