#Younouss Seye

[whileiamdying]

Review: Three Revolutionary Films by Ousmane Sembène on Criterion Blu-ray

Together, these films constitute a complex, interlocking portrait of Senegal’s past and present.

by Derek Smith May 30, 2024

Where Ousmane Sembène’s first two films, 1966’s Black Girl and 1968’s Mandabi, each focus on myriad struggles faced by an individual during Senegal’s early post-colonial years, his follow-up, Emitai, takes a more expansive view of the effects of colonialism two decades earlier. Centering on the defiance of a Diola tribe during World War II, 1971’s Emitai sacrifices none of the immediacy and urgency of Black Girl and Mandabi. Indeed, the film is perhaps an even more damning and incisive take-down of French colonial rule.

Painting a concise and pointed portrait of oppression in broad, revolutionary strokes, Emitai exposes the modern form of slavery that was France’s conscription of Senegalese men to fight on the deadliest frontlines of European battlegrounds. The film simultaneously details the meticulous taxation methods the French employed during this period, which, in attempting to seize a majority of tribes’ rice supply to feed their troops, is tantamount to starvation warfare.

Sembène, however, is less interested in the methodologies of the oppressor than in the unwavering, often silent protest of the Diola people, especially women, in the face of forces that threaten to wipe out the rituals and traditions that define them. In depicting the tribe’s refusal to turn over their rice not as a means to avoid starvation but as a matter of preserving the central value rice has in their cultural heritage, Sembène adds new dimensions to the conflict and complexity to the resistance of the villagers. The inevitable tragedy that concludes the film is quite the gut-punch, but in counterbalancing it with the rebellious enacting of funereal rites by the village women, Emitai becomes equal parts an indictment of colonial violence and a celebration of resilience and self-empowerment through revolutionary means.

In 1975’s Xala, Sembène presents a searing, often hilarious satire of the greed, corruption, and impotence of the new Senegalese governmental leadership following the eradication of French colonial rule. In the opening scene, we see government officials throw out the current French leaders and proudly proclaim that Africa will take back what’s theirs. This moment of triumph, which includes the removal of statues and busts of various French leaders, is swiftly undercut when the Senegalese officials each open a briefcase packed to the brim with 500 Franc bills.

This sequence, laden with anger and biting humor, is indicative of Xala’s absurdist, comedic tone. And as the film shifts its focus to one corrupt official in particular, El Hadji (Thierno Leye), who upon marrying his third wife is cursed with impotence, its satire becomes more metaphorical than direct. Sembène uses El Hadji’s gradual downfall to reflect the moral and political failings of the entire bourgeois class that came into power under the government of President Léopold Sédar Senghor. Through Sembène’s sly, cutting use of irony, claims of modernity and equality under a new “revolutionary socialism” are revealed to be empty promises, barely concealing the anti-feminist and pro-capitalist motives lurking behind them.

Sembène’s critique of a supposedly freed Senegal is intensely savage when it comes to unveiling the hypocrisies of a patriarchal leadership that betrayed the trust of the people it was supposed to aid and protect. Building to a conclusion that’s as funny and gratifying as it is pitiful and physically revolting, Xala captures the continuing repercussions of colonialism and how the forced delusions of a nation would leave its people perversely feeding on one another.

With 1977’s Ceddo, set in Senegal’s distant pre-colonial past, Sembène follows the conflicts between a growing Islamist faction of a once animistic tribe and the Ceddo, or outsiders, who refuse to convert and give up their animistic rituals and beliefs. This is certainly the most didactic entry in this set, but it’s enlivened by the sheer precision of its dialectical oppositions, through which the many hypocrisies of religious fundamentalism and colonization are laid bare.

Ceddo also reveals the complex intersectionality of religions and cultures that were at play in Senegal long before its colonization. Along with the Muslims, who were attempting to seize political power through religious conversions, white Christians and Catholics are present in the form of priests, missionaries, gun runners, and slave traders. The latter are silent through much of the film, but their presence—much like the white French adviser who remains in constant contact with the Senegalese politicians in Xala—speaks to the monumental power and influence whites held in Senegal even before colonialist rulers took over.

