African spirit

Among the Academy Awards nominations in this year’s best foreign language category is a South African film called ‘‘Tsotsi,’’ a picture that’s getting attention for its humanizing portrait of a brutal young gang leader who is transformed when he unwittingly carjacks an automobile with a baby inside. It could easily be a Hollywood plotline — and as two local arts events ably demonstrate, the contemporary urban experience in Africa is a lot closer to that of American city life than many Westerners might suppose.

Now in its sixth year, the African Film Festival at the Museum of Fine Arts grew out of an annual African movie festival in New York City. Drawing on its programming, as well as African films with US distribution — and those assembled by the Global Film Initiative, which aims to expose students to films from developing regions of the world — the 2006 series features 11 films. That makes it the second-largest African film festival in the country, surpassed only by the New York event, according to Bo Smith, who directs film programming at the MFA.

Among the films Smith is excited about this year is Teddy Mattera’s 2004 comedy, ‘‘Max and Mona.’’ Also from South Africa, which has seen an explosion of film activity in recent years thanks to an influx of capital aimed at supporting artistic expression, the film follows a country boy’s misadventures in the big city. Full of street language and earthy jokes, Smith expects the movie to challenge viewers’ assumptions about Africans and their sense of humor.

Another of Smith’s favorites is Zeze Gamboa’s ‘‘The Hero,’’ which examines the aftermath of Angola’s 30-year civil war through an injured veteran’s struggle to create a normal life in peace time. While Smith acknowledges that another Angolan film, ‘‘Hollow City,’’ which screened last year, may have seemed overly bleak to some, he expects ‘‘The Hero’’ to both move and uplift audiences.

Other highlights include Jean-Marie Teno’s 2004 documentary from Cameroon, ‘‘The Colonial Misunderstanding,’’ and Ramadan Suleman’s ‘‘Zulu Love Letter,’’ also from South Africa. Overall, Smith aims to represent as many countries and perspectives as possible, while hoping any exposure to African cinema will open the eyes and minds of American audiences. ‘‘[People] seem to have somewhat of a phobia about Africa,’’ says Smith. ‘‘They tend to run from it, because they think it’s going to be too bleak and too depressing. But if you see films where you’re actually getting closer to what peoples’ lives are like, you’ll have a different take on it, I think. You see all the power of the human spirit.’’

The African Film Festival runs through Feb. 26. Tickets are $9. Visit www.mfa.org for a schedule. ‘‘Max and Mona’’ screens Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 25 at 10:30 a.m. ‘‘The Hero’’ screens Sat at 10:30 a.m., Sun at 12:10 p.m., Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. and Feb. 25 at 12:30 p.m. ‘‘The Colonial Misunderstanding’’ screens Sat at 6:15 p.m. ‘‘Zulu Love Letter’’ screens Sun at 3:45 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston. 617-267-9300.

KERRY STUART COPPIN’S IMAGES OF URBAN AFRICA are also intended to overturn prejudices and draw parallels to life in the West. The Rhode Island-based photographer has traveled to Dakar, Senegal, and other Western African locales three times in the past five years to photograph city life. The images depicted in his oversized, long-format, sepia-toned prints in the exhibition ‘‘Hidden Names | Complex Fate,’’ currently showing at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, don’t look so different from urban scenes anywhere else in the world.

Coppin hopes to not only draw these connections, but to also offer an alternative view to the idea that Africa’s only reality is one of suffering. ‘‘If you make images that humanize the continent, it changes our perceptions of it,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s not just a place where everyone is running around with AIDS, and where the ones who don’t have AIDS are starving to death because there’s no food, or because there’s a drought.’’

But Coppin isn’t just a reporter; he’s also an artist. His photographs exude a visceral beauty that he hopes expresses what he sees as the continent’s real wealth. ‘‘I had a very positive experience there,’’ he says. ‘‘And I think if more people went there, they would — number one — have a different understanding of the continent and its people. And they would recognize that among Africa’s very significant natural resources are her human resources.’’

Kerry Stuart Coppin’s exhibitions, ‘‘Hidden Names | Complex Fate,’’ and ‘‘In a Land Most Strange,’’ are on view Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-6 p.m., through March 3. The exhibition is free, but donations are accepted. Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., Cambridge. 617-577-1400, ext. 10.