ABSTRACT
The East African country of Tanzania does not have a long-standing filmmaking history or tradition, which makes the remarkable documentary These Hands, by Flora M'mbugu-Schelling, quite a rarity. Produced in 1992, it is a 45-minute observational documentary, in Kiswahili and Kimakonde with English subtitles. Although opportunities are scarce for general audiences to see the film today, These Hands is known to film scholars and often cited in research on the history of African cinema, in particular histories chronicling the role of women in African film. The inspiration for These Hands came from a visit to Bahari Beach in Dar es Salaam, where M'mbugu-Schelling observed groups of women crushing stones in a huge quarry. Being self-employed and presumably with a complete lack of labour rights, the women are forced to take their children with them to work. Elderly women work next to young mothers who keep their children and babies on their laps while working.
