Laureates of the Afrika Film Festival Köln 2018 Audience Award: Hawa Essuman and Machérie Ekwa Bahango

Laureates of the Afrika Film Festival Köln 2018 Audience Award: Hawa Essuman and Machérie Ekwa Bahango

Congratulations to the laureates of the Afrika Film Festival Köln 2018 Audience Award: Hawa Essuman for the best documentary and Machérie Ekwa Bahango for the best feature film.

Hawa Essuman, Anjali Nayar (Canada/South Africa/ Kenya), Silas, 2017

Liberian activist, Silas Siakor is a tireless crusader, fighting to crush corruption and environmental destruction in the country he loves.

Through the focus on one country, Silas is a global tale that warns of the power of politics and celebrates the power of individuals to fight back. One man's battle gains momentum and emboldens communities to raise their fists and smartphones, seize control of their lands and protect their environment. It is a new generation of resistance.

Machérie Ekwa Bahango, (DR Kongo), Maki’la, 2018

Maki observes the sapeurs with a mixture of amusement and scorn. They’re all the family she has, this group of young men who use the streets of Kinshasa as their stage, showing off their wild mix of street chic and stolen designer fashions. Maki has been on the streets a long time and is married to Mbingazor, the gang’s boss. But at some point, the 19-year-old has had enough of this gang of boys, who are too busy getting high and drunk to do anything with themselves. Survival must be secured. The next time money for food runs out, Maki crosses paths with the much younger Acha. This newcomer is a fresh arrival in Kinshasa, and doesn’t yet know the rules. Spurred on by Acha’s beginner’s luck as a thief, the pair set off on an adventure together, which soon arouses Mbingazor’s jealousy.

Toronto International Film Festival 2018 Laureates: Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian (Fig Tree), Meryam Joobeur (Brotherhood)

Toronto International Film Festival

2018 Laureates:

Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian, Meryam Joobeur

https://www.tiff.net/the-review/tiff-18-award-winners/

Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian (Ethiopia/Israel) Fig Tree (2018) Eurimages Audentia Award for Best Female Director | Eurimages Prix Audentia de la meilleure réalisatrice

Synopsis

English

Set in 1989 during the Ethiopian civil war, fourteen-year-old Mina, who is Jewish, tries to prevent her Christian boyfriend Eli from being drafted. When she discovers her family’s plans to move to Israel, she devises a plot to save Eli. Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian’s coming–of-age debut film is based on her childhood memories of a civil-war-torn Ethiopia.

Français

Pendant la guerre civile qui déchire l’Ethiopie, la famille de Mina, une adolescente de 14 ans, décide de quitter le pays pour Israël. Mais Mina ne peut se résoudre à quitter son ami Eli dont elle est secrètement amoureuse. Malgré la guerre qui fait rage, Mina fera tout ce qu’elle peut pour sauver l’amour de sa vie avant que ne se termine leur enfance. (Source: Cineuropa)

Meryam Joobeur Brotherhood (Tunisia-USA) IWC Short Cuts Award For Best Canadian Short Film | Le prix du meilleur court-métrage canadien

Synopsis

English

The film tells the story of Mohamed, an unsentimental shepherd living in rural Tunisia with his wife and two sons, deeply troubled by the return of his eldest son Malik from Syria. The latter, who has returned with a mysterious new wife, is confronted with his father’s disapproval. The tension between father and son intensifies over three days until it reaches a breaking point.

French

The film raconte l’histoire de Mohamed, un berger endurci vivant en Tunisie rurale avec sa femme et ses deux fils, qui est profondément ébranlé lors du retour de Syrie de son fils ainé Malik. Celui-ci, de retour avec une mystérieuse nouvelle épouse fait face au regard désapprobateur de son père. La tension entre le père et le fils s’intensifie sur trois jours jusqu’a attendre un point de rupture. (Source : Kapitalis)

Tune in : DIRECTED BY WOMEN - a worldwide film viewing party - 1-30 September 2018

Tune in : DIRECTED BY WOMEN - a worldwide film viewing party - 1-30 September 2018

Join the 4th Annual #directedbywomen Worldwide Film Viewing Party

https://directedbywomen.com/

Founder Barbara Ann O'Leary had this to say about the initiative:

We're on a journey. Each year has its own rhythms.