While the film’s subject is historical, Sembène draws clear parallels between the past and the post-colonial present of 1977, with the condescending paternalism of the Muslims, particularly the power-hungry imam played by Alioune Fall, mirroring that of the colonialist French. And rather than using traditional Senegalese music, Sembène employed Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango to compose a jazz-funk score that even further connects the events in Ceddo to the time of its release in the late ’70s. For whenever Sembène sets his film, he’s steadfast in his mission to draw meaningful correlations between Senegal’s past and present—each equally integral to the story of the country he loved and helped to define.

Image/Sound

All three transfers come from new 4K digital restorations and they, by and large, look terrific, with vibrant colors and rich details, especially in the costumes and extreme close-ups of faces. There are some shots where the grain is chunkier and the image isn’t quite as sharp, and the Ceddo transfer shows some noticeable signs of damage in several different scenes, but these are mostly minor, non-distracting imperfections. The mono audio track bears the limitations of the production conditions, so some of the dialogue in interior scenes is a bit echoey though still fairly clear. Meanwhile, the music comes through with a surprising robustness.

Extras

A new conversation between Mahen Bonetti, founder and executive director of the African Film Festival, and writer Amy Sall covers a lot of ground in 40 minutes. The two discuss Ousmane Sembène’s early career and discovery in the West before delving into his use of cinema as “a liberatory force” and his sly, caustic use of irony. The only other extra on the disc is a 1981 short documentary by Paulin Soumanou Vieyra in which Sembène espouses much of his philosophy of filmmaking, particularly the importance of understanding history and political complexities of the society one chooses to depict. (Amusingly, Sembène’s wife casually insults American moviegoers, as well as complains about her husband putting film before family.) The stunningly designed package also comes with a 26-page bound booklet containing an essay by film scholar Yasmina Rice, who touches on Sembène’s humor, feminism, and politically charged subjects, while forcefully pushing back against the notion that the director wasn’t much of a formalist.

Overall

These Ousmane Sembène films from 1970s brim with a revolutionary passion and, together, constitute a complex, interlocking portrait of Senegal’s past and present.

Score

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cast

Andongo Diabon, Michel Renaudeau, Robert Fontaine, Ousmane Camara, Ibou Camara, Abdoulaye Diallo, Alphonse Diatta, Pierre Blanchard, Cherif Tamba, Fode Cambay, Etienne Mané, Joseph Diatta, Dji Niassebaron , Antio Bassene, M’Bissine Thérèse Diop, Thierno Leye, Seune Samb, Younouss Seye, Miriam Niang, Fatim Diagne, Dieynaba Niang, Makhourédia Guèye, Tabara Ndiaye, Alioune Fall, Moustapha Yade, Mamadou N’Diaye Diagne, Nar Sene, Mamadou Dioum, Oumar Gueye.

[randomrichards]

XALA:

Corrupt official

Who cursed him with impotence

Must confront his sins

[moviemosaics]

Xala

directed by Ousmane Sembène, 1975

[russelllamon]

Yesterday I watched Xala, the first film of my Black film project. It was great starting with a film from the continent, especially since African films are hardly included in the Black film convo. It’s a satire with great political commentary that explored sex, greed, political corruption, social status, socialism, and post colonialism in Senegal . Sadly, the film concentrated too heavily on “dead action” which made its run time incredibly long and introduced storylines and characters that never evolved or truly added to the progression of the plot. What was most frustrating is the lack of backstory on El Hadji’s third wife who was the alleged cause of his impotence. What director Ousmane Sembene did do well was adapt the book to the big screen, show the distinct difference between traditional sengalese culture and “modern times” and keep the viewer engaged with a roll coaster story told by charismatic actors. Supporting actors carried the film, especially Younouss Seye. Overall, I’d give it a 5/10 and actually wouldn’t mind a modern adaptation. That’s a reboot I could see as necessary with lots of potential.

[classicladiesofcolor]

Seune Samb and Younouss Seye in Xala (1974).

Xala made history as the first black African feature film to be shown commercially in Britain.

[dweemeister]

Xala (1975, Senegal)

Directed by Ousmane Sembène, Xala (which is the Wolof term for, "temporary sexual impotence" and the "X" is pronounced like an "H") is a first-generation Third Cinema African film. Where First Cinema is comprised of entertainment films, Second Cinema being art films, Third Cinema is the least-known of these types in the West - the identity film. Third Cinema is often critical of capitalism and neocolonialist thought and power structures and those aspects run rampant throughout Sembène's film. 

