Concientious Cinema: Senegalese Cineastes as Preservers of Cultural Identity and Promoters of Social Change

Senegalese cinema was born with a conscience. From its earliest days, Senegalese films have been marked by tendencies to preserve cultural identity and promote social change. Using background research, film screenings, discussions, and interviews, this study categories these trends into a movement of “Conscientious Cinema,” and identifies the development of both of these objectives. This study first traces the trend of cultural identity preservation from the films of the founding generation to their evolution in the projects of young filmmakers today, and similarly explores the development of the trend of social-change promotion from between these generations. In the analysis, I examine why these trends have developed and how they are important today. Finally, this study identifies the future potential of Conscientious Cinema and the ways in which the movement can reach this potential