CALL FOR PAPERS
The Journal of African Cinemas is currently inviting abstracts for a themed issue on “African Language Films”. The Journal of African Cinemas is a double- blind peer-reviewed journal that explores the interactions of visual and verbal narratives in African film. It recognizes the shifting paradigms that have defined and continue to define African cinemas. Identity and perception are interrogated in relation to their positions within diverse African film languages. This title is indexed with Scopus and the Web of Science’s Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI).
Overview
African films play a significant role in exporting African culture to the world. Films such as Gibson Kente’s How Long Must We Suffer (1976) and Ousmane Sembène’s films such as Xala (1975) and Mandabi (1968) are some of the most memorable African films that brought international attention to the way of life in Africa including the social and political situations. Sembene in particular made a deliberate decision to make films in an indigenous
African language when he made Mandabi in his native Wolof language instead of French which he initially used in some of his international films. This was an important decision because indigenous languages do not only serve as essential elements of cultural identities in Africa but are instrumental in communicating African culture and way of life in a more nuanced way compared to African films made in foreign languages. In this way, media using African languages play a pivotal role in promoting the positive values, beliefs and traditions, which redefine the cultural identities of Africans.
Scholars maintain that the indigenous language media in Africa has the capacity to promote the cultural heritage of the African continent. In particular, the medium of film serves as one of the major components of indigenous language media in Africa, which can serve as cultural commodities of African identities. In recent times, there have been several films produced in indigenous languages in different parts of the African continent.
To this end, the Journal of African Cinemas invites papers that engage with the theme: “African Language Films.” Interested authors are invited to submit abstracts of between 250 and 300 words on any of the following sub-themes and other relevant ones not mentioned here:
- African film industries and indigenous languages
- History and Development of African Language Films
- Theorisation around Indigenous Language Films
- African Language Films and the promotion of Culture
- Adaptation, Dubbing and Subtitles
- Policies and Challenges of indigenous languages in film productions in Africa
- Research-driven designs for film and indigenous language media in Africa
- Storytelling and indigenous language films in Africa
- Indigenous language film training and studio practices
- African Language Films and Development/Social Change Agenda
- Economics and Management of African Language Films
- Technology and Production of African Language Films
Submission Procedure
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit abstracts of about 250 to 300 words on or by November 15, 2023.
The abstracts will be reviewed, and authors will be notified of the outcome by December 15, 2023. Authors of accepted abstracts will be sent article guidelines and invited to submit full articles by April 30, 2024.
Authors must email abstracts to Mr. Lanre Ogundeyi at larry17april@gmail.com
Important dates
Deadline for submission of abstracts: November 15, 2023
Feedback: December 15, 2023 Submission of full papers: April 30, 2024
Guest editors:
Prof. Abiodun Salawu
North-West University, South Africa, and
Prof. Gilbert Motsaathebe
North-West University, South Africa.