Towards conceptualizing African feminism: African women in war films

Mainstream Western films depict a dominant perspective of Africa that marginalizes the African woman’s experiences. This paper critically examines the portrayal of African women in two war films, Hotel Rwanda and Half of a Yellow Sun. This paper argues that utilizing an African feminist lens of inquiry reshapes the perception of African women on film. Employing a textual analysis grounded in African feminism, findings challenge the constant focus on male characters by critically highlighting African women’s centrality in fostering sociocultural cohesion within communities. Through sensemaking, family and societal organization, the African woman supports collective survival, often assuming multiple roles such as caregiving and bearing emotional labor, even as male figures remain peripheral. The paper calls for further exploration and conceptualization of African feminism in communication studies by applying its tenets to media portrayals of Africa and advocates for intercultural communication research to center and elevate African indigenous epistemologies for African media literacy.