African cinema is discussed in countries where there are festivals. Religion and education are other topics of discussion. Pop-up windows give us comments on socio-economic conditions and culture, and if we click on some of them they take us to new videos and interviews. A Mauritanian sociologist provides a series of interviews on human rights, ethnic divisions, the role of women, economic opportunity, and corruption in his country, and then he gives his optimistic vision of the future of Africa from political, socio-economic, and cultural perspectives. The African diaspora in Paris contributes significantly to Francophone art, music, film. The African diaspora also contributes to French identity, and we visit both the city of Paris and its suburbs where African immigrants are likely to live. Rural scenes are rare, with most interviews taking place in each nation’s capital.

Interviews on national identity include comments on what independence has meant, including discussion of the continued importance of French at a time when English is important for international business. Dating from 2010, there are no comments on current violence and the wars in Mali or in the Central African Republic, but we do visit a refugee camp where the Central African Republic welcomed refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, specific interviews focused on organizations, such as an NGO that helps women who are victims of violence, the government or non-governmental agencies that provide sports facilities for youth, local businesses, and a variety of interviews with artists and visits to workshops where arts and crafts are made. SEE FINAL COMMENT

Videos are in French without subtitles. They have country-specific videos for daytime and evening scenes in the following order: NIGER, CAMEROUN, SENEGAL, CHAD, BENIN, TOGO, BURKINA FASO, the AFRICAN DIASPORA IN FRANCE, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, IVORY COAST, CONGO, GABON, MADAGASCAR, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, MAURITANIA, MALI. Daytime and evening scenes of daily life include background music associated with each country. Although we do see tourist attractions, we do get a good introduction to each country’s society and national identity. Local residents from different walks of life serve as tour guides (a “taxi sister” in Senegal, an architect in Chad, a car salesman in Togo, a student in Ivory Coast, and a midwife in the Central African Republic.) They give us their opinions, they explain what we observe on video, and they introduce us to others who discuss of a wide variety of topics that cover the period from independence in 1960 to the present. SEE MY NEXT COMMENT