Introduction

Abstract

Introduction Vincent Bouchard (bio) and Amadou Ouédraogo (bio) Paulin Soumanou Vieyra (1925–1987), one of the first African filmmakers, is a key component to all the early cinematographic activities in West Africa. He is a multifaceted pioneer known as a prominent filmmaker, producer, and scholar. He served as mentor and production manager for several renowned filmmakers, including Ousmane Sembène. His expertise and prolific contributions as a film specialist coincide with his insights as an intellectual who was deeply sensitive to the predicament of the continent and was dedicated to the social and cultural rehabilitation and emancipation of his people. His film criticism is constantly infused with his reflections on how to provide a better future for Africa. Consequently, his work and intellectual reflections are in line with the vision laid out by key historical figures who contributed to the emancipation of the continent in various regards. More than thirty years after his passing, his work remains strikingly relevant in its visions, including in its perception of cinema as a powerful instrument for social, political, economic, and cultural changes, and eventually as a tool to build awareness and self-reliance: a process that implies breaking away from the ideology of dependence and self-denial promoted throughout the colonial experience. Ultimately, his vision is encapsulated in his statement that "cinema should help create a new African humanism." There is, however, a lack of general understanding of this outstanding figure's legacy, which demonstrates a need to promote knowledge regarding one of Africa's cinema pioneers and make it accessible to the general public. This Black Camera Close-Up assesses Vieyra's intellectual legacy through a variety of academic approaches (historical, political, film, literary, cultural, etc.) and indicates avenues for future research surrounding this key figure of early West African film. It brings together a host of studies that reflect upon the various aspects of Vieyra's work, thus displaying the extent to which he stands as a seminal contributor to both African cinema and African cinema studies. [End Page 295] Underlying this Close-Up, among other motivations, is the articulation of Vieyra's trajectory as an artist and an intellectual deeply committed to the well-being of his continent. In this regard, it is made clear how Vieyra's early writings and film production after the Second World War are spurred by the anticolonial struggle, especially focused on denouncing and rejecting the racist misrepresentations emerging from Western movie production and from biased intellectual reflections on Africa. Then, with independence, and his appointment by President Léopold Sédar Senghor as the first director of the Senegalese National News Service, Vieyra's artistic and intellectual quest clearly shifts toward the necessity to communicate with the general population in Senegal and in West Africa about the stakes faced by the newly formed states, including the following: • the necessity to build a postcolonial vivre ensemble, as well as a common ground between the vernacular tradition and the challenges of the modern world, • the need to change the collective imaginary, and decolonize the system of representation, and • the necessity to organize both film production (technical support, funding, training, etc.) and movie distribution (film festivals, criticism, cinemas, public training, etc.) in Africa. On the issues addressed, Vieyra articulated various insightful views that make him stand as a prolific, inventive, and highly dedicated intellectual. This Close-Up emerges from an innovative and sustained research endeavor conducted by a group of young and active researchers whose arguments are supported by very precise archival information, showing both the extreme richness of the subject and the vital necessity to have access to more sources. Adequate resources are provided, first and foremost, by the Paulin S. Vieyra archives, managed by Vieyra's son Stéphane Vieyra, and recently acquired for transfer and digitization by the Black Film Center & Archive at Indiana University. Other sources include the French colonial and post-independence archives, and archives in Francophone West African countries. This Close-Up is divided into two parts, titled, respectively, "Early Years: Postcolonial Vision before Independence" and "Education and Nation Building at the Time of Independence." In "Vieyra's Vision of Cinema on the Verge of Independences," Odile Goerg details Vieyra...