Documenting the African City

Documenting the African City is a regular course at NYU in Ghana. Here is the description from the course catalog:

This interdisciplinary course combines ethnographic readings, representations, and interpretations of city and urban cultures with a video production component in which students create short documentaries on the city of Accra. The interpretative classes will run concurrently with production management, sights and sound, and post-production workshops. The course will have three objectives: (1) teach students the documentary tradition from Flaherty to Rouch; (2) use critical Cinema theory to define a document with a camera; and (3) create a short documentary film. We will put traditional emphasis on comparative documentary traditions and aesthetics from African and African-American filmmakers. The students will study and dissect classic documentaries-Borom Sarret, Killer of Sheep, and Lapetite Vendeuse de Solleil, etc.-to highlight the varied styles of their directors. The aim here is to teach students how to tell a story on film/video. Finally, the third part will deal with students' practicum. The object is to send students out to make their own short essays on film/video. In this section, we will discuss with the class the fundamentals of sight and sound, producing, directing, and editing. Based on the adjudication of the faculty and collaborating producers, the best documentaries will be broadcast on Accra's TV-Africa.

VIDEOS (Documentaries)
Note: All videos are in RealPlayer format.

Fall 2004 Documentaries

VIDEO > Battling An Epidemic
A documentary about Ghana's efforts against the spread of AIDS.

VIDEO > Voices Against AIDS
A music video dealing with AIDS, with performances by leading Ghanaian hiplife musicians, produced by NYU Junior Caitlin Chandler.

VIDEO > Beauty Is
An exploration of Ghanaian views on beauty, and their impact in society.