A Call to Action: The Films of Ousmane Sembene

Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene has often been referred to as a pioneer of the sub-Saharan African cinema. From Borom Sarret (1963) to Guelwaar (1992), Sembene has developed a political and aesthetic project that has deeply influenced the evolution of African filmmaking. This project, with its goal to create a new Africa free of the remnants of colonialist oppression, has subsequently become the objective of emerging generations of African filmmakers. In this book seven scholars explore Sembene’s notion of a new Africa by examining the central issues of change, cultural alienation and economic dependence that infuse the director’s cinematic and literary works.

In this book seven scholars explore Sembene’s notion of a new Africa by examining the central issues of change, cultural alienation and economic dependence that infuse the director’s cinematic and literary works.