African Women in Cinema Blog celebrates Mother's Day: Stories of Mothers

African Women in Cinema Blog celebrates Mother's Day 

African Women, Cinema and Stories of Mothers

Annette Mbaye d’Erneville, Mère-bi: the mother of all--a title which she carries with great aplomb. In addition to mothering her own children--after her divorce, doing so alone--she has mentored scores of Senegalese and African feminists and nurtured a generation of Senegalese film spectators who have taken on the role of cultural producer in the forging of a Senegalese cinema culture.

Sarah Maldoror: "I am one of those modern women who try to combine work and family life, and just like it is for all the others, it's a problem for me. Children need a home and a mother. That's why I try to prepare and edit my films in Paris during the long summer vacation when the children are free and can come along." *

In a tribute to her mother Sarah Maldoror, Henda Ducados had this to say: …It is also important to talk about Sarah as a woman, and talk about this great love story that she had with our father which led to the two projects, Sambizanga and Monangambee… her view about feminism, about being a single mother, female head of household, taking care of two daughters and making sure that the collectivity was very important. Not looking at the individual but at the collective…She always consider my sister and I as individuals. It was tough to deal with that as a child, but as an adult I appreciate that even more. Here we are, I am asked to talk about our mother… Our childhood was never easy but it was fun and unpredictable…People coming in and out of the house all of the time, good hearted strangers babysitting us while Sarah traveled the world. Later on during my history class at the university, I was astonished by the fact that most of the historical figures of the sixties stayed with us in our kitchen and ate with us. There were very few rules that I could remember, but one was to leave regrets/adversity at the door. So thank you Sarah for being so courageous, and passing this on to us, as you gave us the strength to face my fears and venture out and have an impact in this world…

Aïcha Macky begins and ends her film Fruitless Tree in dialogue with her mother: "Dearest Mama, while giving life, you lost yours.” She laments her own circumstance, “whereas I’m dying a slow death by not being able to give life." Nonetheless, she tells her mother that her steps are guided by her spirit. 

 There she was in the street coming towards me, weighed down with suitcases. And there, I said to myself: but who is she really, my mother? How did this woman build a life for herself between France and Senegal? And what is her story? Extract from La vie de ma mère by Maïram Guissé  

*(Interview with Elin Clason, cited in Women and Film No 5-6 1974).