  

The intention of the #DirectedbyWomen Worldwide Film Viewing Party is to invite film lovers to become aware of the thousands and thousands of women who have directed/are directing films, to inspire exploration and appreciation of their work, and to foster a sense of growing community among film lovers. Ultimately the intention is to help the world fall madly in love with films by women directors. 

The Global Directory of women directors is up to 12426 directors... and counting!

Women at the | Frauen beim | Les Femmes au : Afrika Film Festival Köln - 13. - 23. September 2018

WOMEN AT THE | FRAUEN BEIM | LES FEMMES AU :

AFRIKA FILM FESTIVAL KÖLN

13. - 23. September 2018 

Fokus:

Innerafrikanische Migration

Theme: Migrations in Africa

Thème : Migrations en Afrique

Josza Anjembe

Machérie Ekwa Bahango

Khadidiatou Sow

Hawa Essuman

Safi Faye

Selly Raby Kane

Ng’endo Mukii

Marie Laurentine Bayala

Apolline Traoré

Gastbeitrag | Guest Contribution | Contribution d’invitée 

Fatima Sissani : Der Blick von Innen | The inside view | Le regarde la dedans

Josza Anjembe (France-Cameroon) Le bleu blanc rouge de mes cheveux, 2016

English

Seyna, a seventeen-year-old Cameroonian adolescent, is passionate about the history of France, the country where she was born and which she loves very much. Having obtained her baccalaureate and approaching adulthood, Seyna has only one desire, to acquire French nationality. But her father Amidou is fiercely opposed to it.

Français

À dix-sept ans, Seyna, une adolescente camerounaise se passionne pour l'histoire de la France, le pays qui l'a vue naître et dont elle est profondément amoureuse. Son baccalauréat en poche et sa majorité approchant, Seyna n'aspire qu'à une chose : acquérir la nationalité française. Mais son père Amidou s'y oppose farouchement.

Machérie Ekwa Bahango, (DR Kongo), Maki’la, 2018

English

Maki observes the sapeurs with a mixture of amusement and scorn. They’re all the family she has, this group of young men who use the streets of Kinshasa as their stage, showing off their wild mix of street chic and stolen designer fashions. Maki has been on the streets a long time and is married to Mbingazor, the gang’s boss. But at some point, the 19-year-old has had enough of this gang of boys, who are too busy getting high and drunk to do anything with themselves. Survival must be secured. The next time money for food runs out, Maki crosses paths with the much younger Acha. This newcomer is a fresh arrival in Kinshasa, and doesn’t yet know the rules. Spurred on by Acha’s beginner’s luck as a thief, the pair set off on an adventure together, which soon arouses Mbingazor’s jealousy.

This debut packs in a whole lot: The drama of the story, the raw opulence of the setting and street cred of the actors are all striking cinematic statements. Machérie Ekwa Bahango is part of a group of young filmmakers in Kinshasa working to revitalise Congolese cinema and create works that equally appeal to their own home audiences.

Français

Makila est une jeune fille de 19 ans qui vit dans la rue depuis l'âge de 13 ans. A son arrivée, elle a été accueillie par le caïd Mbingazor, un délinquant albinos, qui l'a initiée à la façon de vivre, ou plutôt de survivre, dans la rue : drogue, prostitution, vol… Les deux finissent par se marier. Devenue femme de caïd, Makila engage à son service des enfants qui volent pour elle, en échange d'une protection et de quelques miettes. Elle arrête ainsi de se prostituer. Makila et Mbingazor forment le couple le plus respecté de la rue, mais très vite, leur relation basée sur l'exploitation et la violence, commence à ennuyer la jeune fille qui se sent prisonnière. Elle décide de quitter Mbingazor…

Khadidiatou Sow, (Senegal) Une Place dans l‘Avion, 2017

English

A radio station announces that a special aircraft to the US is at the disposal of any traveller wishing to emigrate, on demand. But there is a limited number of places. Moussa, who has always dreamt of leaving, decides to set off.

