Our screening on 6 April will be introduced by writer, photographer, and filmmaker, Anthony Badu, and will be followed by a post film discussion in the Garden Bar.

To the dusty heat of Colobane, Senegal, a once-charming village now shattered by poverty, Linguère Ramatou (Ami Diakhate) returns with fabulous wealth and a promise to save her people. But, attached to this promise is a deadly bargain: Draman Drameh (Mansour Diouf) ― the lover who had betrayed a 16-year-old, pregnant Linguère ― must be executed. The announcement comes during a celebratory banquet in honour of her return, and the villagers, who had long forgotten the incident, are at once horrified, astonished, and indignant. While appearing to maintain a good moral conscience, the villagers are unable to resist the dazzling array of consumer goods at their fingertips, and so they begin to purchase on credit. While Linguere remains unshakable in her pursuit of justice, Draman’s initial self-interest and fear for his life soon give way to resignation and disdain for his fellow villagers.

The late Senegalese director Djibril Diop Mambéty adapted his screenplay from the Swiss play by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, forging a cautionary tale with humour, compassion, and sumptuous colour. Linguère’s train of bejewelled servants, her artificial limbs resulting from a cutthroat street life, the sporadic appearances of elephants and hyenas, and the magnificence of a golden desert give the film its inviting sense of place. Mambety playfully takes us back and forth in time, with shots of 19th-century pomp followed by 20th century appliances, stressing the enduring, almost mythic status of the conflict between avarice and dignity.

Cast:
Mansour Diouf, Ami Diakhate, Makhouredia Gueye, Djibril Diop Mambéty