Africa is the “Dark Continent,” a hopeless, formless quagmire of war, starvation and disease. At least that’s what many people in the West think, according to a group of international students at the University.
The UO International Cultural Service Program attempted to challenge that perception Friday by screening “The Luminous Continent,” a film that presents Africa in a more positive light. But for a panel of students from Eastern and Southern Africa who spoke after the film’s screening at the Mills International Center, it misrepresented the continent.
“I took it as poetry: It was very pretty, but that’s all,” said junior Evans Temi, who is from Tanzania.
“Africa: The Luminous Continent” was part of a series of documentaries about Africa produced by the BBC in 2005 to raise awareness about the continent’s problems before the Live 8 benefit concerts held later that year.
In “The Luminous Continent,” Irish musician and Live 8 organizer Bob Geldof traveled in East Africa, presenting its positive qualities. He visited the unrecognized nations of Somaliland and Masailand to highlight what he considers working African governments. He also traced the prehistory of humankind from its evolution in the Great Rift Valley to its crossing of the Red Sea.
The panelists said Geldof overgeneralized in his presentation of Africa.
“I didn’t think it represented me as much,” said junior Chiedza Chikawa, who is originally from Zimbabwe, a country not featured in the movie.
Some panelists also objected to Geldof’s willingness to apportion blame for Africa’s problems and the Eurocentric perspective he took.
“There is definitely still a ‘them’ and ‘us,’” said graduate student Germaine Gamiet, who is from South Africa.
To Gamiet, the film was too pessimistic because it implied the only reasons to be optimistic about the continent were to be found in the wild and in people living traditional lifestyles.
“Why don’t they go to the city? Why don’t they show the development?” he asked. “It skips how our generation is developing.”
But the panelists also expressed respect for the difficulty of Geldof’s task – capturing the essence of Africa as an outsider.
“It’s very hard making a documentary like that,” said freshman Benson Ntiwas, who grew up in the part of Kenya that Geldof said is part of Masailand.
“It would have been better if it was made by Africans,” Temi said.
The panel discussion also allowed the students an opportunity to meditate on the problems faced by the continent and offer their solutions.
“I think it’s important that we all return home after college,” said Zambian sophomore Mutale Mundashi of himself and his fellow African students.
The panelists were speaking as a part of the ICSP, which grants scholarships to international students who make efforts to enhance the diversity and cultural awareness of Eugene. The program’s students come from all over the world and are required to spend 80 hours per school year teaching their cultures to community members.
The event’s organizer, graduate student Mari Mizobe, said the program was considering staging similar events in the future, either with the rest of the “Geldof in Africa” series or with other films that foster international awareness.
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