Nollywood
came to be a success as a result of an existing gap in the market that was
filled by local, low budget, fast paced productions. Although its future was
not promising in the beginning, Nollywood has snowballed into a buzzing
industry that owes its huge success in part to contraband. This makes Nollywood
both unconventional and exciting, because even though cinema scholars ignore
it, its achievements are worth acknowledging.[1] Having said that, it is
important to note that “Nollywood’s success hinges on its status as a popular
film culture.” [2] Aside from South Africa and Nigeria, little research has
been done on other film industries, based on the African continent. However, an
interesting example exists if we move our focus to the DRC (Democratic Republic
of Congo), and talk about Baloji. At this point it is important to keep in mind
that the film industry in the DRC is basically non-existent. “Foreign support has allowed some
directors to create movies in the DRC, notably from the French Ministry of
foreign affairs. The government has shown little sign of assisting development
of a local film industry. Almost all DRC filmmakers live and work abroad.” [3]
Baloji was born in the DRC to a
Congolese mother and a Belgian father. He spent most of his life in Belgium and
has been back to the DRC for some brief periods. [4] The following video, which
is an important part of this article, was filmed in the DRC. [5]
Baloji refers to himself as “a poet,
composer-lyricist, scriptwriter, actor and performer, video artist and
stylist.” [6] The beauty about this description is that it manages to capture
the entrepreneurial essence that Africa demands. With low budgets and few
resources people in Africa are forced to be resourceful and Nollywood is a by-product
of this. However, “Nigerian video films lag a very long way behind in their
production values. They are plagued by poor sound and rudimentary camera-work.
The pacing is slow, the performances exaggerated and the editing crude.” [7]
This is not true for Baloji’s music videos, as they
form a well balanced combination between African and Western film influences,
where a ‘higher production standard’ is obvious. However, by incorporating the
beer advert in the middle of his video posted above (see minute 1:52 to 2:17)
he is not only capturing a generally present African aesthetic. This advert is
actually criticizing an industry that has managed to stay alive and increase
their own profits during one of the DRC’s biggest and most dramatic struggles.
They have achieved this by overlooking basic human rights, becoming allies with
the rebels and continuing to sexualize women in order to reach profit targets.
[8] “In the Democratic Republic of Congo …
anyone, no matter the age, can get a beer anywhere, anytime. To be more
precise, anyone can get a Primus. The saying of the locals is: “You can bomb a
hospital, but not Bralima.” [9] Furthermore, we feel that a strong diaspora identity is present in
Baloji’s work. “…African diasporas remain paradigmatic points of reference on
account of their long histories and the traumas of enslavement, displacement,
persecution and genocide and because they are, in conjunction with the much
less discursively acknowledged case of the Roma and Sinti, inextricably linked
to European history.” [10] Finally, all of Baloji’s lyrics are political
statements on the current condition of Congo. Although homosexuality is legal
in Congo it is a contradictory subject, because no real guarantees or
protection are offered to the LGBT community. In Baloji’s video a transvestite
is featured standing at a party. [11]
Finally, we would like to conclude this post by saying
that although soft power is a tool which Asian governments aim to use in order
to change the perceptions of their countries elsewhere, in Baloji’s case it is
quite the opposite. “[T]he idea of soft power is the use of different cultural
resources – traditions, symbols, ideas, media products and related celebrities
– to project a positive image of a nation in order to influence the perceptions
and views of others of the nation and to generate goodwill in international
relations and trade for the nation.” [12] Baloji has all the tools necessary to
put his message out for the world to hear. However, his message is one of
urgency and desperation. It is a difficult truth for him to tell and for us to
hear. Another video by Baloji that serves as yet another good example is Capture.
References:
[1] Lobato, R. (2010), ‘Creative Industries and Informal Economies:
Lessons from Nollywood’, in: International
Journal of Cultural Studies. SAGE Publications. P. 346.
[2] (Lobato, 2010: 343).
[3] Cinema of The Democratic Republic of Congo, Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo (6-11-2016)
[7] (Lobato, 2010: 348).
[8] ‘Big Alcohol and the War in Congo’, IOGT International. http://iogt.org/blog/2013/11/09/heineken-and-the-war-in-congo/ (6-11-2016).
[9] ‘Big Alcohol and the War in Congo’, IOGT International. http://iogt.org/blog/2013/11/09/heineken-and-the-war-in-congo/ (6-11-2016).
[10] Berghahn, D., Sternberg, C. (2010), ‘Locating Migrant and Diasporic
Cinema in Contemporary Europe’, in: European
Cinema in Motion. P. 14.
[11] LGBT rights in the Republic of The Congo, Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_the_Republic_of_the_Congo (6-11-2016).
[12] Huat, C. B. (2011), ‘East Asian Pop Culture’, in: Genre in Asian Film and television. P.241.
[13] ‘Baloji – Capture’, Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/138839280 (5-11-2016).
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