Vitus Nanbigne | University Of Cape Coast, Ghana (original) (raw)
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Papers by Vitus Nanbigne
Realigning and Repositioning Africa: Charting its own course in the 21st Century, 2021
Africa is a paradox which illustrates and highlights neo-colonialism. Her earth is rich, yet the ... more Africa is a paradox which illustrates and highlights neo-colonialism. Her earth is rich, yet the products that come from above and below the soil continue to enrich, not Africans predominantly, but groups and individuals who operate to Africa's impoverishment.-KWAME NKRUMAH, 1965
The liberalization of the mass media in most countries in Africa during the 1990s resulted in a m... more The liberalization of the mass media in most countries in Africa during the 1990s resulted in a massive proliferation of various mass media organizations, including newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, film productions companies, and internet-based media organizations. Accompanying liberalization were also often constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and of the media. However, it cannot be said without doubt that liberalization and freedom of the press have been exercised in equal measure to the responsibilities of the mass media. Often, such freedoms are justified as natural and inalienable rights, and that the freedom of the media will result in the intellectual and cultural advancement of societies because of the "market place of ideas" that the media offer within liberal societies. In addition, the freedoms that commercial and profit-motivated media agencies enjoy need to be accompanied by a strong sense of social responsibility towards their national constituencies. The idea of social responsibility is often confrontational towards a laissez-faire media system that is not conscious of the social relevance of its products. Social responsibility has to do with the tendencies toward media ignoring the rights, interests and needs of the people or the public that they are required to serve, and therefore tend to exhibit debased cultural and dangerous profit-motivated products for the consumption of the unsuspecting public. Social responsibility therefore requires the mass media to take it upon themselves to elevate their standards by offering their clients the appropriate intellectual and cultural material and guidance they need to govern themselves and to make useful and informed choices. It is for this reason that this international conference is being called, to initiate national and international dialogue that can lead to major policy changes and ensure the kinds of mass media productions and exhibitions that are useful for integrated national development efforts.
The imperial project that institutionalized the colonization of many African peoples, shares a te... more The imperial project that institutionalized the colonization of many African peoples, shares a temporal historical development with the emergence and growth of cinema. By 1884, when the infamous Berlin Conference took place, cinema was already experiencing a growth from its initial scientific experiments with visual toys to the early days of capturing and reproducing moving pictures. This paper discusses the connections between cinema and the imperial project and how these two produced the new nations of Africa, particularly after World War I (WWI), but with a focus on Ghana. The paper is framed within the discourses of the relationship between cinema and history. It will examine how the colonial empires employed cinema to advance the imperial projects and particularly how cinema served as a propaganda tool to win the support of indigenous Africans towards the war effort.
Despite their apparent simplicity and the many criticisms against them, Ghanaian video-films have... more Despite their apparent simplicity and the many criticisms against them, Ghanaian video-films have often challenged established notions of culture, identity, representation and mediation. It appears that traditional modes of criticism and analysis may be inadequate in fully appreciating this contemporary practice and therefore demands a radical reappraisal of modern assumptions about culture, identity, history, language and representation. At the same time the methods of cultural representation posited by a majority of contemporary video-films offer inaccurate readings of actual social and cultural practices. In this paper, I examine some popular video-films, made within the last fifteen years, using instruments in cultural studies and theories of representation and reception to argue that new methods of analysis are required to appreciate contemporary video-films within particular cultural and social contexts. However, in spite of this contextualisation, which is informed by the dialogic relationship between art and culture, I argue that it is equally pertinent to locate artistic practices within the framework of media's social advocacy, and the responsibility of realistic artistic representation of society.
This paper examines the texts and contexts that inform the mediatory processes that Ghanaian vide... more This paper examines the texts and contexts that inform the mediatory processes that Ghanaian video-films have engaged in towards the creation of new cultural identities, often ambivalent, but sometimes extreme and contestable. The narratives and subtexts of video-films, particularly those of the Pentecostal and occult genres, have often posited new cultural identities and worldviews. The historical and cultural contexts within which these videos are produced and consumed often demonstrate their potential to create new perceptions about Ghanaians in general, and to effectively engage in the mediations and negotiations for new forms of socialization. This paper discusses those processes that inform contemporary public perceptions of Ghanaian identity (or identities) and what role video-films play in such processes, particularly within a Ghanaian context. Using theories of identity, representation and mediation, the paper attempts a textual reading of a sample of video-films in order to frame their narrative contexts and ideological subtexts in relation to their role in identity formation.
