African Cinema Today: Interview with Mark Reid

In Mar c h 19 9 8 . Un i ver si t y of Fl or i da p r of es s or an d fi l m sc h ol ar Ma r k Rei d c on ven ed a c on f er en c e on Af r i c an Fi l m an d Vi d eo in Gai n esvi l l e, Fl or i d a. Au t h o r of t h e hi ghl y pr ai sed Redefining Black Film (Uni ver si t y of Cal i for ni a Pr e s s , 19 9 3 ), Post-Negritude Literary Culture {SUM Pr e s s , 19 9 7) , and edi tor of t he Cambridge Film Handbook, Sp i k e Lee's Do the Right Thing (Cam b r i d g e Un i ver si t y Pr e s s , 19 9 7) , Rei d is Pr o f e s s o r of En gl i sh an d Fi l m at t h e Un i ver si t y of Fl or i d a an d h as been on t h e edi t or i al b oar d s of Ci n e m a Jo u r n a l , Ju m p Cut , an d Wi d e An g l e . At t h e c on f er en c e Pr o f e s s o r Rei d s p o k e w i t h Ol u Og u i b e on t h e t h e m e of t h e Af r i c an c i n e m a. Olu OGUIBE: One could say that it is a new trend that have conferences dedicated solely to African cinema. In the pastyou had African cinema as a theme or component in conferences on African literature, but this is a new trend. Yet one wonders whether we haven't had enough of them already, whether they are the most appropriate forums for continuing discourses initiated elsewhere or initiating debate on issues that haven't as yet been touched upon. Mark REID: Courses and conferences on African cinema may be recent, yet there is no A fric a n C ine m a To d a y Sandrine Ola'a and Serge Amougou in J e a n Pi e r r e B e k o l o ' s Q u a r t e r Mozart, 1992, film still, courtesy African Film Festival New York. gainsaying how important they are because a number of African filmmakers are making very interesting films. Lots of engaging issues have emerged in African cinema which keep it very vibrant. What we saw at this conference were mostly fiction films, and that's what I find interesting . Otherwise what we usual ly see are documentaries which have a much longer tradition. With all the varieties, we've got much more to talk about. OGUIBE: Asyou probably know, there is a new generation of African filmmakers — lohn Akomfrah, lean Pierre Bekolo etc.— who have a limited audience within the continent. Some have begun to wonder whether their films are not made for international festivals and prizes only. You'd observe that other kinds of cinema such as the Yoruba film tradition are principally directed at a local audience. Whenyou consider that the new filmmakers not only seem to target outside arenas and audiences, but are more experimental, also, it becomes somewhat unclear to what extent audiences on the continent benefit from, or relate, to their work. REID: For a cinema like the one connected with the Yoruba traveling theater, the theme is local, and so is the audience. With some of the other kind of cinema that is now distributed worldwide , an equivalent would be to walk into a Chinese restaurant and think that you are getting Chinese cuisine without realizing that the food might have been made for the American taste, for instance. I think what is important is 5 8...