Television review

I really enjoyed reading this one! I thought the layout was a bit busy and distracting, but there was some fantastic analysis across different spheres (soap opera-African-American-reality tv etc.) of television. Off of the first point, I was never quite sure where I was supposed to be looking, but there were so many interesting things to catch my eye that it almost didn’t matter. I read “The Real Africa” first, and it set a high bar– I thought it was an excellent integration of all the material we’ve been studying over the semester, trenchantly focused. I thought the Nenna/Fatima comparison piece was particularly effective. I wasn’t totally sure what to do with the next “Live from Africa” segment… I liked that they included it as a snippet, but felt that it would have benefited from some analysis on the part of the group members. (If only to direct the eye/ear of the reader/viewer.) I thought the Africa Live scrapblog was well-orchestrated and presented with compelling and interesting analysis. (My one highly minor technical gripe is that the youtube clip insertion blocked out part of the background quote several times. Like I said, really minor but the form did hinder content somewhat there.) The “Going Tribal” section raised some thought-provoking questions and sound analysis, and I particularly liked how, once again, everything comes back to Tomb Raider! The “Africa on Stage”/soap opera section was great; I loved having a glimpse into South African pop culture in the mundane/inane yet trainwreck fascinating world of soap opera. I thought that the “Dramatizing Africa” section could have used a bit more analysis and a little less summary/explanation, but I thought the stereotype checklist was a nice touch.

As I said, I thought the television group did a great job. I thought all of the sections were handled adeptly, and liked the ratings system and whole television channel conceit. The setup could possibly have been restructured to be a little more user-friendly and streamlined, but it was a cool concept and the whole project was well-executed.

Comix Review

http://comixgroup.wordpress.com/

I thought the group did a good job of juggling the idea of “myth” in different ways, and presented adroit analysis of their respective source materials. In looking at the first page, I think the simple but attractive layout worked well to highlight the great JFK quote in the corner. As for the individual projects themselves, I particularly appreciated how “Seeing Africa” and “Using African-Americans” contextualized their analysis… the visual aids of the individual panels were well-placed and well-dissected, and both gave just enough explanation to stabilize/direct the reader without weighing down the project. (Which I struggled with a lot in my own project, personally. It’s hard to gauge how much background info will actually enlighten versus just bore and distract from the real analysis.) However, the comic panels needed a bit more enlarging, particularly in “Seeing Africa,” for full legibility. I also wish that someone had gotten a chance to explore contemporary African-made comics within the lens of this class. (Partly because it would just be cool to see what they’re doing in that field, or if there’s even a market for it! Hm, or even if there have been aborted attempts to try to get one going in the past, to little effect… It would be interesting to assess how/why such a venture would fail or succeed in that cultural climate, and how stereotypes might feed into that.) The drawings in “Mystifying Africa” were incredible! Really enjoyable to see it unfold like that. I think it would have benefited even more from having the author give a more detailed, textual overview of her aims and thought process behind the project, though. I could glean some of it from the storyboard of course, but it was difficult to make out some of the penciled writing once the scanner had done its thing. So some sort of addendum would have been a great way to hammer out themes of the comic and the way in which the main character was supposed to be haunted by specifically African myths/representations (I have to admit, I don’t quite see how he was being plagued by A. myths yet), while also just lending insight into the whole creative process.

“Smile” is another project that definitely would have benefited from some sort of authorial addendum. I was pretty confused as to what the two guys were supposed to represent, so a paragraph or two about the author’s intentions would not have gone amiss. (A transcript with the video would also have been helpful; there were definitely stretches where I couldn’t quite make out what the characters were saying.) And I wish I’d gotten a chance to look at “Going to Africa,” as well, but the page didn’t seem to be working for me. On the whole, though, I really enjoyed looking at such diverse explorations of African myth!

Critique of “Advertisements”

I really enjoyed going through the project “Advertisements”. The group had obviously done a lot of research and talked to each other about what they hoped to achieve with the project. I do think, however, that they could have organized their website better so that the mission statement was the first page. Reading the mission statement before watching the projects would have contextualized my understanding of their individual parts better. The bar on the top shows the ideal order in which the pages should be read, but the pages on the sidebar don’t make the order clear.

I liked how they created the two soap advertisements from scratch in order to explain what American and African ads are really like. It showed an assimilation of what they had learned from all the research they did for the project. But I wish they could have explained more how they came about all this knowledge. The group offers a detailed reading of the ads, but I wasn’t sure if they were reproducing a ‘typical’ ad and thus perpetuating the stereotypes we all find problematic, or consciously playing with the stereotypes (perhaps both).

