The song was from Fishe and the images were taken from the 'best' places in Africa. Afro-pessimism and afro-idealism are part of the same logic. Images don't tell the truth which is usually related to the viewer. They create only perspectives as ways of constructing reality which is more complex than the dualistic view of 'good Africa' and/or 'bad Africa'. These pictures of the song do not not speak; they help to think. Their meaning comes from the interpretation. The singer is not able to pronounce very well Chaka Zulu. He praises the Fathers of the Independance (Sekou Toure, Nkrumah, Kenyatta etc...). But we all know how these 'great Africans' became worse after the independance to the extent that our grandparents were willing the end of the independance. For example, about Sekou Toure: what he did to Diallo Telly (the first general secretary of AUO) and to many people sent injustly to jail at Boiro... To say 'no' to De Gaule is not enough build a country. I also saw Rice, Powel...how much are they connected to Africa ?
Is being African a matter of race ? Some Western people of good will are more concerned about Africa than some of our leaders. Between Jeffrey Sach and Swani Abacha, who is more involved in the struggle to reduce poverty in the Third World ? Between 'Race Matters' of Cornel West and 'The invention of Africa' of Mudimbe, maybe there is a third way beyond the 'differences (Sacks): cosmopolitanism of Anthony Appiah (cfr Ethics, Religion and International Politics with Fr Hollenbach). I saw some masks in the movie: again those cliches about Africa dancing and singing. I saw the desert: people of Sahel will tell us about hunger. In brief, this is the ideology of colonization, race and so on... But all these pictures may backfire. What matters is maybe somewhere else.
Karma Yoga
