Representation of African circumcision rituals in post-colonial films: an analysis of Inxeba: The Wound (2017), Umthunzi Wentaba (2007) and The Cutting Tradition (2009)
Date
2020
Authors
Dinizulu, Sisipho
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Abstract
The reliance of media on stereotypes has proven problematic since its inception, and one of
the major concerns is its representation of minority groups. Throughout the history of media,
and specifically cinema, Africa has always been portrayed as the ‘Other’ that needs saving
from its savagery and backwardness. With regards to the politics of representation, the
purpose of this paper is to offer a critical investigation of the representations of circumcision
rituals in the films Inxeba: The Wound (2017), Umthunzi Wentaba (2007) and The Cutting
Tradition (2009). Using post-colonial reading of the above texts, this paper aims to
deconstruct simplistic representations of black African gendered identities in these texts, by
foregrounding the historical complexity and the socio-cultural specificity of the rituals of
circumcision and initiation. With the application of a thematic analysis, this paper discovers
that the representation of black identities has not changed, but are disguised under current
politically correct issues such as human rights and gender politics. The films were oblivious
to the complex, nuanced and rich cultural practice of circumcision
Description
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts
(African Languages & Linguistics) in the Department of African Languages, School of Language Literature and Media at the University of the Witwatersrand, 2020