Holidays, Movies, and Africa

Thanksgiving is almost upon us and Christmas is not far behind.  Fortunately, I received my new copy of Entertainment Weekly in yesterday’s mail listing all the movies being released during the holiday season. 

 

I am hopelessly addicted to the celluloid screen. There is nothing that I love more than to blissfully escape into a world of endless possibilities as I settle into a comfortable seat in a darkened theater with my buttered popcorn and diet coke.  At the top of my list of must see films this year is the new James Bond film, Casino Royale.  I love action films, so I’ve also added Blood Diamond to my must see list.  Set in Africa, starring Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, and Leonardo DiCaprio and a huge diamond, it promises to be loads of fun.

 

As I like to be an informed viewer, I searched the Internet for some preview details about Blood Diamond.  I found the usual reviews and such, but I also encountered an interesting article about Hollywood’s renewed focus on the African continent and the number of new films set there.  The article presented a generally favorable view of Hollywood goes to Africa but acknowledged that some feared that there was an air of paternal colonialism in many of the films.  This got me to thinking about the recent hoopla about Madonna’s efforts to adopt a child from the African country of Malawi. 

 

Some folks have chastised Madonna for her desire to adopt this child and remove him from the orphanage where he has resided since the death of his mother in childbirth.  I think that there is valid concern about the loss of cultural identity in removing the child from his homeland but I suspect that there are many children with an Anglo-African background that are far from being culturally adrift. 

 

The other dominant anti-Madonna adoption argument is that she’s only trying to copy Angelina Jolie.  When I was a child, I used to accuse my younger sister of copying me when she would wear the same color hair ribbons that I was wearing.  However, when I purchased a house in the neighborhood where she and her husband already lived, she did not accuse me of copying her.   I know that celebrities are different from the rest of us, but do we really believe that Madonna and Angelina are in a competition to see who can collect the most babies of color? 

 

After giving it much thought, I’ve realized that I am tired of all of the critiquing of the motives of white celebrities who have taken an interest in Africa and its people.  I don't know anything about Africa except what I've read in books and seen on television or in movies.  I assume that I can't rely on such information for a totally accurate picture.  I've never been to Africa.  At least Madonna, Brad, Angelina etc. have actually been to African countries.  I don't recall seeing a ban on black folks in the US going to Africa and adopting babies.  Instead of whining and espousing suspicion about the motives of white folks adopting these children, why not get off our collective butts and make some effort to provide education, access to medical care, food and whatever else may help African nations to become economically self sufficient. 

 

Adoption is not an evil plot concocted by white celebrities to steal African babies.  I find it ludicrous to believe that wealthy white celebrities are in some sort of conspiracy to adopt African children because they want a pet. 

 

Perhaps they do feel some sense of guilt, but some of the rest of us need to feel more guilt.  Guilt is why I send donations to the local soup kitchen, guilt because I allow my commitment to my work to keep me from volunteering at that same soup kitchen.  Guilt is why I stop my car and hand a five-dollar bill out the window to the guy on the corner with the "will work for food" sign.  Guilt is why when I see those television programs with children starving in Africa or India or somewhere in the world, I write a check.  As for Hollywood's love affair with movies set in Africa, let's hold Hollywood accountable for contributing to the local economy while making the film.  Using as much local labor as possible, making permanent improvements to local housing (movies require building sets, make them durable and something that the locals may use when the cameras leave), and buying materials, supplies, goods locally.

 

Africa is a continent, a collection of nations and collectively, Americans, black and white, don't know very much about its history or its present.  Instead of critiquing the actions of others, I think that it's about time that more of us started learning something about this "dark continent" and what we can do to help.