Français

Une station de radio annonce qu'un avion spécial à destination des États-Unis vient d'être mis à la disposition de tout voyageur désireux d'émigrer, sans aucune formalité ou contrainte. Sauf que les places sont limitées. Moussa qui a toujours rêvé de partir se découvre des capacités insoupçonnés.

Hawa Essuman, Anjali Nayar (Canada/South Africa/Kenya), Silas, 2017

English

Liberian activist, Silas Siakor is a tireless crusader, fighting to crush corruption and environmental destruction in the country he loves.

Through the focus on one country, Silas is a global tale that warns of the power of politics and celebrates the power of individuals to fight back. One man's battle gains momentum and emboldens communities to raise their fists and smartphones, seize control of their lands and protect their environment. It is a new generation of resistance.

Français

Activiste libérien Silas Siakor est un militant infatigable qui se bat pour écraser la corruption et la destruction de l'environnement dans le pays qu'il aime.

En visant sur son pays, Silas est un conte mondial qui met en garde contre le pouvoir de la politique et au même temps célèbre le pouvoir des individus à se défendre. La bataille d'un homme prend de l'ampleur et encourage les communautés à lever le poing et les smartphones, à prendre le contrôle de leurs terres et à protéger leur environnement. C'est une nouvelle génération de résistance.

Safi Faye (Senegal), Kaddu Beykat (Letter From My Village) 1975

English

Ngor and Coumba live in a small village of farmers-breeders in Senegal live. They have wanted to get marry for the past two years. And again this year, the harvest is bad ... The rains are insufficient, irregular. Groundnut, a colonial-era crop, the only marketable produce, is harvested only once a year.

Français

Dans un petit village d'agriculteurs-éleveurs au Sénégal habitent Ngor et Coumba. Il y a maintenant deux ans que Ngor désire épouser Coumba. Et cette année encore, la récolte est mauvaise... Les pluies sont insuffisantes, irrégulières. Or l'arachide, culture coloniale, la seule commercialisable, ne se récolte qu'une fois par an.

Selly Raby Kane (Senegal) The Other Dakar, 2017

English

In this dreamlike 360º film, we follow a girl in her journey through “The other Dakar”, a place where artists hold the secret wonders of the city.

Français

Une petite fille est choisie et reçoit un message pour découvrir le visage caché de Dakar. Un hommage 360º à la mythologie sénégalaise. Embarquez dans l’univers fantastique et foisonnant de l’artiste, et découvrez la face cachée de la capitale sénégalaise.

Ng’endo Mukii (Kenya) Nairobi Berries, 2017

English

In the empty spaces we cannot claim as our own, in forests full of smoke and beneath waters dappled with bougainvillea, two women and a man wrangle. Each must hollow out the other’s core for fruits promised but only ever borne, in dreams. For this is Nairobi, the place we call home.

Français

Dans les espaces vides que nous ne pouvons revendiquer comme les nôtres, dans des forêts pleines de fumée et sous les eaux pointées de bougainvilliers, deux femmes et un homme se disputent. Chacun doit creuser le noyau de l’autre pour obtenir des fruits promis mais qui n’été octroyé que dans les rêves. Car c'est Nairobi, l'endroit que nous appelons chez nous.

Marie Laurentine Bayala, (Burkina Faso), Fantôme du Père, 2018

English

In this documentary, the director follows the path of mixed-race Franco-Burkinabe, Claire Lagedemond in her journey of identity to find her father, whom she has not seen since childhood. Born in Côte d’Ivoire, she grew up in the village. In Burkina, with her non-literate grandmother, she is now more than 40 years old and determined to find the father who for her has become a ghost. Also, Claire fights to prevent this same situation from happening to her son whose father is also absent. In this film, one has the impression of being transported into an investigation that goes from Ouagadougou to Abidjan, of which we absolutely want to know the outcome. (To the ghost of the father by Marie Laurentine Bayala. By Bengnime Rachelle Some. Source: JCFA NEWS No. 3 Journées Cinématographiques de la Femme Africain de l'Image).

