Friday, August 1, 2008

August 3, 2008 Colonial Misunderstanding/Le Malentendu Colonial

Producer/Director: Jean-Marie Teno

From the IMDB films database:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0474246/synopsis

Teno's film looks into the complexities arising from European colonialism in Africa, focusing on Namibia and Cameroon in particular. He illustrates the role of missionaries in colonizing, interviewing modern historians and professors to dig to the bottom of this deeply rooted issue in African history that has shaped the way of life in many formerly colonized nations.

The film shows the complete disregard of local traditions and beliefs by the European colonizers, along with the supplication of their own ideals and values. Teno asserts that Europe needs to change the modern approach, and one of the first steps to this is the acknowledgment of their wrongdoing in the first place.

"Teno has been making a series of eloquent documentaries about the African legacy of colonialism. In this most recent work, Teno tells the story of the devastation of a continent with wit, irony, and historical passion."
Linda Williams, University of California-Berkeley