Sarraounia (film)
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Sarraounia
| image = SarraouniaFilm.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| director = Med Hondo
| producer = Med Hondo
| writer = Med Hondo
Abdoulaye Mamani
| narrator =
| starring = Aï Keïta
| music = Pierre Akendengué
Abdoulaye Cissé
Issouf Compaore
| cinematography = Guy Famechon
| editing = Marie-Thérèse Boiché
| studio = Les Films Soleil O
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|1986|11|26|France|df=y}}
| runtime = 120 minutes
| country = Burkina Faso
Mauritania
France
| language = Dioula, Fula, French
| budget = $3,000,000
| gross =
}}
Sarraounia is a 1986 historical drama film written and directed by Med Hondo. It is based on a novel of the same name by Nigerien author Abdoulaye Mamani,{{Cite book
| last = Ukadike
| first = Nwachukwu Frank
| author-link = Frank Ukadike
| title = Black African Cinema
| publisher = University of California Press
| year = 1994
| location =
| pages = 290–294
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=INotDiiMhL0C
| doi =
| id =
| isbn =0-520-07748-2 }}
who co-wrote the screenplay. The novel and film concern the real-life Battle of Lougou between Azna (remnant animist-Hausa people) queen Sarraounia and the advancing French Colonial Forces of the Voulet-Chanoine Mission in 1899. Sarraounia was one of the few African tribal leaders that resisted the advances of French expansionists Paul Voulet and Julien Chanoine. The film won the first prize at the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) and was critically well received.
Synopsis
The film takes place in Niger and the surrounding region of the Sahel.{{Cite book
| last = Cham
| first = Mbye
| author-link =
| editor-last= Pfaff
| editor-first=Françoise
| editor-link=Françoise Pfaff
| title = Focus on African films
| chapter= Film and History in Africa: A Critical Survey of Current Trends and Tendencies
| publisher = Indiana University Press
| year = 2004
| location =
| pages = 64–66
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=kjqh7O99pv0C
| doi =
| id =
| isbn =0-253-21668-0 }}
The film begins with the initiation and establishment of a young girl as queen of the Aznas. The young queen, Sarraounia, becomes an accomplished warrior when she defends her tribe from an enemy tribe.{{Citation
| last = TR
| title = Sarraounia Review
| newspaper = Time Out
| date =
| url = http://www.timeout.com/film/newyork/reviews/74012/Sarraounia.html
| access-date =2010-01-01
}}
Accomplished in archery and herbalism, she is a renowned sorceress.{{Citation
| last = Fujiwara
| first = Chris
| author-link = Chris Fujiwara
| title = African Dream — The films of Med Hondo at the HFA
| newspaper = The Boston Phoenix
| date = 2000-04-27
| url = http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archive/movies/00/04/27/AFRICAN_PERSPECTIVES_MED_H.html
| access-date =2010-01-05
}}
Meanwhile, French colonialists Paul Voulet and Julien Chanoine set out to conquer new lands for the French colonial empire. As they advance across the land they rape women and leave burning villages in their wake.{{Cite book
| last = Thackway
| first = Melissa
| author-link =
| title = Africa shoots back: alternative perspectives in Sub-Saharan Francophone
| publisher = James Currey Publishers
| year = 2003
| pages = 95–96
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=__PzjrAIUtYC
| isbn = 0-85255-576-8}}
Cast
- Aï Keïta as Sarraounia
- Jean-Roger Milo as Capitaine Voulet
- Féodor Atkine as Chanoine
- Didier Sauvegrain as Doctor Henric
- Roger Miremont as Lieutenant Joalland
- Luc-Antoine Diquéro as Lt. Pallier
- Jean-Pierre Castaldi as Sergeant Boutel
Production
When Nigerien author Abdoulaye Mamani first published his novel Sarraounia, he gave a copy to his friend Med Hondo who decided to put aside all other projects to adapt it into a film.{{cite book
|last= Ukadike
|first= Nwachukwu Frank
|author-link=Nwachukwu Frank Ukadike
|title=Questioning African cinema: Conversations with Filmmakers
|publisher=University of Minnesota Press
|year= 2002
|pages=57–72
|chapter= Med Hondo (Mauritania)
|isbn=0-8166-4004-1
|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_CMKoMS-0KkC
}} As well as using the book for reference, Hondo conducted research with Mamani, interviewing older Nigerien people and accessing material in the national archives.
Hondo cast Aï Keïta after witnessing a confrontation between Keïta and a family member. Although he initially had her in mind for a small role in the film, he cast her as Sarraounia following the first casting session.{{Citation
| last =
| first =
| author-link =
| last2 =
| first2 =
| title = Aï Keita-Yara Interview
| newspaper = Sisters of the Screen: Women of Africa on Film Video and Television
| pages =
| year = 2000
| url = http://www.africanwomenincinema.org/AFWC/Keita.html
| access-date =2010-01-01
}}
This was her first acting job and she has since performed in films including Les Etrangers (The Foreigners) and SIDA dans la Cite (AIDS in the City), as well as in sitcoms.{{Citation
| last = Quist Arcton
| first = Ofeibea
| author-link =
| title = Ai Keita Yara — From Queen to Soothsayer, From Celluloid to Video
| newspaper = AllAfrica.com
| pages =
| date = 2001-02-26
| url = http://allafrica.com/stories/200102260050.html
| access-date =2010-01-01
}}
The film was shot in 1986 in Burkina Faso.{{cite book
|last= Pfaff
|first= Françoise
|author-link=Françoise Pfaff
|editor-last= Harrow
|editor-first=Kenneth W.
|editor-link=
|title=With open eyes: women and African cinema
|publisher=Rodopi
|year= 1997
|pages=151–158
|chapter= Interview with Med Hondo
|isbn=90-420-0143-7
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IouwFbVrjPUC
}}
It cost $3,000,000 to make, which was raised over seven years by Burkinabé financiers and Hondo's own production company.
Reception
The film won the First Prize (Étalon de Yennenga) at the 1987 Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO).{{Cite book
| last = Diawara
| first = Manthia
| author-link =
| title = African cinema: politics & culture
| publisher = Indiana University Press
| year = 1992
| location =
| pages = [https://archive.org/details/africancinemapol0000diaw/page/152 152]
| url = https://archive.org/details/africancinemapol0000diaw
| url-access = registration
| doi =
| id =
| isbn =0-253-20707-X }}
Historian Frank Ukadike called it "a landmark of African cinema, the most ambitious for its inventiveness, professionalism and dedication." Writing for The Boston Phoenix, Chris Fujiwara said that the film avoids clichés, calling it a "large-scale epic drama" that is "both ironic and celebratory". Time Out called it "superbly crafted and expansive".
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|0091892|Sarraounia}}
{{Med Hondo}}
Category:1980s historical films
Category:Dioula-language films
Category:Mauritanian drama films
Category:1980s French-language films
Category:War films based on actual events
Category:Films based on military novels
Category:Films set in the 1890s
Category:Burkinabé drama films
{{FESPACO Étalon de Yennenga|state=expanded}}