In this article we examine how the visual representation of African beliefs and rituals (marriage, death, prayer, rites of passage, etc.) on the National Geographic Channel is constructed. The argument we make is that the ways in which these beliefs and rituals are constructed is infused with certain ideologies. These ideologies are meant to defy and nullify such beliefs and rituals and this is problematic, especially in this wave of decolonization and an inherent need to promote African beliefs. Anthropological and Orientalist theories form the background of this study. We have employed a semiological approach, as outlined by Roland Barthes, to unpack such a representation in two case-study documentaries produced by the National Geographic Channel.

中文翻译：

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人类学与东方主义代表：国家地理频道的问题

在本文中，我们研究了国家地理频道上非洲信仰和仪式（结婚、死亡、祈祷、成年礼等）的视觉表现是如何构建的。我们提出的论点是，这些信仰和仪式的构建方式注入了某些意识形态。这些意识形态旨在蔑视和废除此类信仰和仪式，这是有问题的，尤其是在这波非殖民化浪潮和促进非洲信仰的内在需求中。人类学和东方学理论构成了这项研究的背景。我们采用了 Roland Barthes 概述的符号学方法，在国家地理频道制作的两部案例研究纪录片中解开这种表现形式。