Français

La réalisatrice suit dans ce documentaire les traces de Claire Lagedemond, métisse franco- burkinabè, dans sa quête identitaire pour retrouver son père qu’elle n’a plus revu depuis son enfance. Née en Côte d’Ivoire, elle a grandi au village. Au Burkina, auprès de sa grand-mère illettrée, âgée aujourd’hui de plus de 40 ans. Elle est obstinée à retrouver ce père devenu un fantôme pour elle. Aussi, Claire se bat pour éviter que cette même situation n’arrive pas à son fils dont le père est absent. Dans ce film, on a l'impression d'être emporté par une enquête qui va de Ouagadougou à Abidjan, dont on tient absolument à connaître le dénouement. (Au fantôme du père de Marie Laurentine Bayala. Par Bengnime Rachelle Some. Source: JCFA NEWS No. 3 Journées Cinématographiques de la Femme Africain de l'Image). 

Apolline Traoré (Burkina Faso), Frontières (Borders) 2017

English

As the road movie is a cinematic genre that puts the voyage at the heart of its adventures, by its title ("Frontiers") Apolline Traoré's third feature is framed from the start as a fantastical journey of the problematic passage from one country to another.

[Français]

Le road movie est un genre cinématographique qui met le voyage au cœur de ses péripéties. Par son titre ("Frontières") le troisième long métrage d'Apolline Traoré se pose d'emblée comme un parcours rocambolesque au cours duquel le passage d'un pays à un autre pose problème.

Afrika Film Festival Köln - 13. -23 September 2018 - Deutsch | English | Français

AFRIKA FILM FESTIVAL KÖLN

13. -23 September 2018

Deutsch | English | Français

PROGRAMMHEFT | BOOKLET | BROCHURE :

http://www.filme-aus-afrika.de/DE/in-koeln/afrika-film-festival-koeln/2018/

Women at the | Frauem beim | Les Femmes au :
Afrika Film Festival Köln

Deutsch

Fokus: Innerafrikanische Migration

Das 16. Afrika Film Festival Köln präsentiert 75 neue Filme aus Afrika – mit einem breiten Fokus auf innerafrikanische Migration

Zu Beginn einige Zahlen: 68 Millionen Menschen sind weltweit auf der Flucht, die meisten von ihnen in ihren eigenen Nachbarländern. Die Gründe sind so bekannt wie vielfältig: Krieg, Demokratiedefizite und wirtschaftliche Not. Dabei gelangt nur ein kleiner Teil der globalen Flüchtlinge (um die 17 Prozent) in das vergleichsweise reiche Europa, 30 Prozent aller Flüchtlinge leben in den afrikanischen Ländern südlich der Sahara. Wird der Maghreb hinzugezählt, beherbergt Afrika sogar etwa die Hälfte der Flüchtlinge weltweit.

Die innerafrikanische Migration ist ein zentraler Fokus beim diesjährigen Afrika Film Festival Köln, mit 25 Titeln; doch auch die Filme des Rahmenprogramms durchzieht das Thema häufig auf direkte oder indirekte Weise.

English

Theme: Migrations in Africa

The 16th Afrika Film Festival Köln will present 75 new films from Africa – with a wider focus on migration within Africa.

Some numbers: there are currently 68 mil- lion displaced people worldwide, most of whom now reside in countries bordering their homelands. The wide range of reasons for their displacement is well known: war, demo- cratic deficits and economic deprivation. Only a small per- centage of the world’s refugees (around 17 percent) make it to the comparatively rich Europe, while 30 percent of all refugees live in sub-Saharan African countries. If we include the Maghreb, the percentage of the world’s refugees accom- modated in Africa swells to around 50.

