Representation of woman in fools

Abstract

The study aims to explore how black women read representations of black women in South African films. Using an ethnographic study of women’s interpretation of Fool, the study reflects in part the experiences of black women. The analysis attempts to reconcile the subject positions of the filmmakers with the narrative experiences of the women they claim to represent. The study draws on feminists’ theorists like bell hooks, Jacqueline Bobo and Ifi Amadiume as the theoretical framework of black female spectatorship to explore how black South African women read films. The study highlights the points of disjuncture in filmic representations and the experiences of women, who are interviewed for their interpretations. The shifting historical and political climate in South Africa reveals the desire the participants expressed to see changes in film that best reflect the instrumental changes in South African society.