Tribute to Safi Faye: A "Peasant Letter" still relevant today
Hommage à Safi Faye : Une «Lettre paysanne» encore actuelle
by/de Mame Woury Thioubou.
Le quotidien.sn. Published 3 mars 2022. Translated from French by Beti Ellerson. Cropped image Films Femmes Afrique Facebook page.
Version originale en français: https://lequotidien.sn/cinema-hommage-a-safi-faye-une-lettre-paysanne-encore-actuelle/
Safi Faye, a pioneer of women in the 7th art in sub-Saharan Africa, she was the first Senegalese woman to go behind the camera, leaving an indelible mark on Senegalese cinema. As part of the 2022 5th edition of the Films Femmes Afrique (Ffa) Festival, a tribute was paid to her at the Ousmane Sembène Cinema Complex. The director's first feature film, Kaddu baykat was screened.
Kaddu Baykat (Peasant Letter) is a severe indictment of the plight of the peasants of Senegal. The reason, no doubt, why the film was censored upon its release. According to journalist and film critic Baba Diop, "the film was controversial at the time, because it criticized Senegalese politics, with the exploitation of peasants who, facing a drought, were nonetheless forced to pay taxes. And when they could not pay, they were locked in seccos and sprinkled with Ddt (a chemical), as punishment and humiliation. Senghor and his government, who were the perpetrators of these misdeeds, did not appreciate it being discussed.”
But despite that, Kaddu Baykat challenged with its courageous stance. In the film, Safi Faye depicts the ills and problems of a Senegalese peasantry bent under the yoke of an agricultural system dominated by groundnut cultivation. A culture that is imposed on them to the detriment of the food crops that allowed them to live. Along with the heavy taxes they have to pay, they also face a cycle of drought. It is in this context that Ngoor strives to raise the necessary sum for his marriage with the beautiful Coumba. Tired of plowing a soil that the rains have scorned, he takes the road to the capital, in this rural exodus that hundreds of thousands of rural people will also undertake in the hopes of finding a means of surviving. Safi Faye conveys the voices of these peasants in this peasant letter. The film, released in 1975, is in a denunciatory tone. Safi Faye challenges the authorities, but also proposes a reflection on the future through reforestation and the protection of nature. This cinema-verité that Safi Faye initially discovered alongside Jean Rouch then during her studies in the humanities in France and Germany, makes her a committed filmmaker. "It's a committed and militant film," says Baba Diop.
Martine Ndiaye, president of the Ffa, had great difficulty in getting a hold of the film. In fact, for several years the works of Safi Faye have been held by a German production house. The process in getting a hold of it was rather trying, she says. “It was difficult to find the film. I looked in France without success and it was finally in Berlin that we found the film. Because Safi Faye has given all of her filmography to be restored by the end of 2022.”
As the only woman filmmaker in sub-Saharan Africa for many years, Safi Faye paved the way for the women who would follow many years later. Hence, through this tribute paid to her, the Ffa recognizes that because of her, “Women can make films today. Our theme is Woman Creator of the Future and Safi Faye was her. But her films don't really age,” says Martine Ndiaye.
Version originale en français: https://lequotidien.sn/cinema-hommage-a-safi-faye-une-lettre-paysanne-encore-actuelle/
Safi Faye, a pioneer of women in the 7th art in sub-Saharan Africa, she was the first Senegalese woman to go behind the camera, leaving an indelible mark on Senegalese cinema. As part of the 2022 5th edition of the Films Femmes Afrique (Ffa) Festival, a tribute was paid to her at the Ousmane Sembène Cinema Complex. The director's first feature film, Kaddu baykat was screened.
Kaddu Baykat (Peasant Letter) is a severe indictment of the plight of the peasants of Senegal. The reason, no doubt, why the film was censored upon its release. According to journalist and film critic Baba Diop, "the film was controversial at the time, because it criticized Senegalese politics, with the exploitation of peasants who, facing a drought, were nonetheless forced to pay taxes. And when they could not pay, they were locked in seccos and sprinkled with Ddt (a chemical), as punishment and humiliation. Senghor and his government, who were the perpetrators of these misdeeds, did not appreciate it being discussed.”
But despite that, Kaddu Baykat challenged with its courageous stance. In the film, Safi Faye depicts the ills and problems of a Senegalese peasantry bent under the yoke of an agricultural system dominated by groundnut cultivation. A culture that is imposed on them to the detriment of the food crops that allowed them to live. Along with the heavy taxes they have to pay, they also face a cycle of drought. It is in this context that Ngoor strives to raise the necessary sum for his marriage with the beautiful Coumba. Tired of plowing a soil that the rains have scorned, he takes the road to the capital, in this rural exodus that hundreds of thousands of rural people will also undertake in the hopes of finding a means of surviving. Safi Faye conveys the voices of these peasants in this peasant letter. The film, released in 1975, is in a denunciatory tone. Safi Faye challenges the authorities, but also proposes a reflection on the future through reforestation and the protection of nature. This cinema-verité that Safi Faye initially discovered alongside Jean Rouch then during her studies in the humanities in France and Germany, makes her a committed filmmaker. "It's a committed and militant film," says Baba Diop.
Martine Ndiaye, president of the Ffa, had great difficulty in getting a hold of the film. In fact, for several years the works of Safi Faye have been held by a German production house. The process in getting a hold of it was rather trying, she says. “It was difficult to find the film. I looked in France without success and it was finally in Berlin that we found the film. Because Safi Faye has given all of her filmography to be restored by the end of 2022.”
As the only woman filmmaker in sub-Saharan Africa for many years, Safi Faye paved the way for the women who would follow many years later. Hence, through this tribute paid to her, the Ffa recognizes that because of her, “Women can make films today. Our theme is Woman Creator of the Future and Safi Faye was her. But her films don't really age,” says Martine Ndiaye.
Nearly half a century later, the themes addressed in the film do not erode. “Filmmakers are visionaries. The problems they were addressing at the time, we see today that they were right to sound the alarm,” says Baba Diop. And practically all of Safi Faye's work is part of this dynamic.
mamewoury@lequotidien.sn
