During the Visual History Lab (12.09. - 16.09. 2022) at the University of Basel, we have critically and creatively reworked two iconic films Come Back, Africa by Lionel Rogosin (1959) and Siamo Italiani by Alexander Seiler (1964). The audio-video production has been displayed twice for public viewing and feedback gathering.
“Come back, Africa” is a dramatic documentary that alternates the real stories of the protagonists with fictional sequences, in an attempt to shape a political film that directly criticizes the apartheid system.
The American director Lionel Rogosin expressed his desire to show the dehumanization and everyday struggles of black South Africans. "Siamo Italiani”, on the other hand, is a documentary filmed in Basel that features Italian migrant workers who have come to Switzerland to make a decent living for their families. During the 1960s, Italian workers were mostly seen as inferior by the Swiss.
Both films can be considered iconic both for the period in which they were released and as a political means for the time. Our aim was to understand the representations of 'migrant labour' and 'migrant icon' present in both films and their impact on the audience, including ourselves, looking at Switzerland and South Africa through the lens of migration and family dynamics.
“Come back, Africa” is a dramatic documentary that alternates the real stories of the protagonists with fictional sequences, in an attempt to shape a political film that directly criticizes the apartheid system.
The American director Lionel Rogosin expressed his desire to show the dehumanization and everyday struggles of black South Africans. "Siamo Italiani”, on the other hand, is a documentary filmed in Basel that features Italian migrant workers who have come to Switzerland to make a decent living for their families. During the 1960s, Italian workers were mostly seen as inferior by the Swiss.
Both films can be considered iconic both for the period in which they were released and as a political means for the time. Our aim was to understand the representations of 'migrant labour' and 'migrant icon' present in both films and their impact on the audience, including ourselves, looking at Switzerland and South Africa through the lens of migration and family dynamics.
Tools used: Adobe Premiere Pro