Postcolonialism 

is the critical academic study of the cultural legacy of colonialism and imperialism,

focusing on the human consequences of the control and exploitation of colonized people and their
lands. More specifically, it is a critical-theory analysis of the history, culture, literature, and discourse
of (usually European) imperial power. At times, the term postcolonial studies may be preferred
to postcolonialism, as the ambiguous term colonialism could refer either to a system of government,
or to an ideology or world view underlying that system. However, postcolonialism (i.e., postcolonial
studies) generally represents an ideological response to colonialist thought, rather than simply
describing a system that comes after colonialism, as the prefix post- may suggest.
In postcolonial countries of Africa, Africans and non–Africans live in a world of genders, ethnicities,
classes and languages, of ages, families, professions, religions and nations. There is a suggestion
that individualism and postcolonialism are essentially discontinuous and divergent cultural
phenomena.[50
The first film director from an African country to achieve international recognition, Ousmane
Sembene remains the major figure in the rise of an independent post-colonial African
cinema. Sembene wrote and directed his first feature, Black Girl (1966)(english title: Black
Girl). Received with great enthusiasm at a number of international film festivals, it also won
the prestigious Jean Vigo Prize for its director. Shot in a simple, quasi-documentary style
probably influenced by the French New Wave, BLACK GIRL tells the tragic story of a young
Senegalese woman working as a maid for an affluent French family on the Riviera, focusing
on her sense of isolation and growing despair. Her country may have been "decolonized,"
but she is still a colonial -- a non-person in the colonizers' world.
The plot of the movie continually shifts back and forth between Diouana's present life in France
where she works as a domestic servant, and flashbacks of her previous life in Senegal.
In the flashbacks, it is revealed that she comes from a poor village outside of Dakar. Most people are
illiterate and Diouana would roam the city looking for a job. One day, the character of 'Madame'
comes to the square looking for a servant and selects Diouana from amongst the unemployed
women. Diouana was chosen because of her submissive personality; unlike the others, she did not
crowd forward demanding a job. Initially, Madame hires Diouana to care for her children in Dakar. As
a gift, Diouana gives her employers a traditional mask that she had bought from a small boy for 50
guineas, and they display it in their home. When Diouana is not working she goes for walks with her
boyfriend. Monsieur and Madame then offer Diouana a job working for them in France. Diouana is
thrilled, and immediately begins dreaming of her new life in France.
Once she arrives, Diouana is overwhelmed with cooking and cleaning for the rich couple and their
friends. They treat her harshly, give her few breaks, and Diouana is confused as to her role. She
thought that she would be caring for the children as in Senegal, and would be able to go outside and
discover France. Yet, in France, her character is trapped inside the apartment, cooking and cleaning
the house - a clear contrast to her previous life in Senegal where she spent much time outdoors.
When Diouana works, she wears a fancy dress and heels. The mistress of the house tells her to
remove them, telling her "don't forget that you are a maid". At one of the couple's dinner parties, one
of their friends kisses Diouana without her consent, explaining "I've never kissed a black girl before!"
Diouana receives a letter from her mother, which Monsieur reads to her. Diouana's mother asks why
she has not heard from her daughter, and asks for money. Diouana rips the letter up. Madame
refuses to let Diouana sleep, and yells at her to get to work. Diouana attempts to take back the mask
she gave to Madame, and a struggle ensues. Madame tells Diouana that, if she does not work, she
cannot eat. Diouana refuses to work. Then, in an unexpected plot twist that is the climax of the film,
Diouana commits suicide by slitting her throat in the bathtub of the family's home. The film ends with
Monsieur journeying to Senegal to return Diouana's suitcase and mask to her family. He offers
Diouana's mother money, but she is insulted and refuses it. As Monsieur leaves the village, the little
boy with the mask runs along behind him, symbolizing how Monsieur is haunted by his own
memories.
