The History of Sub-Saharan African Literatures on Film

This comprehensive history of cinematic adaptations of sub-Saharan African literatures analyzes social, economic and political factors that influenced the film versions of texts across a wide range of genres from 1896 to the present. Cinematic adaptations of sub-Saharan African literatures draw from a wide range of genres from West African folktales to Zulu legends, from Hausa popular literature to graphic novels or war narratives. To date there has not been a more comprehensive study concerned with the question of adaptation of African literature and oral traditions to the screen. The contributors examine how adaptations of African literatures—in their multilingual and multicultural contexts—mirror trends and transitions in the region’s literary and, particularly, cinematic histories. Instead of focusing on a particular filmmaker or relying on case studies, analyses depart from the notion that sub-Saharan African cinematic adaptations are deeply influenced by historical moments and political and economic transitions.