Stream African tv & films during lockdown

STAY HOME AND STREAM: AFRICAN FILM AND TV TO WATCH DURING LOCKDOWN by Wilfred Okiche

Even if in the majority of the countries hard lockdown Isoken (2017) – Nigeria is no longer introduced, but of course other security measures have been implemented to keep the citizens The protagonist of Isoken, directed by Jade Osiberu, safe, films from African creators are always a good submits to a family intervention. This film may decision for cosy stay-at-home days. The exceptional present as a romantic comedy, but its bright colours directors, actors and script writers let us experience the and charming set pieces do not mask the pointed shocking and uplifting stories from their perspective commentary on gender roles in upper class Nigerian making these films a perfect fit for everyone. We society. The messaging on feminism is a bit muddled created a list where anyone can find their favourite as Isoken cannot quite decide what it wants to say, from classics to commercial crowd-pleasers. but none of this detracts when the rest of the film is so 93 Days (2016) – Nigeria 93 Days is a timely reminder of what is possible of poverty, gender inequality and illiteracy. Directed Amina (Asana Alhassan), a 14-year old girl from institutions designed to help, she struggles, alongside barriers while fighting for her right to be heard – and seen Paris to work as a maid for a French couple. cleverly attractive. Supa Modo (2018) – Kenya/Germany when experts and resources are deployed towards a Likarion Wainaina’s heartbreaking debut is a different common cause. One of the best films to come out of kind of superhero film. One in which a Kenyan kid Nigeria, this heart-breaking but inspirational chronicle takes flight from the harsh realities of her existence by tells the story of the country’s ultimately successful escaping into a fantasy world of her own creation. Supa containment of Ebola in 2014. Modo’s finest triumph lies in Wainaina’s careful balance of vivid imagery and escapism with the despair and Azali (2018) – Ghana finality of mortality such that the film is never too Ghana’s first ever nomination for the Oscars is a world by simply highlighting the role community can harrowing and shrewdly-observed deconstruction play in times of grief. by Kwabena Gyansah, Azali traces the journey of Much Loved (2015) – Morocco/France sweet nor too sour. Super Modo restores faith in the northern Ghana, who is dispatched by her mother Much Loved was banned in native Morocco in to neighbouring Burkina Faso in a bid to escape the advance of its release. Director Nabil Ayouch and clutches of early marriage. star Loubnar Abidar were summoned to court on charges of “pornography, indecency and inciting Beauty and the Dogs (2017) – France/Tunisia minors to debauchery”. While Much Loved has its Beauty and the Dogs unfolds over one harrowing night. scathing critique of the duplicity of the conservative Its events are divided into nine chapters, each filmed mainstream. Ayouch does this by focusing on the by director Kaouther Ben Hania in a single take. Mariam adventures and tribulations of four women working (Mariam Al Ferjani), a young student, is raped by policemen as sex workers in Marrakesh, Morocco’s most popular after a party. Suffering rejection and humiliation from tourist destination. an accomplice, to overcome bureaucratic and structural Of Good Report (2013) – South Africa fair share of graphic imagery, it works effectively as a – in post-revolution Tunis. A torrid affair between a high school teacher and a young woman spirals quickly into sexual obsession Black Girl (1966) – Senegal/France and blood thirsty violence in this impressive thriller Black Girl may be 54 years old but the themes that Ousmane film is shot in a stylish, seductive manner that hints Sembène tackled in this now classic’s 55 minutes remain of the evil to come. Of Good Report’s considerable poignant today. The trauma of colonialism, racism and psychological heft connects with the traumas of post-colonial identity in African bodies are all highlighted its victims on the margins in post-apartheid South in the deceptively simple story of Diouana (Mbissine Africa. Seven years after its release, Of Good Report Thérèse Diop), a young Senegalese woman who moves to has lost none of its haunting power. from auteur Jahmil XT Qubeka. The black-and-white