Migration within Africa is one of the key focal points of this year’s Afrika Film Festival Köln, with 25 films in the main programme and many others in the supporting events that directly or indirectly address the issue.

Français

Thème : Migrations en Afrique

Le 16ème Festival du Film africain de Cologne présente 75 nouveaux films d’Afrique – avec un large éventail sur la migration intra-africaine

Quelques chiffres pour commencer : 68 millions de per- sonnes sont déplacées à travers le monde, la plupart d’entre elles dans leurs pays voisins. Les raisons sont aussi connues que multiples : guerre, déficit démocratique et détresse éco- nomique. Dans ce contexte, seule une poignée des réfugiés mondiaux (environ 17 pourcent) atteignent l’Europe, plus riche, et 30 pourcent des réfugiés vivent dans des pays afri- cains au sud du Sahara. Si on compte le Maghreb, l’Afrique abrite même la moitié de tous les réfugiés du monde.

La migration intra-africaine est au cœur de la présente édi- tion du Festival du Film africain de Cologne, avec 25 titres ; mais la plupart des films du programme abordent aussi cette thématique de manière directe ou indirecte.

Analysis/analyse by/par PÉLAGIE NG'ONANA : Ward Zee by/de Delphine Itambi, the power of the womb / le pouvoir des entrailles

Analysis/analyse by/par PÉLAGIE NG'ONANA : Ward Zee by/de Delphine Itambi, the power of the womb / le pouvoir des entrailles. Translated from French by Beti Ellerson

Français ci-après

[English]
The director's latest film, based on a true story, infiltrates the trafficking network of new-born babies.

From beginning to end the intrigue conveys the pangs of a painful battle. That of Page Asanji, a young mother dispossessed of the fruit of her womb two days after childbirth. Embodied by the talented Charlotte Gobina, an imposing figure in the leading role, from scene to scene Page's determination finds paths of hope to a dramatically desperate situation. Who has so cleverly orchestrated the theft of a new-born baby in the famous Pavilion Z of the Royal Hospital? The 116 minutes of this thriller, shot in Buea will make the spectator a full member of the investigative team who has decided to conduct a private enquiry. With Ward Zee, officially released 23 June 2018, Delphine Itambi deals with a humanly devastating phenomenon that is growing at a frightful rate in Cameroon. She is particularly inspired by the famous affair of Vanessa Tchatchou, mother of a little girl who disappears a few hours later without a trace in 2011. The event, which happens in the Cameroonian capital, will take on an international resonance. But will not bring back the stolen baby.

While Ward Zee is not a reproduction of this affair, we still find the main ingredients that have embellished this sordid story: a hospital that allows its new-born to be taken away, an investigation burdened with delays, and biased authorities, who for the most part are walled in their silence. The protagonists of Ward Zee learn this at their own expense. The first attempts of the young Page to legally find her baby and her husband (also missing) prove unfruitful. The lawyer she meets on her journey, rousing half amnesic in a bush, is eliminated while she conducts her investigation. Kate (Ndamo Damarise), Page’s interesting newfound neighbour realises immediately that she is in danger and decides to help her. She will succeed in convincing Jack (Libota Macdonald) her private detective boyfriend and Danny (Anurin nwunembom) the ex of the heroine, to avoid the police at all cost. It is the beginning of a delectable suspense story, peppered with chilling discoveries. The story, carefully narrated with a good dose of flashback keeps the viewer attentive while guessing what will follow. It is a heck of a hit for Delphine Itambi, who also scripted and produced this feature film.

