13 Best African Movies To Get You Hooked

1. Moolaadé(Senegal,2004) Ousmane Sembène

The subject matter, female genital mutilation angers me beyond reason as it should most sane folks.The filmmaker tackles the subject in a vividly colorful palette, parallel with a strong vision. I admire him greatly for tackling this controversial subject that has plagued many African countries.Though I didn’t understand when I was younger, but my male cousins went through with it and it’s still seen as a normal traditional practice.There’s obviously a huge debate about the pros and cons of circumcision and this film lays it out beautifully. It’s the African film pioneer’s last triumphant film and hands down one the best films of all time.

From IMDb:’In an African village this is the day when six 4-9-year-old girls are to be ‘cut’ (the act of female genital mutilation) All children know that the operation is horrible torture and sometimes lethal, and all adults know that some cut women can only give birth by Caesarean section. Two of the girls have drowned themselves in the well to escape the operation. The four other girls seek “magical protection” (moolaadé) by a woman (Colle) who seven years before refused to have her daughter circumcised. Moolaadé is indicated by a coloured rope. But no one would dare step over and fetch the children. Moolaadé can only be revoked by Colle herself. 

Other Great Films to Get You Hooked:

-Keïta! l’Héritage du griot (Keita! Voice of the Griot) (Burkina Faso,1995)Dani Kouyaté

-Soleil O(Mauritania,1967) Med Hondo

-Emitaï   (Senegal,1971) Ousmane Sembène

-Xala (Senegal,1975) Ousmane Sembène

–La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil (or The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun)(Senegal,1999) Djibril Diop Mambety

-Waiting For Happiness (Mauritania,2002) Abderrahman Sissako

–Guimba The Tyrant (Mali,1995) Cheick Oumar Sissoko

I hope you will fall in love with African Cinema and all its glorious offers. Start conversations with fellow film buffs or “cinephiles” and impress them with your knowledge of these films. More often than not, there will at least be one from the list that they love. Also I must add that this not a greatest list, just simply an introduction to those who aren’t familiar with African films.There are other numerous and brilliant African films that I will cover on the site so keep watch for those!

 You can also find some of these African movies online.