Black and White Bioscope

Neil Parsons was professor of history at the University of Botswana between 1995 and 2009. He previously held positions at the Universities of Zambia and Swaziland, and at Botswana's National Institute of Research and its National Museum. He is the author of King Khama, Emperor Joe, and the Great White Queen and Clicko the Wild Dancing Bushman, both published by the University of Chicago Press.

'Black and White Bioscope proves itself a vital text in the understanding of some aspects of the history of film-making in Africa – with specificity on the southern African region. It distinguishes itself among other literature given the fact that the author – Neil Parsons – who happens to be a historian by training - strictly adopted historical methodologies for a lucid reconstruction of the events he has captured in his book as narrated through the three basic scopes in historical studies: thematic, geographical and chronology. Moreover, the text has shown to possess the requisite and most-fundamental elements of historical insights to help historians and literary scholars seek to get a grasp on the origin of what exists as the film-making industry in Africa. It promises to be a reliable companion as it comprises diverse collections, reviews and biographies of some of the earliest film-making experiences of black and European personalities.'