Category: Great Literature

A Heritage of great writers & filmakers

Dambisa Moyo: Africa and Dead Aid

On By Dr. Y.In Great LiteratureLeave a comment
Dambisa Moyo
Dambisa Moyo

For the start of this new year, 2010, I would like to introduce to you a bright young African writer hailing from Zambia: Dambisa Moyo. Dambisa Moyo, ivy-league educated economist from Harvard and Oxford, was elected one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time Magazine for the year 2009. Why is she deemed influential? Well, Dambisa Moyo is an economist whose book, Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa, was on the New York Times bestseller in 2009. She argues that foreign aid has harmed Africa’s development, and should be phased out.

Dead Aid: Why aid is not working ...
Dead Aid: Why aid is not working ...

She has been under a lot of fire, because of criticism of foreign aid, Bono, Geldorf, etc… She represents the upcoming young talented African force, which stands up and say “Enough” to aid that fuels corruption, and instead should focus on job creation and support of local entrepreneurship! It is interesting because I always felt that aid was not the answer to the problems of Africa. Like the Chinese proverb says: “Give a man a fish, and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

For more information, check out Ms. Moyo’s website: http://www.dambisamoyo.com/, an interview she gave to the New York Times and the The Huffington Post. Please enjoy this video from Dambisa Moyo’s channel on Youtube.

Ousmane Sembene: the Father of African cinema

On By Dr. Y.In Great Art, Great Literature6 Comments
Ousmane Sembene
Ousmane Sembene

Ousmane Sembene, was indeed the Father of African cinema. To think that this was a man who had stopped school in 6eme, and written one of the most interesting books in Africa (God’s bits of Wood)! To think that this man became the Father of African cinema is impressive!  This is a man who fought injustice, and fought for equality. He loved Africa with everything he had! After writing books, he realized that most people in his country spoke Wolof, and some of them could not read his books, he switched to cinema! He would tour villages in his country Senegal to show his movies, and other countries in Africa. He apparently came to Cameroon once to show the movie “Le Mandat“,

Ousmane Sembene en tenue Bamileke
Ousmane Sembene en tenue Bamileke

and a police officer came to him and asked him where he had found the story… and Sembene to tell him, he just thought of it… and the officer to say “It actually happened to me“! That was Sembene, a man who could connect with people, and discuss African issues. He showed that it was possible to make a movie in an African language! His movies and books dealt with immigrants in Europe, colonialism, female genital circumcision, African beggarism, etc… “La Noire de …” was the first feature film produced by a sub-saharan African filmmaker. This man was simply a genius! He went from fisherman, railroad worker, docker in Europe, to writer, and filmmaker. He was one of the founders of the FESPACO, the festival of African cinema in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. A statue now stands in Ouaga, in honor of Ousmane Sembene!

God's bits of Wood
God's bits of Wood
Moolaade
Moolaade

The last movie of Ousmane Sembene was “Moolaade“, a gem of African film… it was ranked among the 10 best movies of the year 2004 by the Boston Times. I actually own the movie, and it is simply outstanding! Can you believe that it was ranked among the 10 best movies in the USA, and won an award at the Cannes festival? Wow… I wish Sembene had lived even longer… but I know his legacy lives forever!

The New York Times wrote about him:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/12/movies/12semb.html?_r=2&ref=movies&oref=slogin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ousmane_Semb%C3%A8ne

http://www.ousmanesembene.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/world/africa/11sembene.html

CNN also made a piece on Sembene and 2 other brilliant African filmmakers… check it out: Driven by His Convictions

Check out the videos:

Le Fespaco, plus grand festival du cinéma africain, fête ses 40 ans


Chinua Achebe, a Writer like no other

On By Dr. Y.In Great Literature, Great People5 Comments
Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe
Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe, the great Nigerian writer, has always made me so proud of being African. I have his entire collection at home and I believe that he should be nominated for a Nobel Prize! I mean, isn’t the nobel prize supposed to acknowledge those who have affected the way people think? Isn’t it supposed to recognize those who have influenced generations? Well, then, Chinua Achebe created the “Nigerian novel” genre and not only influenced numerous African writers, but opened the world to an African story like none other (Things Fall Apart). His novel “Things Fall Apart” has been translated in over 22 languages and is currently taught in high schools and universities in the US and around the world… If I was on the Nobel prize committee, I will definitely nominate the great Chinua Achebe: he is long overdue!

For more information, check out Wikipedia on Chinua Achebe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinua_Achebe), and http://chinua-achebe.com/. Click on the link below to see parts of the interview given by Chinua Achebe on CNN.

Don’t forget to check out Part 2 and Part 3 of the interview.