The representation of africa

Abstract

This research examines the representation of Africa in the films The Last King of Scotland (2006) and Black Panther (2018). It relies on postcolonial concepts namely, Orientalism developed by Edward Said, and the Subaltern as presented by Gayatri Spivak, in addition to Stuart Hall‘s theory of representation and stereotype, and also the concept of Afrofuturism. The analysis of the narrative structure, characters, mise-en-scene and the cinematic techniques used in both films reveals that, in one hand, The Last King of Scotland, directed by the Scottish director Kevin McDonald, is told from a Western perspective reinforcing negative stereotypes about Africa as a violent and a dangerous place. On the other hand, Black Panther, despite being produced by Hollywood, it provides a positive image of Africa by presenting an African nation advanced yet uncolonized. The study shows that cinema can be used as a tool to either reinforce or challenge stereotypical portrayals of Africa.