Abel Ugba

 Lecturer, School of Politics and  International Studies, University of Leeds

 Contact:

A.F.Ugba@leeds.ac.uk

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Ukadike, Nwachukwu Frank, and Teshome H. Gabriel, eds. Questioning African Cinema: Conversations with Filmmakers. Minneapolis, MI: University of Minnesota Press, 2002. https://doi.org/10.5749/j.ctttv6tx.

Featuring interviews with key personalities from twelve nations, Questioning African Cinema provides the most extensive, comprehensive account ever given of the origins, practice, and implications of filmmaking in Africa. Speaking with pioneers Med Hondo, Souleymane Cissé, and Kwaw Ansah; renowned feature filmmakers Djibril Mambéty, Haile Gerima, and Safi Faye; and award-winning younger filmmakers Idrissa Ouedraogo, Cheick Oumar Sissoko, and Jean-Pierre Bekolo, N. Frank Ukadike identifies trends and individual practices even as he surveys the evolution of African cinema and addresses the politics and problems of seeing Africa through an African lens. Situating the unique achievement of each filmmaker within the geographic, historical, social, and political context of African cinema, he also explores questions about acting, distribution and exhibition, history, theory and criticism, video-based television production, and television’s relationship to independent film.

[Source: University of Minnesota Press].

Ukadike, Nwachukwu Frank. Black African Cinema. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1994.

From the proselytizing lantern slides of early Christian missionaries to contemporary films that look at Africa through an African lens, N. Frank Ukadike explores the development of black African cinema. He examines the impact of culture and history, and of technology and co-production, on filmmaking throughout Africa. Every aspect of African contact with and contribution to cinematic practices receives attention: British colonial cinema; the thematic and stylistic diversity of the pioneering "francophone" films; the effects of television on the motion picture industry; and patterns of television documentary filmmaking in "anglophone" regions. Ukadike gives special attention to the growth of independent production in Ghana and Nigeria, the unique Yoruba theater-film tradition, and the militant liberationist tendencies of "lusophone" filmmakers. He offers a lucid discussion of oral tradition as a creative matrix and the relationship between cinema and other forms of popular culture. And, by contrasting "new" African films with those based on the traditional paradigm, he explores the trends emerging from the eighties and nineties.

[Source: University of California Press].

Ukadike, Nwachukwu Frank. Critical Approach to African Cinema Discourse. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2014.

Critical Approach to African Cinema Discourse utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to lay bare the diversity and essence of African cinema discourse. It is an anthology of historical reflections, critical essays, and interviews by film critics, historians, theorists, and filmmakers that signifies a dialogue and engagement apropos the ideology and cultural politics of film production in Africa. The contributors are extremely concerned, not only with the history of African cinema, but with its future and its potential. This book, then, is not limited to the expansion of the discourse on African cinema, but tries to approach the definition of the critical canon within the exigencies and manifestations of art and African sociopolitical practices. The authors view these practices as an investment in a cultural imperative stemming from the quest to delineate how critical methodologies are derived from and shape contemporary historical and cultural practices. Hence, the contributions are less about the usual constrictive method of analysis and more about illustrating manifestations of an interrogative critical methodology that is certainly an offspring of an indigenous African critical cum cinematic culture and paradigms.

[Source: Rowman & Littlefield].

United States Africa Command

Governmental Organization

Stuttgart-Mohringen,  Germany

www.africom.mil  

Description:

Core agenda is to expand U.S. national security interests through coordinating with African nations, to  improve security and stability in Africa.

Podcast Episode 14: How Justice Defenders is Using Education to Defend the Defenseless

Urban Limitrophe

Date: April 29, 2022

Summary:

In this podcast episode, Urban Limitrophe speaks with Milly Kakungulu, the Education Department Lead at Justice Defenders Uganda, about the organization's people-centric approach to justice. The Justice Defenders educate prisoners to become paralegals and lawyers, addressing the challenges they face in the legal system and in closing the global justice gap. The episode covers the organization's model, the transformative impact of education on prisoners, and the broader themes of justice, equity, humanity, and community. Co-hosts are Hannah Ahamedi, a researcher at Reach Alliance, and Alexandra Lambropoulos, urban planner, researcher, and consultant based in Toronto. Milly Kakungulu is a passionate lawyer working to transform the lives of marginalized groups in Africa.

Read about the interview here.

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Podcast Episode 17: How Book Bunk is Restoring Public Libraries Across Nairobi

Urban Limitrophe

Date: August 14, 2022

Summary:

In this podcast episode, hosts Jane O'Brien Davis and guest Marion Anvango from Book Bunk discuss the organization's work in restoring Nairobi's public libraries into cultural hubs. They highlight Book Bunk's inclusive approach, involving the community in restoration, and providing diverse programming for a sense of belonging. The episode covers the multi-dimensional restoration strategy, efforts to enhance accessibility, and the vital role of public libraries in cities. Marion Anvango, Book Bunk's Acquisitions Liaison, manages library collections.

Read about the interview here.

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Podcast Episode 2: How IAFRIKA is Helping Local Public Libraries Bridge the Digital Language Divide

Urban Limitrophe

Date: February 22, 2021

Summary:

In this episode, the host explores the role of public libraries in cities with Professor Lia Frederiksen, who researches precarious employment in public libraries. Grant McNulty from McNulty Consulting discusses iAfrika, a mobile-friendly platform empowering libraries and patrons to create content in local languages, bridging the digital divide, and teaching digital skills. iAfrika is considered a potential future for library access in Africa, where the community becomes the library. Topics include public library roles, the digital language divide, and the future of libraries in Africa. Guests include Lia Frederiksen, PhD, and Grant McNulty, an experienced researcher focusing on cultural content in African languages.

Read about the interview here.

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