The room was quiet yet she still heard almost everything, the squeak of her chair, the scratch of her pen across the paper, the sound of her thoughts as she wrote.
Who was she kidding, it could never really be quiet, birds chirped outside her window, leaves rustled in the breeze, her neighbors started to play Burna Boy for the fifth time today ( Heyy, it's Burna Boy so she didn't mind it) but it was almost like every time she wanted to concentrate she could hear her eyes blink.
(maybe she could even hear me narrate this...nahh she can't but it would've been cool)

The irony was not lost on her, Enano was writing her paper on the importance of sound in modern African cinema and she was stuck. She knew her answers but how could she explain them like she really knew it (I mean, ChatGPT gave them to her but she wanted to own it)

Enano closed her eyes, her lips began mouthing the words
"Cinema" "African" Impact"... She let them hang in the air and then it clicked (gett inn joor!!)

She got her phone, put on her favorite film and muted the audio. She watched closely. It felt different. She had seen these scenes countless times before but now they felt bland, emotionless, empty. She could see everything yet she felt nothing

In the market scene, people bargained, hawkers yelled out their wares, bus conductors doing their thing, children running between stalls. Yet the market felt abandoned. It looked alive but sounded dead.
The crying scene was no different. Earlier in the film a woman's son had been hit by a bus after running into the road. The woman was crying... She could tell. Her mouth trembled, tears streamed down her face, but the silence left the grief strangely distant.

Enano pressed the volume button and slowly the life returned.

Same film. Different feeling

Enano smiled, not at the pain of the woman but at the fact that she knew exactly what to do now. She got her pen, kept the phone aside and began to write

"They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but what gives those words emotion? Sound.
With the technological advancement in filmmaking through the use of microphones for clear sound pickup and editing software for added sound value, sound has had a very profound impact on modern African cinema
It enhances storytelling through the use of dialogue and music to pass character emotions and set the mood for each scene. Narrations are used for added information. Sound also creates realism. Ambient sounds like market traders, conductors, rainfall, vehicles moving and nature itself immerse the audience into the film."

Enano stopped writing. She looked around her room, she could still hear everything but she concentrated better somehow. Burna-boy was still playing from the speaker outside (she still didn't mind) She continued with her writing.

"Sound evokes emotions, sad music makes the audience sympathize with a character (like her a few moments ago) fast paced music creates excitement for action scenes and even silence can be used to build suspense.
Finally, sound preserves African culture by promoting indigenous languages, folklore, oral tradition, traditional music and instruments. It allows African films to celebrate their heritage while introducing global audiences to her diverse culture.
In conclusion, sound has impacted the modern African cinema space by enhancing storytelling, promoting and preserving cultural heritage, increasing audience engagement and experience, creating realism and evoking emotions."

Enano smiled.
She sighed with relief.

"I'm done... finally," she said.

She walked to the window and looked outside and then it hit her.
The scratch of her pen. The leaves rustling. The birds chirping. Those had been her ambient sounds.

Burna Boy's music had been the soundtrack.

Her own words had been the dialogue.

"Am I in a movie?" she wondered.

"No, you're not."

Enano frowned. "Who said that?"

...

Holy shit .She can hear me? I'm out.