Lecture
Professor David Peimer
Saturday 30.05.2026
Professor David Peimer
Fascinating Africa in Film: ‘Out of Africa’, ‘The African Queen’
Saturday 30.05.2026
How to watch
This lecture starts on 30 May at 5:00pm (UK).
Summary
Both outstanding films use a vast, untamed Africa as a catalyst that forces the characters to strip away their rigid European identities. The films explore the tension between human vulnerability and the forces of nature, where just surviving is the path to spiritual and emotional awakening. And it’s all shown in contrast to the destructive chaos of Western geopolitical conflict and against the enduring, indifferent majesty of the natural world.
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a Professor of Literature, Film and Theatre in the UK. He has worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, New York University (Global Division) and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing. He has most recently directed Dame Janet Suzman in his own play, Joanna’s Story, at London Jewish Book Week. He has published numerous books, including Armed Response: Plays from South Africa and the digital book Theatre in the Camps. He is on the board of the Pinter Centre (London), and has been involved with the Mandela Foundation, Vaclav Havel Foundation and directed a range of plays at Mr Havel’s Prague theatre.