This course traces the historical journey of Africans both on the continent and in the diaspora as they negotiate the 1930s and 1940s. I have tried to select films that embody experience, either directly or indirectly from an African or African-Diaspora perspective. All the films are based on novels, plays, poems, or memoirs. During the course, we will read about the historical, cultural, and political contexts that surround the films, but the films will be our main text.