Another question I’m struggling with is the subject matter that some of them picked. The billboards and advertisements analyzed had to do with HIV/AIDS awareness, and wearing condoms. The project doesn’t make it clear whether these topics were deliberately chosen, or just presented the best material for analysis. I think one of the first things that comes to a lay person’s mind when you ask her about Africa is the prevalence of AIDS. Since the issue is already problematic and over-exploited by the media, focusing on those ads doesn’t completely explain the general trends in advertisements, unless the group was choosing to analyze that particular sub-trend. Also, sexuality in itself can be a very delicate issue across all cultures. I’m not very familiar with visual ads in Africa that deal with selling everyday things, so I have no basis for comparison between ads that deal with issues like sex and, say, liquid detergent. But I’m sure ads about liquid detergent would present a very different picture.

All in all, I enjoyed viewing the project Advertisements, especially the close readings they provided for every visual and aural image. Their analysis summed up all that I’ve learned in this class this semester. Great job, guys!

The Constant Gardener

It occurred to me a while ago that in some cases, despite the presence of elements that can be problematized, sometimes the ends justify the means, especially when the means are not overtly destructive. And this works both in the production of The Constant Gardener and in the development of its protagonist.

The Constant Gardener, despite being a relatively commercial film and placing the act of addressing an important issue next to a love story, does a great deal of good. Like those behind the Product Red campaign, the author of The Constant Gardener did not have to feature this issue in any way. But the novel (and later the film) The Constant Gardener would not exist without addressing this issue. It would not be what it is. It would not exist. And no one comes out of the film under the impression that paying to see it has in some way aided in saving the world They know that they must do something further in order to do that. But saying that it is the responsibility of the film to feature more of the issue is unrealistic and unfair. The film is first and foremost an adaptation of the novel, and being a film that stars Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz was bound to expose more people to the issue. And it has. People see the film and then look to Amnesty International. But if it didn’t sell, if it was all about a man who went off and discovered these things and was then shot, it would be less interesting, appeal to fewer people, and may even be more problematic. But whether or not the motivation behind the film is in question, it has done a great deal of good.

Somewhat similarly, I feel that the question of whether or not Justin Quayle did what he did for Tessa alone just isn’t that important. I think he changes the way that he does because he realized just how passionate Tessa was about what she did and comes to see that if it was important enough for her to risk her life for, then maybe it’s really important after all. In addition, he didn’t have the chance to understand the full extent of the problem, because she was keeping it from him. The important thing is that he made a strong attempt at helping. He went so far as to give his life in order to expose the truth. And I think there’s a huge difference between giving one’s life and spending a few dollars, so I personally can’t really criticize the guy, no matter what his motivation was.

Disney’s Animal Kingdon

Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park is divided into 7 areas:

• Oasis
• Discovery Island® area
• Camp Minnie-Mickey
• Africa
• Rafiki’s Planet Watch® area
• Asia
• Dinoland, U.S.A.® area

And once again, Disney exhibits complete disregard for historical, temporal, or spatial accuracy. In the case of Dinoland, U.S.A and the entirety of Africa and Asia, fictional locations are placed next to real ones (does this make the fictional places seem more realistic or does the opposite occur?), and those real places are essentialized, making them, in a way, fictional.

Even if people believed that Dinoland existed within the United States, it is not pretending to be the entirety of the United States, much less an entire continent.

There are other problems here, but that was the one that stuck out to me.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/animal-kingdom/

When analyzing the blockbuster film Black Hawk Down in class we discussed the differences in “organization” between the American army and the Somalian militants. Similar to the opening Kilgore scene from the movie “Apocalypse Now,” in the first part of the first attack scene the director of Blawk Hawk Down presents the American army flying over the ocean onto the SOmalian mainland. This illustration captures the Black Hawk helicopters as very quiet, graceful, and moving in accord. At this point it is hard to imagine that these machines were made for destruction. This type of beauty turns into chaos as the camera turns to the heart of Mogadishu, where people are frantically moving around, yelling and congested. Once the general of the Somalian army gets word of the oncoming United States attack, his signal to the rest of his troops to prepare for attack seems very informal and sporadic. Troops, of all ages and dressed in very different clothes, quickly rush to racks of AK-47 assault riffles and head into the streets. There does not appear to be a directed order from the Somalian general; the insinuated order is along the line of the expression “kill or be killed.” The apparent disparity in military organization led us to the conclusion that the poorer and “more corrupt” country of Somalia was not on the same level as America.

This assumption of organization is one that people have also given to the Somalian pirates today. To think that relativley small groups of men, riding through turbulent ocean waters in small speed boats, are capable of overtaking large commercial tankers and cruise line ships seems inconceivable.  The reality of this situation, however, is that these “unorganized” terrorist groups are more organized than we think. In a recent CNN news article. it was reported that at an international conference concerning the pirate issue in Somalia, a total of $213 million was put up to help tame the situation. The last time I checked, unorganized groups of criminals never needed $213 million worth of defense.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/24/pirates.security.meeting.money/index.html?iref=newssearch

I went to youtube to find one last bit of material to blog on and had to look no further than the homepage. At the top is a Spotlight: Connecting to a Cause. Today they’re featuring the ENOUGHproject, which seeks to have electronics companies not fuel war in Congo over control over minerals.

http://www.youtube.com/ENOUGHproject

I would write more about it but, frankly, I need to stop thinking about these issues for my own sanity. I saw this and groaned because I feel over saturated by causes and celebrity endorsements when it comes to Africa. All I have to say is, watch the opening video about their contest.

