Ousmane Sembene Movies

Pioneering Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembene directed this controversial drama which deals in part with the barbaric practice of female genital mutilation (generally involving removal of the clitoris and temporary closure of the vagina), which is still practiced in a number of African nations in the name of "purification." Six girls who are scheduled to undergo the traditional purification ceremony escape, and four make their way to the home of Colle Ardo Gallo Sy (Fatoumata Coulibaly), a wife and mother who is sympathetic to their dilemma. Colle casts a "moolaade" spell, which will bring harm to anyone who attempts to hurt those under Colle's care. Colle finds few supporters in a village where tradition is sacred and change is regarded with great suspicion; the men who rule the tribe and the women who conduct the purification rituals both make their displeasure clear, but none can persuade Colle to vanquish the spell, which the others are obligated to respect. Meanwhile, Colle's daughter Amsatou (Salimata Traore) is facing a dilemma of her own. Amsatou has fallen in love with a young man who will one day inherit leadership of the tribe; a man who straddles traditional and modern life, he shuttles between an office job in Paris and the village of his birth. But, while he cares for Amsatou, her mother spared her from the purification ritual, and now she's uncertain if he will be willing to violate centuries of tribal tradition and wed a woman who is unclean in the eyes of his family. Moolaadé was awarded the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This powerful, pointed and multi-layered political satire from Senegal's great director Ousman Sembene will provide considerable food for thought; especially amongst those who consider foreign charity a beneficial humanitarian action. It also provides insight into Sembene's thoughts on cultural genocide, AIDS, and corruption. The story centers around the funeral services of the outspoken Pierre Henri Thioune or Guelwaar (meaning Noble One) as his friends and family call him. Guelwaar was a prominent Catholic, the holdover religion from the now ousted French colonialists, who believed that most of his country's problems stem not from racism, nor even from colonialism, but from losing their self-respect by willingly accepting the food and supplies donated to impoverished Senegal by richer countries for the past three decades. Guelwaar maintained that these hand-outs have enslaved his people by causing corruption amongst those who exploit the international good-will for their own gain. It is something that destroyed the country's economy and has kept corrupt officials involved promote continued tension between Muslims and Catholics to keep the people fighting. Guelwaar's inflammatory opinions may well have caused his mysterious death. Afterward many important people come to visit the deceased's surviving family which is comprised of Nogoy Marie, his wife, Sophie, his daughter who sells her body in Dakar, and Barthelemy, his eldest son who loves the French and lives in Paris. His second son, Aloys is crippled and lives with his mother. All gather to mourn Guelwaar's death. The trouble begins when his corpse suddenly disappears from the town funeral home. Barthalemy calls the police and Officer Gora, a Muslim is sent to investigate. Gora is no fan of Guelwaar and his suspicious activities, but he always respected him. He despises Barthelemy because he has abandoned his culture in favor of French to the point that he refuses to speak anything but French. Tensions in town mount as rumors fly about the reason for the corpse's disappearance. But then Gora discovers that Guelwaar's body was accidentally buried in a Muslim cemetery and had nothing to do with ideological differences. Still, this is not the end, for now the Catholics want his body back for a proper burial while the Muslims refuse to defile their sacred burial ground by digging up the corpse. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Writer/directors Ousmane Sembene and Thiermo Faty Sow based Camp de Thiaroye on their own experiences. During the French/Algerian war, a group of black soldiers fight on the side of France. But when hostilities cease, they are detained by their own government in the titular prison camp before being sent home. While incarcerated, they begin to wonder if their cause -- actually their country's cause -- is truly worth it. Camp de Thiaroye was jointly financed by sources from Senegal, Algeria and Tunisia. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A religious conflict characterizes this drama, set in Senegal at the turn-of-the century when the local king becomes a Muslim and decides to break up the small Catholic congregation in the village of the Ceddo. The people revolt against the change and kidnap a princess. To get her back, the different sides must engage in many meetings which must be handled in the traditional manner. As an interesting sidelight, the film was banned in Senegal because the government disagreed with director Ousmane Sembene's spelling of the word "Ceddo." The government insisted that it could only be spelled with one "d." ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This film is from Senegal, a former French colonial nation in Africa. When the French attempted to control the lives of these African villagers too minutely, to the point of regulating how they worshipped their gods, a general revolt broke out which was met with severe reprisals. This film explores that time. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This short work is the first film of Senegalese director, Ousmane Sembene, one of the founding filmmakers of African cinema. The film follows the daily routine of a horse-cart driver. Along his way, he encounters an unfortunate array of characters who embody the economic woes of the impoverished people. Sembene may not have possessed the means to produce a film of the caliber of his later works, but he already possessed the socially critical voice. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, Rovi