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Ousmane Sembène, the fearless Senegalese writer and filmmaker, possessed a remarkable talent for confronting the past while envisioning the future of his homeland. His films, made over a span of four decades from the 1960s to the mid-2000s, explore the socio-economic and postcolonial issues facing his country with the profound insight of parables. While culturally specific, his films also possess a universal clarity in understanding human nature and the challenges that hinder community development.
In celebration of Sembène’s birth centenary, the British Film Institute (BFI) is hosting a retrospective featuring new restorations of his work. This retrospective will travel to New York’s Film Forum in September. Sembène is most recognized for his early and late career films: “Black Girl” (1966) and “Mandabi” (1968) gained international acclaim, and his final film “Moolaadé,” which tells the story of a mother’s resistance against female genital mutilation, won an award at Cannes in 2004, shortly before his death.
This summer, Sembène’s politically charged films are expected to attract a new wave of fans, as they offer a raw chronicle of his nation’s struggles. At a time when such stories are not adequately represented, Sembène’s filmography holds immense value.
Sembène’s journey began in a fishing family in Senegal in 1923. After being drafted into the French army and participating in strikes in Dakar, he became a dockworker in Marseille. The troubled relationship between Senegal and its colonial rulers left a lasting mark on him. He first gained recognition as a novelist, with his book “Les Bouts de bois de Dieu” (God’s Bits of Wood) in 1960, which dramatized historic rail strikes. This marked the beginning of his politically astute fiction writing career, which included screen adaptations of his own work such as “Xala” and “The Last of the Empire.” Prior to Senegal’s independence in 1960, French colonial law prohibited Senegalese filmmakers from creating their own films. It was only after independence that Sembène, at nearly 40 years old, traveled to Moscow to train as a filmmaker with the explicit goal of creating work that resonated with African audiences. He stated, “My concern is to make the problems faced by my people public.”
Sembène is widely recognized as the first sub-Saharan African director to make a fiction film. His early short film, “Borom Sarret” (1963), a gritty portrayal of a cart driver in Dakar, captures the challenges of daily life and the impact of systemic forces. It is a sobering depiction of a young nation grappling with its own complexities. Throughout his career, Sembène dedicated himself to portraying the struggles of the oppressed. His debut feature film, “Black Girl” (1966), based on one of his own short stories, is a pivotal film in the history of cinema. It powerfully exposes the human toll of colonial and racist power structures. Similarly, “Mandabi” (1968) presents a Kafkaesque tale of a man unable to cash a money order due to lack of identity papers. Sembène’s films continue to resonate, with “Emitaï” (1971) offering a compelling narrative of a remote village resisting French occupation during World War II.
In 1975, Sembène released “Xala,” a sharp satire on the shortcomings of independence, highlighting corruption and ineffectual governance. This film also challenges traditional patriarchy through the story of a minister’s struggle with impotence, capturing abuses of power and the struggle to navigate the aftermath of independence.
Sembène’s later films, including “Guelwaar” (1992), which delves into sectarian chaos, and “Faat Kiné” (2000), which celebrates the resilience of single mothers, showcase his audacious storytelling and unwavering belief in the power of feminism. His final film, “Mooladé” (2004), a sensitive portrayal of a mother’s fight against female genital mutilation, exemplifies Sembène’s enduring legacy and his belief in the potential of future generations.
To honor Sembène’s work, the BFI Southbank is hosting a retrospective of his films until August 30. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the profound impact of Sembène’s films.
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