Return to Darkness: Representations of Africa in Resident Evil 5

This paper examines how Africa is represented in Capcom's 2009 game Resident Evil 5, with particular attention to the figure of the zombie and what that representation reveals about enduring colonial imagery. The authors argue that although the game's creators did not intend racial stereotyping and were surprised by the controversy surrounding the release, the game nonetheless re-enacts familiar tropes of "Darkest Africa." Its representation homogenises a diverse continent into a single, faceless setting and casts Africa as passive and in need of Western intervention, while the Western protagonist is positioned as a saviour.

The analysis situates the game within a longer history of the zombie, tracing its origins in Haitian voodoo and its role as a metaphor for slavery, subjugation, and colonial anxieties about revolt. It draws on the work of scholars including Kyle Bishop, Jon Stratton, and Diane Carr to show how zombies have been read as embodiments of marginalised "Others," and how their liminal, abject qualities make them effective enemies in survival horror games. Against this backdrop, the paper treats the game as a single, stable text, focusing on its cinematic narrative, dialogue, character design, and a village diary sequence that frames the zombification of local people as a regression into a primitive, animalistic state.

The authors conclude that the game's depiction of African zombies reproduces a conceptual link between Africa, savagery, and the zombified mob, and that this link carries real consequences because of the historical misrepresentation of African peoples. They contend that the controversy is therefore not dismissed by Capcom's lack of intent, and that the questions raised about representation in mainstream digital games merit serious critical engagement.