African(ish) Documentary

All I've read so far from the responses to the question about what constitutes African documentary is purely anti-Western rhetoric without any backing from hard facts or logic. The West is bad; we bash Africa. Why does the world have to be seen in purely black and white. There is something of a gray area to almost all things.

The question is: "Is African documentary film about Africa even when it is produced by a non-African?"

Yes, of course it is. Is it about Africa? The question states that in fact it IS "about Africa" although produced by someone that is non-African. The question is not is it an African documentary, that is already proven true in the statement, but whether or not the African documentary is more African-ish than African. The content will be given through the perspective of its creator(s) which may or may not be African in nationality.

Therefore, my argument is that in fact, the documentary is African, but the perspective itself may not be. Africa through the eyes of an North American, European, South American, Australian, or Asian is still Africa. However, this Africa will differ between the respective continents due to each nations perspective.

But does this mean that Africans see Africa right and everyone else sees it wrong? There were many Germans during WWII that knew nothing about the concentration camps. Many Americans do not know both the good and bad things being done by Americans in other countries. A nation is not all knowing of itself. Nor do other countries know all there is to know about another country. Therefore, my point is that perspectives are just as equal in importance as opinions. They can neither be wrong nor right. They are purely perspectives. If I thought that Africa was just full of lions and half-naked tribes due to my exposure to certain media, does that mean my perspective is wrong? No, it may not be correct, but it is an accurate perspective considering my knowledge. It wouldn't mean I was being malicious on purpose.

This means that Africans producing a documentary film about a non-African society are equally important to the collective viewpoint of this world. Every perspective is necessary to understand the information to focus on, to better understand the viewpoints of certain societies and much, much more. The important point is the topic and what the creator wishes to portray.

This is my point of view. Yes, Western civilization chooses to view certain aspects of African history in a particular light, but to accuse all of Western culture of being short-sighted or ignorant is equally as such. It is a perspective.

Here are some interesting quotes about history that serve to voice my argument:

History will be kind to me for I intend to write it. - Winston Churchill

People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them. - James Baldwin

History is a novel for which the people is the author. - Alfred de Vigny

The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice. - Mark Twain

And the best one I found:

Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunters. - African Proverb