Delwende (Lève-toi et marche)

Synopsis :

In a small village of Burkina countryside, the young Pugbila is being raped in the night after the sacred danses. She is married by her father the day after, and leave the village to live with her husband. But the village is touched by an epidemy : children are dying. The elders decide to call for the marabout, who lead a ceremony : the Songho, which is supposed to be able to find the cause. Pugbila's mother is conviced to be the witch, and must leave the village. Her errand, being repelled by everyone will lead her to the capital, where her daughter will try to find her.

The movies whows us a busy and colorfull Africa, far away from any prejudice of pauverty. No miserabilism, the topic is somewhere else. The easy traditionnal way to solve problems, calling the Manes to help, and the common practice to point at a woman as the scapegoat of any problem is at the center of the realisator's concern here. Scenes shot in a « witch shelter » exploits the contrats between the young and beautiful Pugbila and these old women, who live in a junkyard, only by charity of the « Ministere du developpement de la femme ».

It's a reality of Africa, how traditions can be a weight for supersticious people, and a curb to development. Maybe the subject could have been tackled with less insistance, and smugness (not. In the shelter's scenes). The whole story is a way to tell us something, and is the narration get very secondary in the second part of the movie.

Errance, wanderring : aimless for the mother who doesn't know hos to survive, and determination of her daughter, who wants to save and rehabilitate her. This girl, of the new generation who is asked to stand and walk. That hope, symbolised by the new generation is a message that join a common topos in african cinema : the young girl who bring truth and peace into a conflictual situation, with dignity and determination. Pugbila is something of the princess of Ceddo.

The first scene is a beautifull danse of youth, the young girl of the village are both sensuals and energic. Plans are long, the crane is used with dexterity and inventivity. But during the movie, this virtuosity disapears, for the benefit of more statics plans, well composed and very colored. But there is no more surprise, no real invention after this. This is especially perceptible when the narration rythme get slower in the second part.

I must say delwende is a good movie, the immerge us into the traditions and the customs of a small village. But it hardly get to something more that a good « thesis movie », militant for social changes.

Realisator

S Pierre Yamaedo is born in 1955 in Koudougou (Burkina Faso). He studies cinema in Paris (Conservatoire Libre du Cinéma Français), and makes his first short in 1984 : « L'oeuf Silhouette ». His first feature, Laafi, is selected for the Festival de Cannes 's Prix de la critique. He gets a prize at the 1993's Fespaco for «Wendemi ».

A movie by S. Pierre Yamaedo.

2005

With Blandine Yameogo, Claire Ilboudo and Céléstin Zongo.
Regard Hope Award, at 2005's Cannes Festival.

The Making of African Cinema : Ousmane Sembene

Manthia Diawara and Ngugi Wa Thiong'o met Ousmane Sembene before his death. And this movie is a precious acount of the man who was called the « father of african cinema ». Visiting the places where he shot some of his most importants movies, they let him talk about many things. What is cinema, links between cinema and litterature, the rôle of african cinema.

The dialogue is often politic, and the purpuse is clear : the realisators, both americans, want to find out something about their roots, and Sembene is a providential guide, one foot on each side of the world. The culture of Africa lives in him with the Western culture. They are eager to hear him, and so we are : more than a documentary or a long interview, we feel like being invited to a meeting with him.

Sembene : « I'm suspicious with the new humanitarism. White people have lied us three times. First, after emptying America of its inhabitants, because they need us, they came to christianise us. Much later in 1920, they came to pacify us. In 1960, they left, and they left nothing but chaos. And now, in 1993, they came and tell us they are here to brung us democraty. What will be the next invention ? Any African should know this, the Whites lied us three times... ».

But beyond these consideration, the link is quickly made with cinema : « I, personnaly, prefer litterature. But litterature is a luxury good. I came to cinema to continue my quest of activism. Cinema is a myth that can be shared with the audience ». What touches us in Sembene's cinema is maybe : activism is the first step, but his movies try to reach the universality of the myth.

Sembène Ousmane : The making of African cinema

Documentary by Manthia Diawara, Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, USA.

60''

1993

Arlit, deuxieme Paris

A town, in the hostile desert, somewhere in Niger, near the Algerian border. Many plans of the town, the orange sand and the orange houses. We slowly discover the town, empty streets, wide panoramics of the colored homes, and a large factory in the back. What is this building ? We will learn that this is an uranium mine.

We are in Arlit, Niger. The uranium mine is still the first source of devises of the country (even if the . After its creation from scratch in 1969, the golden age lasted until the crash of the uranium price in 19xx. And the old men remember when the workers were richs, when they could eat in restaurants and when they had not to worry about future. Times have changed : the town, called « le deuxième Paris » by the locals, is now a ghost of its past. The mines have lowered the number of its miners (only 700 today, for the 80 000 population). The city has changed. Now, it's not more than a transit point in the long way from black Africa to Europe, for undocumented migrants. Why do you want to go to Europe ? "I know it's not perefet. But there is no job where i come from, and i don't want to stay, waiting for death without doing anything. I prefer to die on my feet, trying to do something". "And for my familly, it doesn't matter if i die in the desert. They won't know, they'll think i'm dead in Europe, that's what's important." And, watching the movement of migrants, the old miners are slowly dying of radiations. The « deuxieme Paris », created for the mines, is slowly becoming a ghost town, place of illegal business.

No off comment : only several people are talking, 6-7 regular intervenants and a few ponctual interview. The documentary lets an important place to view of places, children playing on caterpillars wreck, the colored houses (orange outside, blue inside). A few portraits ans interview, but the community is the true subject of the movie, and its history is sensible in every moment. The town looks alive, and the camera takes all its time to show Arlit, its colors, it's conception of time, the constrats of its inhabitants (people from all Black Africa, Nigerians, Touaregh).

« For me, there is no difference : I film a documentary as I would film a fiction feature. I don't think the esthetic is a weight for the documentary, on the contrary : I want to show what I saw, by any means possible ».

This movie recieved many distinction in international festivals. But in Europe, it was only distributed in Germany. The question of the distribution of major african movies is still critical. Making movies in Africa is difficult, bringing them to public is another adventure.

Arlit, deuxieme Paris

Documentary

By Idrissou Mora Kpai

2005

78 minutes

Niger & Benin

Produced by MKJ film : http://www.mkjfilms.com/films.php

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlit%2C_deuxi%C3%A8me_Paris

Among many distinctions :
Best Documentary of the 15th African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival, Milan (Italia)

Best Documentary, TV5 Award in the 20th Namurs International French Speaking Film Festival (Belgium)