Thesis Chapters by Vitus Nanbigne
This thesis examines the history of cinema in Ghana from a nationalist point of view.
Realigning and Repositioning Africa: Charting its own course in the 21st Century, 2021
Africa is a paradox which illustrates and highlights neo-colonialism. Her earth is rich, yet the ... more Africa is a paradox which illustrates and highlights neo-colonialism. Her earth is rich, yet the products that come from above and below the soil continue to enrich, not Africans predominantly, but groups and individuals who operate to Africa's impoverishment.-KWAME NKRUMAH, 1965
The liberalization of the mass media in most countries in Africa during the 1990s resulted in a m... more The liberalization of the mass media in most countries in Africa during the 1990s resulted in a massive proliferation of various mass media organizations, including newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, film productions companies, and internet-based media organizations. Accompanying liberalization were also often constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and of the media. However, it cannot be said without doubt that liberalization and freedom of the press have been exercised in equal measure to the responsibilities of the mass media. Often, such freedoms are justified as natural and inalienable rights, and that the freedom of the media will result in the intellectual and cultural advancement of societies because of the "market place of ideas" that the media offer within liberal societies. In addition, the freedoms that commercial and profit-motivated media agencies enjoy need to be accompanied by a strong sense of social responsibility towards their national constituencies. The idea of social responsibility is often confrontational towards a laissez-faire media system that is not conscious of the social relevance of its products. Social responsibility has to do with the tendencies toward media ignoring the rights, interests and needs of the people or the public that they are required to serve, and therefore tend to exhibit debased cultural and dangerous profit-motivated products for the consumption of the unsuspecting public. Social responsibility therefore requires the mass media to take it upon themselves to elevate their standards by offering their clients the appropriate intellectual and cultural material and guidance they need to govern themselves and to make useful and informed choices. It is for this reason that this international conference is being called, to initiate national and international dialogue that can lead to major policy changes and ensure the kinds of mass media productions and exhibitions that are useful for integrated national development efforts.
The imperial project that institutionalized the colonization of many African peoples, shares a te... more The imperial project that institutionalized the colonization of many African peoples, shares a temporal historical development with the emergence and growth of cinema. By 1884, when the infamous Berlin Conference took place, cinema was already experiencing a growth from its initial scientific experiments with visual toys to the early days of capturing and reproducing moving pictures. This paper discusses the connections between cinema and the imperial project and how these two produced the new nations of Africa, particularly after World War I (WWI), but with a focus on Ghana. The paper is framed within the discourses of the relationship between cinema and history. It will examine how the colonial empires employed cinema to advance the imperial projects and particularly how cinema served as a propaganda tool to win the support of indigenous Africans towards the war effort.
Despite their apparent simplicity and the many criticisms against them, Ghanaian video-films have... more Despite their apparent simplicity and the many criticisms against them, Ghanaian video-films have often challenged established notions of culture, identity, representation and mediation. It appears that traditional modes of criticism and analysis may be inadequate in fully appreciating this contemporary practice and therefore demands a radical reappraisal of modern assumptions about culture, identity, history, language and representation. At the same time the methods of cultural representation posited by a majority of contemporary video-films offer inaccurate readings of actual social and cultural practices. In this paper, I examine some popular video-films, made within the last fifteen years, using instruments in cultural studies and theories of representation and reception to argue that new methods of analysis are required to appreciate contemporary video-films within particular cultural and social contexts. However, in spite of this contextualisation, which is informed by the dialogic relationship between art and culture, I argue that it is equally pertinent to locate artistic practices within the framework of media's social advocacy, and the responsibility of realistic artistic representation of society.
This paper examines the texts and contexts that inform the mediatory processes that Ghanaian vide... more This paper examines the texts and contexts that inform the mediatory processes that Ghanaian video-films have engaged in towards the creation of new cultural identities, often ambivalent, but sometimes extreme and contestable. The narratives and subtexts of video-films, particularly those of the Pentecostal and occult genres, have often posited new cultural identities and worldviews. The historical and cultural contexts within which these videos are produced and consumed often demonstrate their potential to create new perceptions about Ghanaians in general, and to effectively engage in the mediations and negotiations for new forms of socialization. This paper discusses those processes that inform contemporary public perceptions of Ghanaian identity (or identities) and what role video-films play in such processes, particularly within a Ghanaian context. Using theories of identity, representation and mediation, the paper attempts a textual reading of a sample of video-films in order to frame their narrative contexts and ideological subtexts in relation to their role in identity formation.
This thesis examines the history of cinema in Ghana from a nationalist point of view.