Pop Culture Critic Elisa Kreisinger's Fair Use Video of the Month: "African Men. Hollywood Stereotypes."

In an effort to combat stereotypes of African men in mainstream Hollywood movies, Joe Sabia created this docu-mashup for a non-profit organization called Mama Hope. The organization works with local African groups to connect them with the resources required to transform their own communities.

Gabriel, Benard, Brian and Derrik (the Kenyan men in the video) wanted to make a video that pokes fun at the way African men are portrayed in Hollywood films. "If people believed only what they saw in movies, they would think we are all warlords who love violence." The young men were tired of the over-sensationalized, one-dimensional depictions of African men and the white savior messaging that permeates American popular culture. They wanted to tell their own stories and Sabia, a remix artist in his own right, knew it would be most effective if their personal stories were combined with examples and visible reminders of recognizable tropes from Hollywood movies. The movies quoted here include Casino Royale, Tears of the Sun, Lord of war, Sahara, Hotel Rwanda, Blood Diamond, Black Hawk Down, and the TV series 24.

Why It's Fair Use:  COMMENTING ON OR CRITIQUING OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

The remix uses clips from Hollywood movies without permission from the copyright holder in order to put them under scrutiny for purposes of comment and critique. This use is supported by both the Documentary Filmmakers' Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use and the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video. At the very core of the fair use doctrine, (comment and critique safeguard freedom of expression), the creator implicitly comments on the tropes found in mainstream narratives by recontextualizing them in the stories of real African men in an effort to draw attention to the harmful stereotypes African men daily battle.

Source Material:
Casino Royale
Tears of the Sun
Lord of War
Sahara
Hotel Rwanda
Blood Diamond
Black Hawk Down
24