The Role of African Film to Promote African Culture: The Case of Ethiopian Film
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Date
2022-06-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
African films have presently been made available by content providers to diverse individuals both home
and in the diaspora due to the availability of several new media platforms supported by technology. Due
to globalization and the exponential rate at which those in the emerging world are embracing western
cultures, anxieties have been raised as to the future of African cultural heritage. Ethiopia is one of the
few African countries with a lengthy filmmaking history. Ethiopian filmmaking dates back to the 1930s.
For a long time, however, its development was stalled. In Ethiopian film production consequently, this
study examined the role of African films in promoting African culture in the case of Ethiopian movie.
The research applies the qualitative research methodology, The Focus Group Discussion, (FGD)
interview with Film professionals and academic expert qualitative data collection method was adopted
involving. Findings revealed that to some extent, the Ethiopian films are used to promote Ethiopian
culture but they do not fully portray the original Ethiopian culture due to cultural hybridization.
Furthermore, findings showed that most films are haphazardly produced abandoning the original
Ethiopian contents. However, it was concluded that as much as these films are initially targeted towards
promoting and portraying Ethiopian African cultures, they defeat the whole spirit by marrying different
cultures. The study therefore recommended that priority should be given to local contents as this will
make the Ethiopian culture appear vital and important. Conclusively, the study also recommended that
the government should facilitate fund for local films ,should support the film makers by giving theme
training and opening film schools ,the filmmakers also must conduct thorough research and read
extensively about the their local culture if they must get it right
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Keywords
African film , African culture, The Case of Ethiopian Film , New media platforms