Africa Works

From “Blood Diamonds,” filmed in Mozambique, to “The Last King of Scotland,”
about Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Africa is hot stuff for the pop-culture
machine. The question remains whether Hollywood can promote a deeper
appreciation of African people, and a deeper understanding of African
problems, than the cartoon depictions usually presented on TV and the Big
Screen. What’s sure, though, is Africa deserves wider attention – and by
filming thsese movies on location, Hollywood is bringing money and some jobs
to the region.

Hotel Rwanda, one of the best movies of 2004, signaled a break with
Hollywood’s tired past of telling African stories through American or
European eyes (think Out of Africa, Casablanca, even Tarzan). Hotel Rwanda,
which starred Don Cheadle, told the story of a Rwandese hotelier who tries
to save Tutsis from genocidal execution. In presenting the successful drama
through the eyes of an African, Hotel Rwanda marked “a huge change,” a
Hollywood director told USA Today. “I think (the studios) saw that audiences
are willing to movies that don’t just mirror their own lives.”

Read U.S.A. Today’s story on Thursday on Hollywood’s infatuation with
African themes and locations.