Violence, Cynicism and the Cinematic Spectacle of (Mis)Representing African Child Soldiers in Black Hawk Down and Blood Diamond
Abstract
The aim of this article is to explain why and with what ideological effect Western film directors depict the African child soldier as victim, reluctant recruit and unwilling participant in Africa’s violent wars in Black Hawk Down (Scott 2001) and Blood Diamond (Zwick 2007). Using Agamben’s ideas of the “state of exception” (Agamben 2005) and the “paradox of sovereignty” (Agamben 1998), this article engages symbolical processes by which the formal rhetorical devices of the technology of audiovisual film texts “remediate an account vested in the perspective of only one party” (Potzsch 2011: 80-81). It will be demonstrated that within the narrative topoi of the films Black Hawk Down (Scott 2001) and Blood Diamond (Zwick 2007), African child soldiers are symbolically constituted as enemy, the other, and as existing on the margin of “bare life” (Agamben 1998: 4) and whose value is not worth mourning for – simply, “ungrievable” (Butler 2010). However, this article argues differently and stresses that violence is not sui generis to Africa and to the African child soldier.
Opsomming
Die doel van hierdie artikel is om te verduidelik waarom en met watter ideologiese effek Westerse rolprentregisseurs die Afrika-kindersoldaat uitbeeld as ’n slagoffer, teësinnige rekruut en onwillige deelnemer aan Afrika se gewelddadige oorloë in die rolprente Black Hawk Down (Scott 2001) en Blood Diamond (Zwick 2007). Deur gebruik te maak van Agamben se idees van die “toestand van uitsondering” (“state of exception”) (Agamben 2005) en die “soewereiniteitsparadoks” (“paradox of sovereignty”) (Agamben 1998), betrek hierdie artikel die simboliese prosesse waarby die formele retoriese middels van die tegnologie van oudiovisuele rolprent-tekste “die weergawe van wat aan die gesigspunt van slegs een party reg laat geskied” (“remediatean account vested in the perspective of only one party”) (Potzsch 2011: 80-81). Daar sal aangetoon word dat kindersoldate in Afrika, binne die topoi van die rolprente Black Hawk Down (Scott 2001) en Blood Diamond (Zwick 2007), simbolies gekonstitueer word as die vyand, die ander, en een wat bestaan op die grense van “net bestaan” (“bare life”) (Agamben 1998: 4) en wie se waarde nie werd is om oor gerou te word nie – gewoonweg, “onbetreurbaar” (“ungrievable”) (Butler 2010). Hierdie artikel redeneer egter anders en beklemtoon dat geweld nie sui generis rakende Afrika en kindersoldate in Afrika is nie.
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