"Le dit du cin & eacute;ma africain" (The Tale of African Cinema), by the inimitable griothistorian Amadou Hamp & acirc;t & eacute; B & acirc;, is an extraordinary tale of Malis' early encounter with cinema, revealing an equally fascinating story of an early instance of an African woman and cinematic spectatorship. In his tale, he recounts in her own words, his mother Kadidia P & acirc;t & eacute;s' first experience with cinema. This enchanting and edifying rendezvous with the moving image provides us not only with a unique introduction to the histories of African women's encounter with cinema but also to the trans- global nature of these cinematic experiences. As Toni Cade Bambara reminds us, as early as 1897, "operators for Lumi & egrave;re, Meli & egrave;s, and Edison were presenting, in various countries, programs of flickers shot from all over the world." And in the case of Mali in this tale, movies imposed on the inhabitants who refused to look. This section relates her extraordinary story.
