In an attempt to fulfill the desire to develop an independent platform for African stories, Johannesburg, South Africa, witnessed the establishment of theJoburg Film Festivalfive years ago. Since then, the film festival has showcased, supported, and rewarded local andinternational films. In February 2023, the Joburg Film Festival’s 5th edition showcased some of the world’s most outstanding films.
The Joburg Film Festival is one of the reasons some consider Johannesburg to be South Africa’s cultural capital. The festival screened over 60 films, including African premieres and movies from around the globe. Taiye Selasi, New York Times bestselling author and TV creator, addressed a large crowd at the Joburg Film Festival this week. Selasi talked about the challenges that Black female creators face in Hollywood. However, she acknowledged African women’s resilience and ability to overcome these obstacles and reach the big screen.
The British-American author of Nigerian and Ghanaian origin describes herself as a local of Accra, Berlin, New York, and Rome. In her powerful words, she addressed the festival’s crowd saying:
“There is nothing that can stop, has ever stopped, or will ever, ever stop an African woman.”
In 2019, Selasi founded Cocoa Content, a TV production company she described as “the golden age of television meets the African silver screen.” At the 2023 edition of the festival, Selasi spoke about her experience running the TV production company and discussed the need for African talent in Hollywood. She also commented on the advertising of the expansion of streaming services like Netflix into Africa, saying:
“Distributors love the African consumer above all for her subscription fee, and to get that fee, they refuse to spend equally on African content or to compensate equitably the African creative.”
Selasi said that if the streaming giants intended to deliver African stories to the world, African films and shows would have higher budgets. To prove her point, Selasi compared the cost of one episode ofOrange Is the New Black, a comedy-drama Netflix show, to that of the entire first season ofQueen Sono, which is the streamer’s first African original series.
“This industry devalues our stories. Our mission is to tell them anyway,”
Selasi added,
“Our moment is now.”
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Black People on the Screen
Undermining African women in the filmmaking industry is part of a broader discussion. This discussion includes the underrepresentation ofBlack females on the international screenand how the industry giants represent Black people on screen. According to a 2019 study by Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, Black girls and women make up 6.5% of the US population but only 3.7% of leads/co-leads in the 100 top-grossing films of the last decade.
“African storytellers are a threat. You are all extremely dangerous. You are cultural terrorists,” said Selasi in the voice of French colonists who banned filmmaking among Africans in the past.
Selasi continued on a powerful note addressing a predominantly Black and female audience:
“If you want something done that’s never been done before, ask an African woman.”