In Xala's case, this is a satirical take on the role of Senegalese politicians and businessmen following Senegal's decolonization. All that needs to be said is one of the first scenes as the Senegalese politicians are handed briefcases stashed to the brim with bribery money inside - the equivalent image from a Western film might have been politicians evilly twiddling their fingers. The colonial institutions that propagated the colonialist governments are still in place and Senegal's power brokers are using these same institutions to amass their wealth and buy their copious supplies of Evian Water. El Hadji Abdou Kader Beye (Thierno Leye) is the bumbling businessman who is the main character of the film as he deepens his ties within the black market and takes a third wife as an announcement of his power and enormous machismo. On their wedding night, El Hadji comes down with a case of the Xala and news of his erectile dysfunction soon spreads among his friends and family members. His shortcomings are emblematic of Sembène's cynicism towards the post-colonialist government in that the new government's attempts to improve the lifestyle of all Senegalese have been flaccid in execution. The portrayals of El Hadji's money laundering and frivolous lifestyle are a stinging shot of spit towards the governmental cronies and this - to bring up Evian Water yet again - is best exemplified when El Hadji has someone wash his car using Evian Water. 

The women in Xala seem to be symbolic of different stages of Senegalese history. El Hadji's first wife Awa (I can't find the credit for this actress) is conservative in her dress and submissive in her behavior and manner of speech - this is a man's world women live in, she tells the second wife, and all women, she says, must abide by the patriarchal system. It's what you would expect from an older woman with a more fundamentalist take on religion and societal traditions. The second wife, Oumi (Younouss Seye) is far more vocal in her criticisms of her husband and of society. She dresses far more provocatively than Awa and she wears her hair in a style befitting the radical late 1960s and early 70s. She, too, has been whisked away from El Hadji's consciousness with the changing of the guard. Awa and Oumi and everything they stand for has been thrown under a dust-stained rug as they make way for the third wife. The third wife, N'Goné (again, I can't find a credit) is marrying only for the position such a marriage would give her and she represents this third stage of Senegalese history - a post-colonialist era initially marked by greed and lust for power. All three wives are given very little screentime and lines of dialogue; perhaps this is a statement on the obvious masculinity that forms the government in Xala.

Xala's comedy is cruel and dry and will very likely confuse rather than elicit laughter. One has to enter Xala with a knowledge that this is biting political and social commentary that does not like what it sees and instead of proposing alternatives to the insidious features of Senegalese life, Sembène elects to wield a sledgehammer and smash these corrupt socialist idols with a disappoint rage. And speaking of socialism, this is no McCarthyist American Hollywood film. This also is not a propagandistic Soviet art film. Sembène - who also wrote the screenplay - doesn't care for ideologies. Rather, he cares about what the government should do and how it should conduct itself towards the people it claims to protect and nurture. With Evian Water (if you haven't noticed by now, this popular French mineral water brand is part of the running theme of neocolonialism in the new regime), El Hadji's refusal to speak Wolof instead of French after he and his friends are installed into their positions, wads of cash, and the harsh words of the lower classes, Sembène undresses the institutions that are failing to do their job. There is no remorse in this approach nor are there any concessions that Sembène might be wrong.

This is filmmaking with uncompromising convictions. For those not used to such determinism and those who did not do their reading beforehand, I could imagine that Xala could be difficult to sit through. Just know, however, that Xala is important in the ideas it contains. Though it may not communicate such ideas perfectly at various times in the film (one wonders if Sembène ever intended an Asian-American young adult to watch this film), Xala seems almost necessary for questioning those placed in positions of power in these neocolonialist systems. Innovative though uneven in its communication of ideas, this is a film with far-reaching messages and meaning for its target audience.

Did those in Senegal and Africa at large pay attention, though? In the 1980s, just like in American film during that decade, escapism and unreality would be the state of affairs in their respective cinema. Though Third Cinema may or may not be out of favor today, this is necessary viewing for those who are fascinated by political/social satire and political aficionados alike. 

My rating: 7/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating.