Africa In Flames

historical artifact
I am glad that this film exists as an historical artifact of early efforts to satisfy audiences' interest in "exotic" peoples and places. And maybe some of the images are even realistic for the times. It is a basically a black and white "silent-style" film with narration instead of subtitles -- not surprising for the 1930 (1948re-release) date. It claims to be ethnography, explained by the voice of an authority, but it does not go deep at all by more recent standards. It is more like motion-film-snapshots of their lives.

Frankly, however, few people will want to watch this. I am going to imagine perhaps those with an interest in the history of film in the broad sense, or in the history of films about Africa, an interest in "ethnographic" film depictions (say e.g. along with Nanook of the North) and representations of "primitive" people in cinema (these people are apparently Islam-icized herdsmen, I would guess from their robes and names, and have metal spears etc.). Then...

Good if you view it through the appropriate lens of the time
Even viewed through the lens of understanding how Africans were portrayed in the late 1920's, this "documentary" still has some weaknesses. However, if you factor in how sub-Saharan Africans were depicted in other venues, then this one stands up reasonably well. They are depicted as having intelligence and culture, not as mindless and simple savages.
The video was filmed in the small Habbania town of Buram in Southern Sudan, stars the actual people of the village and was first released in 1930. It depicts them in their daily lives, the dangers from predators as well as some of their ceremonies. The title of the video is taken from the main event, a prairie fire that forces the villagers to flee across a river.
While the video is narrated, it is not of the high quality that was seen in later "talkies" If you are experienced in the history of film then you could come close to dating it by realizing that it was made in the transition from silent films to the days when the art...



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