Ousmane Sembène’s films age well.
The Senegalese filmmaker passed in 2006 at 84 years. His features, which include “Mandabe,” “Xala” (it charts the travails of postcolonial elites) and “Moolade” (the latter a polemic against female genital mutilation) can compare with any of the great masters of twentieth century film.
However, it is his first film, “Borom Sarret,” that best represents his oeuvre as well as his politics (which he lived through his films).
“Borom Sarret” seems quaint by today’s standards. It was shot with a 16mm camera in black and white and is only 20 minutes long, but a lot is packed into that twenty minutes.
Before Sembene made films, the Dakar native had already worked as a fisherman, bricklayer, dockworker and labor organizer (in Marseille, France), written a novel, “Les Bouts de bois de Dieu,” (in English, “God’s Bits of Wood”) and studied cinema in Moscow. Those experiences are well reflected in his work.
The story of “Borom Sarret” is straightforward . It revolves around the day in the life of a poor cart driver. He gets taken in by a host of people that he encounters who either want a ride for free or exploits his good nature. The cart driver eventually gets ticketed by a policeman when he ventures into the former European quarter of the city, where his cart gets confiscated. That night he returns home to his wife and child sans cart and no money. The film concludes with the cart driver’s wife handing him their child and leaving, presumably to make money.
I’ve seen the film at lease a dozen times and every time I see something different. I’ve also use it in classes on modern African politics to illustrate the transition from colonialism to independence. It often leads to discussions of working class life and the role of the state, the market, the police, poverty and decency, including outside Africa, among my students. It is not surprising that a number of contemporary filmmakers—and critics—honor Sembene as the father of African cinema.
* Originally written for the program of a tribute evening to Sembene organized by The New York African Film Festival.