Footprints…

Deep in her role, Page aptly portrays a bruised mother in the depths of despair. At the same time, an unknown force dwells within her, feeding her rage to find that part of herself, which has just been taken away. Her imaginary and echoing blows are testimony to this. The camera multiplies the close-ups on the face of the heroine transformed by sadness. The scenes arranged with the rhythm of astute editing are accompanied by skilfully balanced music. Some of them reveal nevertheless an inadequate synchronization of the sound. But one of Ward Zee's strengths is also its strong imprint of women’s presence. In addition to the main role, the filmmaker chooses to give key places to women, all of strong character. The first woman is a generous and courageous lawyer. Page’s new neighbour, a bit whacky but determined and persevering, mobilises and encourages her friends in their search for the new-born child. Delphine Itambi will also make a personal homage by inspiring Kate a scenario that she will write throughout the plot. Laura Onyama, a major asset of the film, plays Mabel, who commits the act of theft. The actress admirably goes from a sweet maid to a tried-and-tested girlfriend to the ruthless thief who wants to assert herself. Commanding in her role, Laura Onyama, playing opposite Page, responds unambiguously, allowing the director to explore the different extremes of the characters. The cast also reveals Achille Brice, better known in his roles of director and editor, in the posture of a seductive sniper. Ward Zee has a bright future ahead of it, like its young director who is just beginning to write her story within the Cameroonian film industry.

[Français]

Le dernier film de la réalisatrice, qui s’inspire d’une histoire vraie, s’infiltre dans un réseau de trafic de nouveau-nés.

L’intrigue porte de bout en bout les affres d’un combat douloureux. Celui d’une jeune mère Page Asanji, dépossédée du fruit de ses entrailles deux jours après l’enfantement. Incarnée par la talentueuse Gobina Charlotte, imposante dans ce rôle principal, la détermination de Page au fil des scènes, trouve des ruelles d’espoir à une situation dramatiquement désespérante. Qui a si savamment orchestré le vol d’un nouveau-né dans ce fameux pavillon Z du Royal hospital ?  Les 116 minutes de ce thriller tourné à Buea vont faire du spectateur un membre à part entière de cette curieuse équipe décidée à mener une enquête privée. Avec Ward Zee, sortie officiellement le 23 juin 2018, Delphine Itambi traite d’un phénomène humainement destructeur qui prend affreusement de l’ampleur au Cameroun. Elle s’inspire particulièrement de la célèbre Affaire Vanessa Tchatchou, génitrice en 2011 d’une petite fille qui disparait quelques heures après sans traces. L’évènement qui se déroule dans la capitale camerounaise prendra une résonnance internationale. Mais ne ramènera pas le bébé volé.

Si Ward Zee n’est pas une reproduction de ce fait divers, on y retrouve tout de même les principaux ingrédients qui ont agrémenté cette scabreuse histoire. Un hôpital qui laisse s’échapper son nouveau-né. Une enquête taxée de tardive et biaisée des autorités pour la plupart du temps murés dans leur silence. Les protagonistes de Ward Zee en apprennent à leurs dépends. Les premières tentatives de le jeune Page à retrouver légalement son bébé et son mari (lui aussi disparu) sont sans issues. L’avocate qu’elle croise sur son chemin en se réveillant à moitié amnésique dans une broussaille, est éliminée pendant qu’elle mène son enquête. Kate (Ndamo Damarise) la nouvelle et intéressante voisine de Page la sait désormais en danger et décide de lui apporter son aide. Elle réussira à convaincre Jack (Libota Macdonald) son petit ami détective privé et Danny (Anurin nwunembom) l’ex de l’héroïne de surtout éviter la police. C’est le début d’un suspens délicieux, jalonné de découvertes macabres. L’histoire, soigneusement narrée à bonne dose de flash-back donne difficilement la latitude au spectateur de deviner ce qui va suivre. Un sacré coup pour Delphine Itambi qui scénarise et produit en même ce long métrage.

