Third Cinema

Several points: first of all, the "third" concept should not be limited to just cinema. Other artforms are just as capable of organizing and mobilizing the people. Fela Kuti used the music of afrobeat to express anti-colonial political concepts (as he began creating the music during the late 60's and early 70's), taking the aesthetics of various genres of music and blending them in a way that was uniquely African. This style would speak to all Africans in the midst of anti-colonial struggles. Also, his first band had a residency at Fela's club in Nigeria, allowing him to organize and motivate his followers. As his influence grew, more and more bands began taking up the style, placing their own regional twist on it. In this way, Fela breaks from the traditional "third" concept, as his voice and style were shaped to speak to all of Africa in addition to his own region. This meant that others, inspired by his music, could take up his style and use it as a political force in their own regions.

In response to what Ioana wrote on aesthetics and "third cinema": I believe that third cinema does not try to escape aesthetics, because, as Ioana mentioned, this is essentially what art is. However, I disagree over the "primacy" of aesthetics in art. "Third cinema" attacks this primacy, allowing other structures and concepts to determine aesthetics instead of the other way around (as in first and second cinema). In this way, they escape from the power of mainstream aesthetics, using political motivation to twist and shape it to their own ends. This is why third cinema has such a different feel to it; it is not art purely for art's sake, but art created only to serve a political purpose. Would Ceddo have broken from mainstream concepts in the powerful way it had if not for its political purpose? Would daydreams of a priest turn into a suprisingly accurate portrayal of modern Africa without the political motivation? Would the narrative moved in the slow, collective way it had without the desire for a uniquely African style drawing from the oral tradition, one that could free the filmmakers' country from the grasp of colonialism? I believe not. And while the auteurs realize that they cannot escape aesthetics, the west, or the creation of their own powerful and potentially destructive myths entirely, they do their best to subvert these issues to their own needs and oppose it against the intrusions of colonialism.