''African Independence'' is a 2013 feature-length documentary film and the
directorial debut
This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
of sociologist
Tukufu Zuberi
Tukufu Zuberi (born April 26, 1959) is an American sociologist, filmmaker, social critic, educator, and writer. Zuberi has appeared in several documentaries on Africa and the African diaspora, including ''Liberia: America's Stepchild'' (2002), ...
, who also hosts the film. The film premiered at the
San Diego Black Film Festival
The San Diego Black Film Festival is an annual film festival held in San Diego, California. The festival recognizes African American movies and production. It was founded in 2002 as the Noir Film Festival. It is one of the largest black film festiv ...
in January 2013 and in 2015, Zuberi published a companion book through
Rowman & Littlefield
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an American independent academic publishing company founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns ...
.
Synopsis
The film focuses on the
African Independence Movements
The African independence movements took place in the 20th century, when a wave of struggles for independence in European-ruled African territories were witnessed.
Notable independence movements took place:
*Algeria (former French Algeria), see A ...
and the problems confronted by these movements to win independence. The film tells the story through interviews with independence activists and leaders who helped achieve independence for the African people. By focusing on four watershed events-World War Two, the end of colonialism, the Cold War, and the era of African Republics, ''African Independence'' tells the story of African history, past and present. Tukufu Zuberi is also the host of the film.
''African Independence: How Africa Shapes the World''
In 2015 Zuberi released a companion book to the film, ''African Independence: How Africa Shapes the World'', through Rowman & Littlefield.
The book was reviewed by Paul Chiudza Banda for ''
African Studies Quarterly.'' In his review Banda notes that Zuberi "overlooks the fact that African decolonization was not just achieved because of the role of nationalism alone" and that he failed to add that colonial policy changes towards Africa post World War II contributed to the decolonization. He further advised readers to note that Zuberi used two approaches in the film, the postcolonial approach and transnational approach when discussing the decolonization, and that Zuberi had a noticeable bias towards African nationalism when talking about the Decolonization of Africa.
Awards
* Best Documentary Film at the San Diego Black Film Festival (2013, won)
* Best Director at the San Diego Black Film Festival (2013, won - Tukufu Zuberi)
See also
* ''
Concerning Violence''
References
External links
*
*
Documentary films about African resistance to colonialism
2013 documentary films
Films shot in Africa
2013 films
2010s English-language films
English-language documentary films
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