This film addresses the effects of colonialism and racism in Africa and Europe. These themes are
highlighted through the recurring appearance of an African mask that Diouana gives to her
employers on her first day of work at the house in Dakar. They initially put the mask with other
pieces of African Art and, later in France, the mask is hung alone on the white wall in the French
couple's apartment. The mask has different meanings:

 Mainly, it represents Diouana; at the beginning, when she gives the mask to the French
family, they put the mask between other native masks, as she is still in her homeland,
surrounded by people that she knows and by a familiar environment. But when they
move to France, the mask is alone on a white wall, like Diouana is alone in France,
surrounded by white walls and white people.
 Also, means those African people that have to move from their homeland to Europe to
seek their fortune, questioning the mobility, the 'visual hegemony' and the uprooting, the
colonial dynamics and its legacies.[4]
 Another analogy between the mask and Africa, for example in the last scene, when the
white man is followed by the kid wearing the mask, it represents the past of Africa that
will always haunt its colonizers, but also means the uncertain future of Africa.
 Furthermore, Diouana’s last act of defiance is very significant for the African status;
Madame and Diouana are contending the mask as France, but more in general, Europe
fought for its supremacy on African territories, but at the end the African territories during
20th century gained independence, as Diouana at the end of the fight got the mask.
The mask is a symbol of unity and identity, but today for the non-Africans it is only a 'souvenir'.
As the film progresses, Diouana is shown as becoming overly depressed and lonely. Each day, her
African identity deteriorates as she is seen as nothing but a slave to the white man. Theorists have
explained that placing any human being in an inferior position in the context of discourse causes
great mental strain. Fanon argues that It causes both the mind and body to feel inferior causing the
colonized to feel less like a human being.[5] This is the exact experience Diouana has. The film
portrays how colonialism can break down an individual’s whole mindset, and cause them to face
personal damage on top of the destruction already being caused through colonialism.
The concept of literacy is additionally a very valuable aspect of the portrayal of colonialism. Author
Rachel Langford expresses its importance and the way Diouana’s identity is ripped from her. Due to
her being illiterate, when a letter is sent to Diouana by her mother, Madame and Monsieur take it
upon themselves to write Diouana’s response for her. While Diouana is suffering, Madame begins to
express to her mother that she is having a lovely and fulfilling time in France. Diouana becomes
enraged, stating that this is not her letter.[6] This scenario is significant to the theme of colonialism as
Diouana is not allowed to develop her own life and personality. It is created for her by the colonizer,
while she has no say in the matter. The film shows the true damage that colonialism can cause an
individual.
In terms of its representation of racism, it is expressed through the relationship of Diouana and
Madame. These characters represent the issue of power relations between Africa and the Western
state.[7] The beginning of the film shows a large group of women who wait on the side of the street
every morning in hopes they will be hired by a white woman and taken to a Western European
country. This simple scene immediately shows the power difference between the two states. Each of
these women dreams of living a fantasy life when arriving in Europe, but are faced with a negative
reality. When Diouana is hired and arrives in France, she discovers herself to be in isolation from the
world around her and forced to face the issue of racism daily. Even when guests arrive at the house,
she is put on show for all the white men and women. Due to the colour of her skin and her country of
origin, she is seen as a product to be used, not a human to be cared for.
The film highlights societal hierarchy and how race is used to create this division. It is expressed that
the social order can only be upheld with the cooperation of both the exploiter and the exploited.[8] The
only way to ensure the exploited is obliging is to break their spirit through breaking down their
identity, specifically focusing on their race. This is a method used by many colonizers, and it is
clearly visualized within this film.
