La Noir de…/Black Girl (Ousmane Sembène, Senegal/France, 1966, 66 minutes)

Among the goals of Third World Cinema are the description of contemporary conditions in post-colonial societies and the encouragement of a new identity among the people of those societies. In Sembène's case, the director turned to film so that he could speak more directly to his audience, the people of Senegal, who were mostly excluded from his literary projects because of the high rate of illiteracy. Sembène himself plays the role of the teacher at the École Populaire in La Noir de…, which should suggest to us the role he saw for himself as a filmmaker, as well. La Noir de… is full of visual comparisons and contrasts that, on their surface, may seem to make a straightforward case about a continuing legacy of dominance and racism after the end of nearly 300 years of French colonial rule, which ended in 1960. But, they also seem to point out contradictions within the Senegalese character that may be intended to encourage a critical self-examination on the part of the native audience. For this week's post, choose one of the pairs of images from La Noir de… and write about the potential meanings of their juxtaposition. Consider the full content of the images (mise en scène) and their narrative context as you develop your response. You might do a little research on Senegal and the African nationalist movements of the period, as well. (You don't have to include the images in your post. Just note the pair you're responding to.)

Pair A:

Pair B:

Pair C:

Pair D: