Classics Not Only For Children

"Das Licht" (The Light) is the German title of YEELEN (Brightness, Souleymane Cissé, Mali 1987, Feb. 7 & 28), one of the most important films of African cinema, the predominating color of which is the sun's glister. Light is consequently the focus of the film on various levels. Set in Mali's pre-colonial, Bambara culture, the film narrates an initiation drama and a father-son conflict. Young Nianankoro is on the threshold of adulthood and to acquire the knowledge of the Bambara so as to preserve it and pass it on. His father, however, is a powerful magician who wants to prevent his son from becoming his equal and even intends to kill him. His mother therefore flees with him and makes it possible for him to learn the skills enabling him to confront his father.