A Critical Analysis of the Film Sankofa

In his well-document film, Sankofa, Haile Gerima presents he story trails Mona, a current American classical on a film sprout in Ghana. She contains a conference at Elmina Castle that she does not distinguish was historically utilized for Atlantic slave trades. There, she meets a mysterious old gent, Sankofa, frolicked by Kofi Ghanaba, the distinguished Ghanaian performer. Mona is ecstatic to the past that, as a house retainer named King Jr Shola Luther on an estate in the United States South, she suffers misuse by her slave boss. Nunu, who was an African-born ground Shango and hand, a West Indian Shola lover, rebel and resist against the slave systems. (Shango is given a name behind a god of Yoruba.) Nunu comes into disagreement with her mixed-race lad, Joe; begotten by a white gent, he has been created a head slave. Enthused by Shango’s and Nunu determination to confront the systems, Shola links them in fighting against her bosses. After her tribunals, Shola goes back to the current as Mona, quite conscious of her African backgrounds (Fahizah 4).

By this dramatic re-enactment and Shola’s rape and abuse, the travesty of slave society is rendered transparent, challenging African-Americans to confront the holocaust that was slavery and reconstitute them in recognition of a shared racial past. Sankofa is a moving, excellently produced and purely African-centered portrayal of slavery. Haile Gerima’s comprehensive, influential “Sankofa,” which in the African language of Akan means revisiting the past in order to go forward begins in the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana, a very old fortress where slaves captured for America were help captivated in chains. While a crowd of tourists reach the site, a photographer snaps away at a stunning African fashion model that is called Mona (Karaganis & Kandé 141).

In the film, Sankofa colorism was exhibited throughout the entire movie. When the slave Joe, who was a son of Nunu, was bright skinned, and he was not as dark as his mother was or even other slaves.   He was essentially treated as if he was among the white gents. He had several authority however, was still reflected as a slave. He was brought up always as being the house slave and therefore in his thoughts he was one of them. This made him trust that he was dissimilar, and was not like the rest. Therefore, at the end of the road he was treated differently always and perfect when it comes to who he was due to his skin language. 
Germia was vexing to highlight that, religion is quite huge in the African American addiction.The reason he showed so much faith is because that is how slaves used to worshiped. They believed that, things could change and worshiped an advanced god. Since they did not have whatever else though each other, they just knew their God could not fail them so psychosomatic God is entirely they knew. It was whom they worshiped every day in the cave and who gave them power that understanding something perfectly was going to occur. Actually, was over their dances and songs that were showed throughout the film (Jose 13).

Near the conclusion of the movie the slaves revolt and escape. While they are escaping she feels being elevated up into the air, suspended. Then, near the conclusion of the movie she, and other natives, just assemble on the stairs and linger while staring at the ocean. This is a symbolic interpretation of people waiting for their Sankofa. They were anticipating their bird to arrive and take them back, take them somewhere else. They were hoping to experience that blissful journey with Sankofa.

The matter of skin color has been a perpetual issue in America. Skin color categorized if you were a slave out in the countryside or in the dwelling. The lighter your skin was the “superior” you were, the more fortunate you were. This was one of the methods the whites separated African-Americans as a nation. If a Black person was lighter than the rest of the people, he was better than the rest of the Black people were. The lighter natives started to believe that they were better than the dark ones. They received better clothes and food. This matter of skin color is presently widespread in our social norms (Karaganis & Kandé 130). Some natives believe that they are superior to others as they are lighter in competition. It is essential that we put this issue of the skin behind us and come together as a nation. In this movie skin color was a key issue. There was even segregation between the slaves. 

Gerima and his movie are symbolic of how significant it is for people of color to narrate their individual stories, which are not to refute that a figure of significant movies about colored people have actually been made by white people. Sankofa is deemed to be a momentous epic. It was produced during a point when many African cinematography projects were postponed and otherwise aggravated and prejudiced by such elements as changes in their African recipients and unwieldy direction processes. It has been regarded by critics to be a pattern of a new cinematic custom. This ground-breaking feature film connects confined black people with their African history and civilization (Fahizah 6).

Review Questions

1. What does the vulture mean and symbolize in the movie?
2. Describe the ways in which the film characterizes that people in slavery can practice and possess power?

What were the elements that aided the black people last the bondage period based upon what you viewed in the movie?

Related Free Analysis Essays