The western movie industry and Hollywood in particular have a long history of misrepresenting the people and cultures of the African continent, often showcasing limited narratives that only focus on themes of suffering, war, and famine.

In the United States and Europe, there tends to be a single story of Africa. This story tends to be negative and presents Africa as a place of danger, darkness, violence, poverty, and hopelessness.

Furthermore, Hollywood has relegated Africans and their stories to the sidelines in films about Africa, using the continent as a backdrop for white characters’ journeys of self-discovery or moral reckoning. Films like,  Out of Africa (1985), Blood Diamond (2006), The Constant Gardener (2005). They all center on the white experience with African characters simply acting as extras.

Here are five TV shows and movies to watch that go beyond the “Africa equals poverty” narrative that you need to watch.

1. Supa Team 4 (2023)

Step aside Marvel and DC Comics, there’s a new superhero squad in town. They go by Supa Team 4. Bringing a new angle to the superhero genre centered on African stories and girl power, Malenga Mulendema created Netflix’s first African original animated seriesSupa Team 4in 2023.

The animated series is set in the neo-futuristic city of Lusaka, Zambia, and follows four teenage girls who become undercover superheroes after being recruited by a retired secret agent, Their latest assignment? Saving the world.

Showrunner Malenga Mulendema told CBS News: “In creating a superhero show set in Lusaka, I hope to introduce the world to four strong African girls who save the day in their own fun and crazy way. Most importantly, I want to illustrate that anyone from anywhere can be a superhero.”

2. African Folktales Reimagined (2023)

African Folktales Reimagined is a multilingual anthology series that centers traditional African folktale stories for a modern audience, created by Netflix in partnership with UNESCO. The series’ creative team hail from Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Mauritania, and Uganda and have turned six traditional African stories into dark fantasy drama shorts that cover topics including domestic violence, love, grief, mysticism, suicide, and child marriage.

Folktales have been an integral part of African culture across the continent for years, passed down orally from generation to generation. These stories are used to teach lessons, communicate cultural values, and convey insights about life, according to Minnesota Libraries Publishing Project.

However, according to a BBC article, the art of traditional storytelling and the folktales are at risk of being lost across Africa. This makes shows like African Folktales Reimagined crucial not only for sharing these tales with a global audience but also for preserving this rich African tradition for future generations.

3. Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire (2023)

A whirlwind trip to 2050 where radioactive octopi are used by criminal gangs and a visit to a society where wannabe gods try to ascend by winning a talent show, are just two of the afrofuturistic tales from this African animated series on Disney+.Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire is a pan-African Disney+ original animated series. The 10-part anthology series is executively produced by Oscar-winning Peter Ramsey, Anthony Silverston of South African animation house Triggerfish, and producer Tendayi Nyeke.

The series presents a unique blend of African mythology, science fiction, and Afrofuturism, offering 10 distinct and brave visions of the future from an entirely African perspective.

4. Neptune Frost (2021)

The British Film Institution (BFI) describesNeptune Frost as “a blend of Afrofuturistic and glitch aesthetics,” “anti-capitalist,” and “intoxicatingly original.”

The sci-fi musical, which was filmed entirely in Rwanda, is set in Burundi, in the aftermath of a war. We are introduced to Matalusa (played by actor Bertrand Ninteretse), a coltan miner who witnesses the killing of his younger brother by one of their bosses while they are both at work. The movie also presents a fresh take on economic inequality in the African mining region by highlighting the role of technology as both oppressor and liberator.

5. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

To understand Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, we need to go back to 2018 when director Ryan Coogler first brought to life Marvel’s comic book and introduced us to the fictional African state of Wakanda in Black Panther.

The fictional Wakanda was portrayed as a technologically advanced nation located west of Lake Victoria, on territory that is occupied in the real world by Uganda, Rwanda, and northern Tanzania. The movie was the first time the world saw an African superhero on the big screen within the Marvel cinematic universe, with a majority Black cast and a Black director, according to an article from Independent.

The move was a resounding success, receiving five Oscar nominations across all categories. Picking up from the first film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens with the Wakanda kingdom in mourning after the death of King T’Challa, also known as Black Panther (played by the late actor Chadwick Boseman).

For years, the leaders of Wakanda have kept their homeland and resources, in particular their possession of vibranium safe from the outside world. However, this secret was exposed in the first film, and now outside forces including the mysterious underwater Mesoamerica-inspired kingdom known as Talocan present an unsure threat.