This Is My Desire: An analysis of the cinematic portrayal of trans-national migration in sub-Saharan Africa

Migration is an age-old phenomenon and a social issue that transcends geographical borders. In African cinema, it is a popular theme, as evidenced by Black Girl and Touki Bouki , two films that account for most of the scholarly work on early African cinema and migration. This article contributes to African cinema and migration scholarship by analysing contemporary films released during the last decade. It focuses exclusively on voluntary migrants whose experiences are often delegitimized. It examines the representation of transnational migration from the perspective of sub-Saharan Africa, using Eyimofe: This Is My Desire and Chez Jolie Coiffure , as the source texts. The discussions combine film analysis with survey data received from African immigrants. The article suggests that the films analysed engage with and depict aspects of migrant life in ways that resonate with real experiences of migrants.