In his 1997 book Movies as Politics, Jonathan Rosenbaum makes a case for Black Girl as the
symbolic genesis of sub-Saharan African filmmaking, at least to the extent that the authorship
belonged to a born and bred African.[9]
In addition, the film, being from the perspective of a Senegalese female, acts as a rare reflection of
the voices of the colonized. While Senegal had gained independence in 1960 (before the film takes
place), colonial oppression still thrives throughout the film. This is seen in the objectification of
Diouana and the suppression of her dreams and ambitions. She is objectified by Madame, who
treats her as a servant, and several other characters including Madame’s friend that kisses Diouana
without asking. Her ambitions are suppressed by both Madame and Diouana’s lack of education and
finances. Diouana dreams to go to the French shops, see the beautiful views, and live a luxurious
lifestyle, but she does not have the resources to do so. She attempts to express some part of this
dream by wearing dresses and heels while working; however, Madame yells at her to take off those
clothes and reminds Diouana that she is a maid, so she has no need for such attire. In doing this,
Madame suppresses Diouana’s dreams and hopes while asserting the inequality between their
characters. To Diouana, France was supposed to be her chance at freedom, wealth, and happiness,
and this dream was promised to her by Madame. Sembène reveals in his film that while Diouana
(and the colonized) has the possibility right outside her door, quite literally, she will never be able to
achieve her dreams due to the oppression of Madame (the colonizer) and the institutional
discrimination embedded into society; and the colonizer offers this dream as a way to manipulate the
colonized into being oppressed.[10]
Timbuktu is a 2014 Mauritanian-French drama film directed and co-written by Abderrahmane
Sissako. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2014
Cannes Film Festival.[4][5][6] At Cannes, it won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the François
Chalais Prize.[7][8] It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at
the 87th Academy Awards,[9][10] and has been nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in
the English Language at the 69th British Academy Film Awards. It won Best Film at the 11th Africa
Movie Academy Awards.[11] The film was named the twelfth "Best Film of the 21st Century So Far" in
2017 by The New York Times.[12]
The film looks at the brief occupation of Timbuktu, Mali by Ansar Dine. Parts of the film were
influenced by a 2012 public stoning of an unmarried couple in Aguelhok.[13] It was shot in Oualata, a
town in south-east Mauritania.[14]
The film explores the denizens of the city of Timbuktu, Mali, in West Africa, who are living under
strict sharia law around the year 2012. The city is under the occupation of extremist Islamists
bearing a jihadist black flag. The dignified Kidane is a cattle herder who lives outside of the city. One
day, one of his cows accidentally damages the net of a fisherman. The enraged fisherman kills the
cow. Having armed himself with a pistol, Kidane confronts the fisherman and accidentally shoots him
dead. The jihadists arrest Kidane and, per sharia law, offer to spare his life if the victim's family
forgive him and he pays diya (blood money) of 40 cattle. Kidane's daughter corrals the cattle but no
forgiveness is forthcoming so he is sentenced to death. His wife shows up at his execution and as
they run to each other the executioners gun them down. Kidane's daughter flees.

Throughout the film, there are subsidiary scenes showing the reaction of the population to the
jihadists' rule, which are portrayed as absurd. A female fishmonger must wear gloves even when
selling fish. Music is banned; a woman is sentenced to 40 lashes for singing, and 40 lashes for being
in the same room as a man not of her family. A couple are buried up to their necks in sand and
stoned to death for adultery. Young men play football with an imaginary ball as sports are banned. A
local imam tries to curb the jihadists' excesses with sermons. A young woman is forced into marriage
to a young jihadi with the blessing of the occupiers who cherrypick sharia in justification.
The new puritans, who march into the mosque carrying arms, appal the local imam, who has
long upheld the existing traditions of a benevolent and tolerant Islam. Besides being addicted to
cruelty and bullying, these partisans are enslaved to their modern devices such as mobile
phones, cars, video cameras (for the purposes of uploading jihadi films online) and, of course,
weapons. Timbuktu is no longer tombouctou la mystérieuse, the magical place of legend, but a
harsh, grim, unforgiving place of bigotry and fear.
There are some brilliant visual moments: the panoramic vision of the river in
which Kidane and the fisherman stagger apart, at different ends of the screen, is
superb. When a jihadi comes close to admitting he is infatuated with Satima,
Sissako shows us the undulating dunes with a strategically placed patch of scrub.
It is a sudden, Freudian vision of a woman’s naked body: playful, subversive and
erotic.
This fifth film of Sissako was inspired by the true story of a young, unmarried couple who were
stoned by Islamists in the northern region of Mali that was known as Aguel'hoc. During the summer
of 2012, the couple was taken to the center of their village, placed in two holes that had been dug in
the ground, and stoned to death in front of hundreds of witnesses. [15][16][17][18].