Walker Art Center

57° FCloudyVia Yahoo! Weather

Ceddo

Directed by Ousmane Sembene

Part of Ousmane Sembene: African Stories

“Sembène’s boldest political statement.” – J. Hoberman, The Village Voice

“Achieves an operatic orchestration of raw forces similar to Eisenstein’s Alexander Nevsky or Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.” – The Village Voice

Slave traders, Christian missionaries, and proselytizing Muslims come together at a mythical, unspecified moment of West African history, as a Wolof princess resists a powerful imam who forcibly converts an entire village. “Ceddo” refers to a caste that refuses conversion to Islam or Christianity. This film, banned in Senegal, incorporates gorgeous costumes and music from Cameroonian jazzman Manu Dibango. 1977, 35mm, in French and Wolof with English subtitles, 120 minutes.

The Ousmane Sembene program is co-presented by Global Spotlight, the University of Minnesota Office of International Programs’ biennial focus on a region of the world and a pressing global issue. In 2009-2010, the focus is on the continent of Africa and the issue of Water in the World.