Gender, Urban Dynamics and the Film Industry in Tanzania

The Case of Steven Kanumba

Abstract

This article examines the work of Kanumba, S. (1982), one of the popular contemporary video film actors, directors and producers in Tanzania. The article uses social learning and feminist theories as a lens to interrogate the semiotics of representation in Kanumba’s films and their effect on the target audience in Tanzania’s society. Through documentary review and observations, it was found out that regardless of the country’s inclination to persuade people, especially the youth, to be involved in agrarian programmes, less has been espoused on the role of youth popular media such as films in promoting urban migration. Kanumba’s portrayal of the supposedly stunning urban setting reveals how more youth are attracted to urban centres for a better life and the stereotypical perception of women as indecisive and weak sex objects.