Marie-Madeleine: Une Femme Chef de Village/ Marie-Madeleine: A Female Chief
- Submitting institution
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University of South Wales / Prifysgol De Cymru
: A - A – Faculty of Creative Industries, University of South Wales
- Unit of assessment
- 33 - Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies : A - A – Faculty of Creative Industries, University of South Wales
- Output identifier
- 2988793
- Type
- Q - Digital or visual media
- Publisher
- -
- Month
- May
- Year
- 2018
- URL
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- Supplementary information
-
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- Request cross-referral to
- -
- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
- -
- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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0
- Research group(s)
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B - Screen Media
- Proposed double-weighted
- Yes
- Double-weighted statement
- This film involved a prolonged multi-layered process of creative exploration, including data collection comprising two overseas trips, sustained periods of data analysis and postproduction, culminating in the first ever documentary chronicling the enthronement of a female chief in Cameroon. The production involved community engagement activities, with villagers participating as co-producers of their stories. Ayisi’s film contextualises a development issue concerning women’s status and empowerment within a rural framework. Ayisi took on multiple responsibilities, including principal investigator, producer and director. The film has been screened at 17 international film festivals in eleven countries.
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- This documentary explores gender equality, identity and social transformations in rural Cameroon. The enthronement of women as traditional rulers is uncommon in most African societies. The film’s own investigative research explores this change, revealing shifting attitudes to women’s roles within traditional governance and politics. Through this research process the film creatively offers insights into new subjectivities, different visibilities, and progressive viewpoints about African women. In doing so the film counters dominant Western ethnological gazes of ‘unchanging Africa’ thus offering a paradigm shift in audience understanding about Africa.
The project was underpinned by postcolonial and feminist discourses, representation, visibility, and the ideas of ‘Third Cinema’ with its agenda for ‘decolonising’ the cultures of previously colonised societies. These ideas frame the film’s research process, thematic concerns and creative approaches. A written proposal and treatments formed part of the research process in shaping the content, style, story elements and narrative structure. The film utilised ethnographic methods and mixed documentary aesthetics and techniques in representing change as experienced and performed by the community. Observational techniques were used to portray actuality and especially enthronement ceremonies. Narrative interviews elucidate progressive attitudes towards women’s role, underscoring radical transformations in gender dynamics, and showing harmonious coexistence of traditional practices and modern values. These dynamic changes reflect the postcolonial ideas of Robert Young (2003). Can such visual representations function to pluralise and politicise the terms of imagining Africa’s present?
The film and underpinning research were presented at the 2017 international conference on ‘African Women in the Media’ Symposium, Birmingham City University, and at the 2019 ‘Women in Focus: Documentary and Citizenship’, National Museum Wales. The film was part of the 2019 ‘Women Filmmakers Week - Documentary Series’, Cascade Festival of African Films, Portland, Oregon, USA.
- Author contribution statement
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- Non-English
- Yes
- English abstract
- This documentary film in mainly in Ewondo with English subtitles. All main speeches and conversations spoken in Ewondo that are relevant to the narrative are subtitled in English. French is spoken in some interviews.