ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book not only draws on existing scholarship and the authors' own teaching materials, but also introduces new research on previously unexplored aesthetic dimensions such as cinematography, animation, and film music. It intends to provide reader with that guidance into African film studies, an introductory step that will enable reader to get a bird's-eye view of field or a foundational knowledge to pursue research in areas of interest. The book objectives are twofold to provide an easily accessible academic resource on African cinema for undergraduates and lecturers in introductory or special-topics courses on African cinema, and to increase the visibility of African cinema within discipline of film studies. It offers an approach to the study and teaching of African cinema that is grounded in the field of film studies instead of textual interpretations from other disciplines such as literature, languages, sociology, or anthropology.
