Exploring African Women’s Cinematic Practice as Womanist Practice

Abstract

The womanist work in African women’s cinematic practice empowers, supports, and promotes women in tandem with upholding the fight for racial, ethnic, social, political, and economic justice in their society and throughout the world. A selection of women’s voices contextualizes the notion of a womanistic standpoint as a conceptual framework that embodies their cinematic vision. Based on excerpts from interviews, critiques, citations, filmmakers’ statements, and intentions presented as leçons du cinéma, in their own voice, women tell their stories about filmmaking, their cinematic vision, their decision-making, lessons learned.