Gender and Sexuality Studies

Abstract

In recent decades, African cinema has emerged as a vital medium for critically examining the intersections of gender, power, and sociocultural transformation. Within this evolving landscape, Blaise Ntedju’s Maudite infidélité contributes to a broader cinematic tradition that mobilizes intimate relationships as entry points for interrogating patriarchal norms, systemic silences, and societal complicity. This study analyzes the film through an intersectional feminist lens, focusing on the interrelated themes of betrayal, gendered insecurity, and emotional resilience. Central to the narrative is Nina’s affective journey in the aftermath of her husband’s infidelity, which illuminates the far-reaching impact of betrayal on familial equilibrium and personal identity. The film foregrounds gendered power asymmetries, particularly through the symbolic contrast between the wife's initial infertility and the mistress’s pregnancy a dynamic that momentarily reconfigures power relations until the child’s tragic death reestablishes emotional instability. Furthermore, the analysis probes the interplay of spirituality and agency, juxtaposing Christianity and voodoo as competing frameworks for coping with crisis and reclaiming control. Maudite infidélité thereby highlights the psychological toll exerted on women navigating social expectations, motherhood, and the pursuit of self-empowerment. The study also shows how new media technologies facilitate critical engagement with entrenched gender hierarchies and amplify women’s voices. By foregrounding issues of emotional vulnerability, reproductive politics, and spiritual recourse, this work illustrates how Maudite infidélité advances urgent dialogues on gender equity, affective justice, and collective healing in contemporary African societies.

Biography

Ariane Ngabeu is an Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Howard University in Washington, DC. Prior to this role, she served for eleven years as the first resident director of the Middlebury School Abroad in Cameroon. Her research focuses on gender, digital media, history/memory, tradition/modernity, culture/identity, and migrant narratives in postcolonial fiction. She is the author of Les Enjeux de la modernité dans le roman africain au féminin (2021), a contributor to Le Dictionnaire universel des femmes créatrices (2013), and has published numerous scholarly articles in her fields of expertise.