Bits of noises emanate from the crunches of salty or sugary popcorn, ground nuts or cashew nuts. The back is stretched and adjusted from one angle to another and so is the waist. Serious attempts are made as one intends to find that perfect posture prior to pressing the play button to set the movie rolling.
Soon as all is set, so is the movie set to commence.
Be it from the somewhat limited screens of the laptop and tabled computers or the multitude inched television screens or the white wall/ cloth projections, there is nothing more refreshing than the intro light or that opening soundtrack to a movie that perfectly coils your thoughts and lends your attention and eventually voluntarily takes you captive to an imaginary world and setting of a particular film.
The entire artistry towards the development and production of movies is just amazing, if not awesome. Thrilling however is the organic connection between the audience and the respective picture in motion.
Variety of scenes would light a room with giggles if not spark a smile or tears on the faces of the crowd.
There is something ultimately captivating about films and its bond to reality. And this something is worth being explored upon to cater for man and woman’s need above and beyond the aspect of leisure.
It is undoubtedly obvious that movies, like any other genre of art, is inseparable to among its core objective – entertainment. Similarly however is that the same work of art is ought to convey a particular lesson or message to its viewers.
Thus saying if one intends to expound on art as a whole into a single meaning so could it be regarded to be edutaining or rather an edutainment. This is to refer to as a marriage (or blend) of the word (edu)cation and enter(tainment).
It is however surprising that to date the “edu” part of art is highly ignored whereas the “tainment” is massively campaigned for. And this is the case worldwide and so is it in Africa particularly, despite the fact that our art has always been embedded with serious messages and embroidered with valuable lessons.
Worth noting however is the fact that the term “edu” comes foremost and not latter to form edutainment. This signifies the essential purpose of art and definitely communicates the sensitive nature and relationship of education and art. Or else, otherwise presumably, art could be regarded to as “entercation” instead; whereas (enter)tainment would come prior to edu(cation).
Seeking to challenge the predominant narrative as regards to art (and films particularly) being less educating and more entertaining is Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung East African Regional Office organisation vide its recently launched project Lets Talk Film.
Upon realising the purest of the bond between movies and the audience, this respective project entails to use the respective chemistry, therein, in initiating and facilitating dialogues amongst community members.
Mr Sabatho Nyamsenda, an assistant lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam and facilitator to the launch of the project, highlighted on the prospects of the use of films for learning purpose can precisely depict the actual realities of our respective societies. Further he added that such films can strategically cater to provide for knowledge to a larger population beyond the four walls of the classrooms.
“Movies have a formidable power in the sense of being used as a tool of communication and as a source of joy and knowledge,” he said.
“The greatest specs in determining the scope of coverage of movies is its ability to communicate to the ordinary(s), the peasants and pastoralists; and do so accordingly to the elites,” he further emphasised.
Whereas originally art was sought to automatically serve the society, Mr Vitali Maembe, a contemporary traditional artist and arts teacher, insists on the need of the society to date, as subsequent to the current setting, to use and apply the same at their service.
Mr Maembe thus expounded on the need of their being different film screening and arts initiatives within the communities altogether with the intent to disseminate knowledge and exchange information amongst the respective community members.
The similar assertion was held by Mr Suleiman Kisoti, a veteran stakeholder to the film industry, who highlighted for the need of the presence of different film screening avenues, of which shall also facilitate film discussions.
The broadening coverage of film screening is also arguably posed to facilitate and magnify the prospects of the movie industry in its business terms, with an extended audience on board.
Whilst expanding the coverage of movies it is of no doubt that there ought to be even further extension to film related discussions within the contemporary social media and conventional mainstream media spaces.
Since much could be said on the joyful and enriching eternal force all packed in movies, least, however, is evident on the relevance of movies and the parable of a stone and two birds. A bird leisure and twin bird learning.
However, together with the twin birds, movies also tend to have a relative bird – history – worth not turning a blind eye to.
Mr Symphorian Belleghe, a lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam at the Fine and Performing Arts Department, highly stresses on the role of films (and other art forms) in archiving our history.