Empreintes…

A fond dans son rôle, Page renvoie avec justesse son jeu de mère meurtrie rongée jusqu’aux entrailles par le désespoir. En même temps habitée d’une force inconnue qui nourrit sa rage de retrouver cette partie d’elle qu’on vient de lui ôter. Ses légendaires et retentissantes baffes en témoignent. La caméra multiplie les gros plans avec le visage de l’héroïne transformé par la tristesse. Les scènes agencées au rythme d’un montage intelligent s’accompagnent d’une musique savamment dosée. Quelques-unes d’entre elles dévoilant néanmoins une synchronisation inadéquate du son. Mais l’une des forces de Ward Zee c’est aussi sa forte empreinte féminine. Hormis le rôle principal, la réalisatrice choisit de donner des places déterminantes aux femmes toutes d’un fort caractère. Le premier personnage qui décide d’aider la jeune maman est une avocate généreuse et courageuse. La nouvelle voisine de Page, un peu déjantée mais déterminée et persévérante, mobilise et encourage ses amis dans la recherche du nouveau-né. Delphine se fera d’ailleurs un clin d’œil personnel en inspirant à Kate un scénario qu’elle écrira tout au long de l’intrigue. Et puis, on a Laura Onyama. Un atout majeur du film. Elle incarne Mabel, l’infiltrée qui commet l’acte du vol. L’actrice passe admirablement de douce femme de ménage à petite amie éprouvée jusqu’à l’impitoyable voleuse qui veut s’assumer. Magistrale dans son jeu, Laura Onyama donne une réplique retentissante à Page et permet à la réalisatrice d’explorer les différentes extrémités des personnages. La distribution dévoile également Achille Brice dans une posture de snipper qui séduit. Plus connu sous ses casquettes de réalisateur et monteur. Ward Zee a de beaux jours devant lui. Tout comme sa jeune réalisatrice qui commence juste à écrire son histoire dans l’industrie cinématographie camerounaise.           

Remembering Djibril Diop Mambety and the two iconic women of Touki Bouki and Hyenas

Remembering Djibril Diop Mambety and the two iconic women of Touki Bouki and Hyenas

A tribute to Djibril Diop Mambety who passed away in 1998.

Djibril Diop Mambety: Sinemaabi, as told to Beti Ellerson

In our 1997 interview, Djibril Diop Mambety narrates to me—in true storytelling fashion—his own cinematic voyage, during which he conflates two characters from his two feature films as if in an departure-return scenario: the iconoclast Anta in his masterpiece Touki Bouki (1973) and the unforgettable Linguère Ramatou in his equally magnificent work, Hyenas (1992).

Ah cinema!

How did I come to cinema? As youngsters, we used to make a screen out of a white cloth and put it in the middle of the house. We lit a candle and put it behind the screen where people would sit on both sides. We cut out pictures to make characters, and the horses would make the sound “turerunturenkungkungkung.” We made this into a story and it became our film.

Then we went to the western school. But it came to a point when I realized that this school was not for me. I thought back to the pictures that I used to make when I was younger. The idea came and left, came and left. Yet it never stopped. In the middle of the school term, I thought: “No, this is not for me, this is not my way. Getting diplomas won’t be productive for me. My future is not sitting in an office saying that I am working. I belong in the streets, this is what is good for me.”

Fed up with school, I left all my belongings there and went to the street. I told people that I was an actor in the theater.

But after a time, even that became too small. There was not enough room. At that point, I thought, maybe I need to return to those things that I used to do when I was a kid, those pictures.

Well, I got into it, yet I wasn’t really in it. It was all just talk, just to show off. People started saying, “He’s crazy! Look at him, now he is saying that he is in the cinema! Why did he leave the western school where everybody is fighting to get into but there is no space? He left school and now he is saying he is going to do cinema! But he has never gone anywhere! He has never been to France, to America. He’s crazy!”

I followed that craziness and it lead me to my first film, Badou Boy. Yet, I had never left Africa. What they say about dreams: dreams that meet with daylight are dreams that are meant to happen, and dreams still happen, even today.

That is why when young people ask me, “pappa, how do you make films?” I always want to tell them how easy it is.

The kids ask, “what do you mean easy?” I say, “if you want to do it, just close your eyes. When you close your eyes, you see darkness. It is very dark. Now when you close your eyes tighter, you see lots of stars. The stars that you see in the dark, well, some of them are people, some of them are horses, and some of them are crows. You mix them all up, as if mixing cement. While you mix them, you tell them how to come together. You tell them where to go, when to stop, and where to fall. That is called a scenario. Once you finish, you name it. Then you open your eyes. When you open your eyes, you have a film. That is just how easy it is. It’s just that easy with everything else. You put your mind to it. You can spend the day thinking about it. You sleep with it, and you dream about it. When you wake up you will see its value.

