Course Description

This seminar examines the ways in which religious ideas, practices and issues are represented, and addressed, in African literature and film. How do African authors and filmmakers interweave aspects of Muslim, Christian and traditional religious cultures into the stories they tell?  To what extent are questions of religious belief, spirituality, or conflict incorporated into their literary and cinematographic projects?  How does “religion” serve as a lens through which to explore various relationships—social, political, emotional—in the works of these artists?  The literary (and oral) genres covered in the class include creation myths, novels, short stories and plays. The films—both full-length dramas and “shorts”—are mostly commercial movies made by African directors and producers.  The course offers a sampling of classic works that depict precolonial, colonial and early postcolonial experiences, as well as recent works by a new generation of African writers and filmmakers addressing contemporary realities.