Mandabi
About the Movie
Sembene's second feature film unlocked for the first time the complex world of modern Africa. It is the story of a man who receives a money order and encounters an intimidating barrage of Third World bureaucracy when attempting to cash it. Witty and masterful, it is a portrait of an ancient civilization in the throes of change. The windfall at first seems a blessing to Ibrahima Dieng, who lives with his two wives and their seven children. However, the seemingly easy transaction threatens to destroy the traditional fabric of his life. Quickly, the whole neighbourhood becomes aware of it, the wives buy provisions on credit, their parents ask for a share and people try to extort money from him. All the while, Ibrahima’s attempts to cash the piece of paper are futile. Mandabi is a warm, subtle comedy with a series of visual revelations about a civilization struggling to recapture its own rich heritage after a century of colonial corruption.
- Movie
- Drama
- Wolof, French
- English
- Senegal
- 1968
- 90+ min
- SD
