The portrayal of Africans in agricultural films of Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe): 1940s to 1950s

Abstract

One of the most effective cultural tools used by the colonial governments in Africa to make their rule acceptable to African indigenous populations was film. In Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe) the colonial government created the Central Film Unit whose major aim was to teach Africans new agricultural methods. The response by Africans to this colonial initiative was mixed. Some welcomed and enjoyed the films and made use of the skills that the films popularised, but others were cynical and viewed these films as a tool to consolidate British white settler rule in Rhodesia. This article analyses six colonial films produced in the 1940s and 1950s. The article argues that through the use of colonial films, the Rhodesia government was able to persuade African communal farmers to adopt modern methods of farming. The irony of this is that the use of modern farming methods made it possible for the same colonial authorities to later blame Africans for the ecological disaster in the communal areas.