Africa Unite
What is the purpose of Africa Unite? Ziggy Marley says on the back of the disc jacket: “The message of Africa Unite is for Africans to take their lives into their own hands . . . To realize we are better off together, not divided.” Danny Glover, one of the Executive Producers, says it is to inspire young Africans to help Africans help themselves.
So the principal purpose is to inspire. If you allow the film this purpose, many critical comments and questions are inappropriate. Two examples. Early on the film gives a very brief explanation of the historical cause of Africa’s problems: Before European colonialists arrived, Africa was one, but then it was divided and exploited. This is not the place to ask how many dozens or hundreds of warring tribes there were before colonization. Nor is it appropriate to ask, as one of the people watching the DVD with me asked, why Africans resenting outside interference in their affairs would welcome people from a Caribbean island (Jamaica) telling them what to do. The appropriate questions are whether the conference and the documentary inspire Africans to unite, and more specifically whether the inspired people engender changes for the better, including more cooperation. The film says nothing about the results of the conference, and, of course, it can say nothing about the impact of the film.
Allowing the film its goal does not exclude simultaneously questioning the worth of that goal. Danny Glover, a talented Hollywood actor and a powerful speaker, tells the young representatives at the meeting that even though they may be just two from this country and two from another country, it is their responsibility to go home, unite, “mobilize,” and change things. A contrary position popped into my mind. When scientist and activist David Suzuki was campaigning across Canada a couple of years ago, he said in a radio clip something like this: “Remember when we used to say ‘Think globally, act locally’? I believed it for years, but it doesn’t work. No one should have to shoulder that much responsibility. It can lead to defeat, discouragement, and apathy. I now say, ‘Think locally, and act locally.’ That is doable. And, not incidentally, it may well eventually have a global impact.” I don’t know which motto is better for Africa, but the film is based on the former. A follow-up of conference goers (and film viewers) would be interesting and informative.
And who is the target of this inspiration? Africans, especially young Africans. So if you are reading this review, you are probably not who this film was made for.
The highlights of the film for me were Angelique Kidjo and also the Marley band on a couple of songs. Kidjo is one powerful woman. As soon as her first notes soared across the stage, I could sense her confidence and talent. Later, in discussion, she was a passionate and articulate force to be reckoned with. The Marley band was uneven. Depending on which Marley was singing, the vocals could be completely incomprehensible (that means not getting a single word in an entire song) or entrancing, soothing, inspiring, admirable. Sometimes the rhythm was the jerky staccato reggae I don’t like, and, as on “Get Up, Stand Up,” the lilting reggae I love, so infectious I always wonder how they do it.