Lyndsay Tipton - Annotated Bib #5

Black Girl Inference Paragraph:

This was a film jam-packed with subtle, underlying themes and messages. What I would consider the most significant theme in the film is that of colonialism and its effects on both African and European natives. Diouana, who previously worked as a nanny for a middle class European couple in Senegal, moves to France to work for them directly. Perhaps the most prominent symbol concerning colonialism in the film is the mask that Diouana gives to the woman she starts working for when she moves. It is a traditional African mask which could basically be seen as symbolizing African culture. The woman hangs it on the wall amidst other pieces of African art. This mask comes up frequently throughout the film. Since the mask represents African culture, it shows how those native to the country want to hold onto their culture but because of European colonialism, they struggle to do so and are often times even swayed to leave it behind.

One of the points of comparison I found between the film and some of the other things we have studied thus far, is between the character of Diouana and some of Keita's photographs. As a studio photographer, often times those that came to him to be photographed would be able to pick out what they wore and how they looked. Usually they would dress up incredibly nice and make themselves look like they belonged in a higher class even if in reality, they did not. When Diouana begins her work as essentially a maid, she wears beautiful dresses and extravagant heels but is soon "put in her place" by her employer. This reminded me a lot of the photos we saw of Keita's and the general idea of studio photography not being entirely "honest".

One other point of interest for me was how Diouana was basically a slave to her new employers. Yes, she was being paid, but she was at the very best, an indentured servant. Her employers did not treat her with any level of respect and obviously did not view her as an equal. I found it interesting how comparisons to the treatment of slaves were able to be placed within the film.