The Bibliographic Diaspora of African Cinema: Paulin S. Vieyra, “Shared” Film Heritage, and the Politics of Archival Cooperation

This article examines the global dispersal of African film heritage through the case of the Paulin S. Vieyra Collection at Indiana University. Situating the paradigm of “shared heritage” within a broader context of archival displacement, the article interrogates both the promise and limitations of digitization and access as key modalities of North-South archival cooperation. Paulin S. Vieyra, a foundational figure in African cinema and one of its earliest historians, called for archival restitution and self-determination as early as the 1950s; his estate, which has recently been donated to the Black Film Center & Archive at IU, exemplifies the “bibliographic diaspora” of African cinema. The article explores the ethical, political, and epistemic stakes of curatorial authority, digital infrastructure, and access equity. Drawing on Vieyra’s own writings, it advocates for renewed transnational archival models that envision more equitable futures for African audiovisual heritage.