Advertising Critique

http://thewest5.wordpress.com/

In general, I liked this project because it gave me insight and information about advertising in Africa and what representations arise from them. I liked the project generally but I had some issues with specific analyses and methods used to arrive at conclusions.

Their mission statement reads:

The magazine explores the implications of the advertising industry by drawing on comparisons between American advertisements and African advertisements which share similar format and content. The West  holds a concentration in West Africa and the development of westernization within these advertisements.

This was not consistent across projects. Some of the projects seemed very focused on American/Western advertisements and trends while others seemed to not feature that comparison heavily. The projects about magazines and commercials delved into these comparisons while billboards and radio did not compare American and African advertising techniques or trends. I think consistency would have benefited my understanding of what the entire project was getting at. Right now, I’m still a little confused.

Another major issue I had with some of the sections was that many generalizations were made about “American advertising” or “African advertising” that I felt like I had to accept. While I am sure their research provided them with these characteristics, I do not feel like I was given enough substantial proof to be convinced of that. Sometimes the projects seem to be dependent and operating on the very stereotypes and generalizations that the writer seems to be trying to dispel. Unexplained or referenced statements like “culturally bankrupt,” “Western influence,” and West African culture,” were used throughout as if I knew exactly what those things were. I wanted more proof that those things even existed, but had to accept them as truths in order to understand what was being said. I don’t doubt that they had proof of these things but I do not feel they provided the proof to me as someone who is essentially ignorant about advertising in Africa. I found the use of created ads in the “advertisements” section surprising and odd because the analysis that accompanied the ads was from real ads while the images were made by members of the group, and that disconnect was a little jarring. That said, I was impressed by the amount of material they were able to find. But, some of their analysis was tied very specifically to ads that I was able to see, while in other projects statements were made without giving me the visual evidence.

While I think that this project is, overall, very well done and thought out, I had an issue with what they focused on. In the commercials, billboards, and radio sections there seemed to be a significant focus on contraceptive ads and HIV awareness campaigns. I do not know whether that was the case because that is all the group was able to find, or a conscious decision to look into how health issues are advertised. While it was all very interesting material, I couldn’t help but feel like the negative portrayal of HIV on the continent was being reified by having the content of the publication be so heavily focused on those ads. I wanted to see more variety in the research instead of it being so concentrated in that one area. I think I would have felt differently had they mentioned that there would be a focus on this area in their mission statement, but there was not.

Though those comments are criticisms they are very specific critiques, and in general I do think that the project and information compiled was interesting and I appreciated being able to learn more about this area of representation. Everything was presented really well and simply. Good job.

“Africa”

Long before I was born, in  February 1983, Toto’s “Africa” hit #1 on the Billboard Charts, but even today, I hear it every so often.

The lyrics are as follows, brought to you by http://www.lyrics-songs.com:

I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She’s coming in 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, “Hurry boy, it’s waiting there for you”

Chorus:
It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what’s right
Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what’s deep inside, frightened of this thing that I’ve become

Chorus

Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa, I passed some rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa, I passed some rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Keyboardist David Paich and drummer Jeff Porcaro co-wrote the song. Jeff had heard “the real thing” (“drummers” from a tribe) at New York’s World’s Fair. Porcaro attempted to replicate the “sounds [he] would hear in a ”National Geographic’ special, or the ones he heard at the New York World’s Fair.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_(song)

Indian-Ugandans, African-Americans, Indians, Africans, and Americans

I am ambivalent about the comparison in Mississippi Masala between African-Americans and Indians from Africa about 54 minutes into the film. The Indians were brought to Africa by the British to build a railway (as slaves)? Then they stayed and made lives there.  I think it’s great that there is an attempt between two peoples to find common ground, but it’s all a little over-simplified. I’m not into ranking atrocities, though, so I’ll leave it at that.

Many African-Americans have never been to Africa as Mina has never been to India. “You’re just like us. We’re from Africa but never been there before, neither,” says the brother of Demetrius.” Africa is for Africans–black Africans.” It all comes down the color of skin. Sounds familiar.

I rather enjoyed the “This is America” moment, like so many “This is Africa” moments. Mina’s parents ask about Denzel’s family, and she uses the fact that they are in America as a reason for no one’s caring.

Also, Mira Nair is Indian, makes a movie about the experiences of Indian-Ugandans (who are apparently naturally good businesspeople). This is a stretch, but in a way, this can be compared to What is the What, with an already-established artist interpreting the story of a people, through interaction with a single person or group of people. Nair, however, creates complete fiction, while Eggers he freed himself to re-create conversations, streamline complex relationships, add relevant detail and manipulate time and space in helpful ways — all while maintaining the essential truthfulness of the storytelling.