That is cinema; that is cinema.”

Touki Bouki, is all about darkness, the night. Somebody is travelling. Who is travelling? A bird? A person? No, a hyena is travelling. What is this Touki Bouki all about? Well, a hyena will wait until it is late, very late. Until it sees a lion. Despite the weight and strength of the lion, the hyena will follow it ; follow it, wherever it goes. The lion keeps walking and walking until it is tired, very tired, and weak. Now it can only rest and sleep. It has no more strength. It is then that I will say: “It is my turn to reign. The reign of the hyena is now.” What is the reign of the hyena? Well, this is what Touki Bouki is about. It is about those days when we dreamed of going abroad. We dreamed the white’s dream of making movies. It was as if we were foreigners in our own homes here in Africa. Foreigners because our “everything” was abroad. It is there that you go to succeed, to make pictures.

Then when you come back, people will call you “sir”. Then we say, “well, we need to travel.” “But how will you go?” “Oh there are ships here!” “But how much does it cost?” “Oh, there are ways!” “But why are you going there?” “When we get there with our beauty, with our stature, with our blackness. People will clap their hands, and say, ‘Here is the king, the ruler.’ This was our dream, and in dreaming this, we forgot our own country. What a pity!

Twenty-five years later, I realised that it was not true. I escaped from that ugly dream. I wanted my generation and all Africans to escape from that dream too. And build our country where we are not foreigners. Forget those dreams of elsewhere. Let us dream our dreams and plant our seeds here in Africa.

That is what I felt when I made Touki Bouki.

The hyena continued to follow me and follow me. Then I said, “wait, come, the hyena is calling for another `simb.’ So let’s play another game.” That is when I did the film Hyenas. I returned to the people who went on the journey in Touki Bouki. One travelled, one stayed behind. She said she was going, he said he couldn’t leave. She was gone away for thirty years working as a prostitute, a prostitute. She went to Japan, she went to New York, she went to Paris. She collected a lot of wealth. Then one day she decided to come home. She said to the griot: “tell the man who let me go, that I’m coming back, and there will be no peace.” Yes, in a sense there will be, since they only want money and refrigerators. Well, they will have all they need, until they will not want any more of it, until they are sick of it. The griot went to announce this to the people of Colobane. They said: “tell her to come and bring what she promises. We will give her our lives, our souls, our hearts, everything.” The woman has returned from her journey. Some butts are going to be kicked!

What a shame!

It is as if Africa is something that can be bought. You can buy its people, you can buy its dignity. What a victim, what a pity. What a pity in the face of God!

That is the reason that I made Hyenas.

What is next ? I cannot say. After all, I only wanted to express my love for my country. My country is like my stomach, which is more precious than anything abroad. Everybody has to have something to fight for. I am fighting for Africa. People elsewhere are fighting for their countries. It is time to fight for Africa.

It is almost too late, but it is never too late for beauty.

And Africa’s future ?
(what follows was told in French by Djibril Diop Mambety)

The future could be brighter if we are sufficiently cautious of the indulgence of Linguère Ramatou, she who collected the scum of the earth and brought it back to Africa to capitalise on it. If we are able to demystify wealth, the future is brilliant, the future of Africa is brilliant. The future of black people resides in its mission that goes back to the age of the pyramids and spreads far beyond. We do not cease to produce beauty. We only need be wary of the pathetic contagion of western Enlightenment, which is really not illumination at all, but simply electricity.

The interview, spoken in Wolof, was presented on Reels of Colour in 1998, a series that I produced and hosted, televised locally in Washington, D.C., USA.  The Wolof was translated by Cheikh Oumar Diouf.

The False Lion Dance (Simb in Wolof) is an event organized in all regions of Senegal, on certain occasions such as Independence Day, Youth Day, Summer holidays, etc.