Kaddu Beykat

“This is my village. My parents are farmers and breed life stock. You [the audience] are going to spend a moment with us at home.” With these brief words spoken in voiceover, Safi Faye opens her docufictional debut film, which was shot in her home village with non-professional actors. It revolves around the young agricultural worker Ngor, who can’t afford the dowry for his beloved Columba and attempts to find a way of getting by in Dakar instead. Faye repeatedly explains and comments on the footage of the village, the back-breaking agricultural work, the structures and customs of the village community. She describes the economic crisis caused by drought and the system of monoculture that stems from the colonial era, shows the new Black middle class in Dakar, who treat the rural population badly and don’t respect the rights of the workers. Banned in Senegal for a long time, the film ends with Ngor’s return to his home village, an act of liberation on the part of the farmers and the start of the rains. (mg)