African screen

Unexplored cinema at the MFA

by Meremu Chikwendu

"AFRICAN CINEMA 2000," At the Museum of Fine Arts, February 3 through 26.

African films (films made in Africa by Africans) have long been the forgotten children of the global cinema world. Few realize that African countries have been producing films almost as long as most Western countries -- but because of myths about low box-office appeal and inaccessible subject matter, these films are rarely seen, especially in America. The Museum of Fine Arts is doing its part to rectify the situation by presenting "African Cinema 2000." This month, the museum will show eight films from eight different countries. The series reveals the common struggle facing post-colonial Africa, as well as the rich cultural diversity that the continent boasts.

The most eagerly awaited selection is Pièces d'identités (1998; February 3 at 8 p.m., February 9 at 6 p.m., February 10 at 8 p.m., and February 12 at 4 p.m.), the latest film from Congolese director Mweze Ngangura. A decade ago Ngangura charmed audiences worldwide with the comedic La vie est belle; here he returns with another entertaining tale. The premise seems uncomplicated: Mani Kongo, king of the Bakongo, sets out to find his long-lost daughter, Mwana, who is supposedly studying to be a doctor in Belgium. And so begins an Almodóvar-ian romp that's both entertaining and relevant to the issues facing modern-day Africa.

On his journey, Mani Kongo brings his royal beaded headpiece, necklace, and cane, which mark his country and tribe -- they're his "pieces of identity." But upon entering Belgium, he finds this identity continually challenged by the many who view his African fetishes as exotic fashion or valuable art, thus prompting him to question and defend his royal title. What makes this film a delight are the host of colorful characters Mani Kongo encounters, including mulatto taxi driver cum Robin Hood Chaka-Jo, designer-clad petty crook Viva-wa-Viva, corrupt police commissioner Jefke, and an apparition in the form of a beautiful young woman.

Part fairy-tale romance, part comedy drama, part suspense thriller, the film comes to a wacky climax in the middle of an airport. Ngangura has created a narrative that though accessible to a Western audience raises key points about racism, cultural identity, and African tradition versus Western modernity. Pièces d'identités also has an uncharacteristically (for African films) happy ending, suggesting a new hope for the new millennium.

More "characteristic" of African film (i.e., it involves war) is Flora Gomes's now classic Mortu Nega ("Whom Death Refused"; February 19 at 3:45 p.m.). This 1988 work pays tribute to the fight for liberation most African nations endured in the '60s and '70s. Set in Guinea-Bissau, it tells the history of that nation from the closing months of the war against the Portuguese in 1973 to the formation of an independent country in 1975. The most visually striking of all the "African Cinema 2000" films, it's divided into three parts. In the beginning a group of soldiers and volunteers make their way through the jungle to a campsite. With little dialogue, Gomes captures the tedium, silence, exhaustion, and camaraderie of guerrilla war.

A heroine, Diminga, emerges from the group. She has been away from home for 10 years fighting by the side of her husband, Sako, a wounded general. At war's end, the couple return to their village only to face a new kind of struggle. Lack of rain for crops has left the villagers fighting among themselves -- the sense of camaraderie experienced in the war has vanished, and everything begins to fall apart. In the final section, Diminga leads the villagers in a traditional ritual to call upon their ancestors for help. This shift from war back to African tradition illustrates the identity confusion freshly independent nations faced -- and still face to this day.

Chief! (1999; February 23 at 6:15 p.m.) is one of two documentaries featured here. Shot on video by Cameroon's Jean-Marie Teno, it's an intense critique of the political and economic status of his country. What's amazing is that Chief! was not planned. While filming a village festival, Teno observed a commotion over a 16-year-old thief that exemplified the country's antiquated criminal-justice system. This sent him on a mission to expose all the archaic social norms that remain in force.

Chief! takes on a relentlessly patriarchal society whose features include a husband's legal dominance over his wife, the corruption of government officials, and the extremely unsanitary prison system. Teno also showcases the grass-roots efforts of citizens who struggle for change. Most important, perhaps, Chief! emblemizes African cinema's new direction toward more video production. Whereas the film industry is dependent on Europe for financing and distribution, video offers a cheaper and more independent alternative -- something that's desperately needed for the exciting films of this continent.