Continuing our exploration of Francophone West African Cinema, Dr. Sarah Jilani of City, University of London introduced Souleymane Cissé’s 1982 The Wind.

A vivid social satire with overtones of Romeo and Juliet, The Wind tackles the generation gap in post-colonial West Africa. Its heroine is the pot smoking daughter of a provincial military governor who falls in love with a fellow university student, the descendent of one of Mali’s chiefs of an earlier age. Both families object to the union and to the lovers’ growing involvement in student strikes against the corrupt government. A mix of politics, romance and social commentary, The Wind casts a critical eye on both the ancient and modern values.