The Political Economy of Cinema (Video Film) in Tanzania

Abstract

This article examines the film industry in Tanzania from the 1960s to 2012 and assesses how government policies, legislations and cultural institutions have been used as mechanisms of cultural control and thus shaped and impacted filmmaking. Through a critical political economy theoretical framework, the article explores succeeding administrations, from President Julius Kambarage Nyerere (1961–1985) to President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (2005–present). It notes that despite the social, cultural, economic, political, and ideological shifts that Tanzania has experienced in moving from socialism to capitalism, each administration, using different mechanisms, has retained a strong hold on the cultural (film) industry. These administrations in advancing their power and legitimacy established cultural institutions and film policies that saw to it that only governmentsanctioned images and cultural values were projected to its citizenry. Yet, despite of the government’s strong hold on culture, a private commercial film industry has emerged giving an alternative aspect to cultural products.