Mapping the African 'I': Representations of Women in La noire de … and Histoire d'Orokia

Abstract

Western feminism is regarded by African scholars with suspicion due to its undeniable links to western cultural imperialism. They argue against the western feminist tendency to intervene in and circumscribe female experience within narrow western constraints. Such arguments have serious ramifications for discussions of female representation in cinema which heavily relies on assumptions drawn from western feminism. This paper examines the articulation of issues on women representation in African cinema within the films La noire de... (Black Girl) and Histoire dOrokia focusing on the interaction between female characters and societal/cultural concerns. The film `Black Girl initiates inquiry into the price paid by Senegal and all of Africa for the continuing reliance on colonial aid. It is a powerful indictment of the systemic power inequities in neocolonial setting. On the other hand Histoire dOrokia reflects a different ideological climate which is a fictionalized account of an actual event that occurred in western Burkina Faso in the late 1960s. It portrays the theme of African womens issues and their struggle to establish rights within the context of traditional society and neocolonial values. Nevertheless both films offer representations of women that are the direct result of African historical and cultural imperatives.