Histoire coloniale et postcoloniale de l'Afrique de l'ouest a travers les figures du griot dans les films d'ousmane sembene
My thesis examines the figures of the griot in five films by Senegalese writer and film director, Ousmane Sembene, widely considered "the Father of African Cinema." I evaluate the figures of the griot in Sembene's works from the vital place played by history. I focus on the use of the griot by Sembene to rewrite sub Saharan African history. I compare Sembene's representation of history with modern historical criteria laid out by Paul Ricoeur, Michel de Certeau and Pierre Nora. The central claim of my dissertation is that the griot should be contextualized as a historical figure that interprets memory and influences the perception of the past rather than as a mere literary and cinematic device. Current scholarship on Sembene privileges the Western interpretation of the griot as storyteller, that is, the narrative aspect over the more restrictive position the griot traditionally holds in West African societies. The historical aspect of the griot's representations provides an unparalleled opportunity to free Sembene's works from classical ideologies such as Marxism and Panafricanism or his role as "father of African cinema" as well as to contribute to the debate between history and memory from a West African perspective. To analyze the representation of history through the figures of the griot in Sembene's films, I chose to study five films by Ousmane Sembene that depict three distinct eras (the pre colonial, colonial, and post colonial periods) in West African history: Black Girl (1966) Emitai (1971) Ceddo (1977) Camp de Thiaroye (1987) and Guelwaar (1992) Abstract Approved: ____________________________________ Thesis Supervisor ____________________________________ Title and Department ____________________________________ DateApproved: ____________________________________ Thesis Supervisor ____________________________________ Title and Department ____________________________________ Date HISTOIRE COLONIALE ET POSTCOLONIALE DE L'AFRIQUE DE L'OUEST A TRAVERS LES FIGURES DU GRIOT DANS LES FILMS D'OUSMANE SEMBENE by Moussa Balla Fall A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in French and Francophone World Studies in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa