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 Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. (Re: عبده عبدا لحميد جاد الله)
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مات!!!!!!
احتفظت بهذا الحوار مع الغارديان من قبل عامين, معه
Ousmane Sembène - continued
Ousmane Sembène, the Senegalese-born 'father of African cinema', talked to Bonnie Greer about film-making in Africa, his European experiences and why Live 8 is fake, before receiving the fellowship of the BFI. He then answered questions from the audience, below.
Read the full interview
Sunday June 5, 2005
Guardian Unlimited
'I think big campaigns such as Make Poverty History and Live 8 are fake, and I think African
of state who buy into that idea are liars. The only way for us to come out of poverty is to work hard' ... Ousmane Sembène talks to Bonnie Greer at the NFT. Photograph: Sarah Lee
Bonnie Greer: Right, who has a question?
Question 1: Thank you very much for your very subtle film, which for me is a second viewing. I am here to speak for babies and young boys who cannot speak for themselves, and who like the girls are forced to be circumcised against their will. Unfortunately the women in your society are caught up in the patriarchal struggles that we in the west are caught up in as well, with each of the genders doing each other harm. We would like to see the genital integrity of all children respected. Any choices that people make, they should make as adults. In America, when black men were first drafted into the army, a condition was that they were circumcised, which now they wear as a badge of honour. Let us see an end to all this. Maybe your next film could tackle this subject.
Ousmane Sembène: Thank you very much. I'll do my best.
Question 2: I would like to say thank you very much for your great contribution to the education and re-education of the world through your previous films. There are two points which concern me with this film. Both of them deal with the avoidance of African self-determination. The first point is the play that is made of the idea that the circumcision of the women is wrong because it is painful and bad for childbirth and intercourse. For maybe 20 years now I have been asking the same question of people: if you could make it less painful, less destructive, would that make it right? My answer is that it can't make it right. The point that should be made is that it should be wrong to impose on someone something that they have no choice in. That was imposed on African communities by the imposition of Islam.
OS: I think you are mistaken in your interpretation. I don't think excision was imposed by Islam. Please do read Sheikh Anta Diop, the historian. I also urge you to read Herodotus. It doesn't have anything to do with Islam. If you have been told that it comes from Islam, you are mistaken. It is the weight of tradition: we know when it started, but we don't know why it started. You can speculate about that but I don't think it would lead us anywhere. You will not find a line about circumcision in Islam. You are young, I think it is important to pursue that line of research: it is an important one. He has raised a very important issue which needs to be discussed.
Now let's talk a little bit about circumcision
You'll find it in the Bible. It is written that after the death of Christ - ask all the theology experts - there is a discussion between St Paul and St Peter about circumcision. The Jews, too, faced the issue of circumcision. In Europe, during the second world war occupation, just 60 years ago, the Nazis were able to distinguish a male Jew from another Caucasian by asking them to pull down their trousers: of course the orthodox Jew would be circumcised. I don't know if this is still practised in Israel but that's the historical truth. Of course we condemn excision: women are struggling against it, and it is an aggression against the dignity of women. But what is worse is that it is mothers who are taking their own daughters and submitting them to that ordeal, and, of course, under the benevolent gaze of men who don't say anything.
I would also like to emphasise that it is not practised throughout Africa, and it is not practised in all Muslim countries either. You'll find it only a little bit in Egypt and Yemen. That's why I think reading the theories of Sheikh Anta Diop is very important because these days Egypt is distancing itself from the black world. Right now there is a new legislation in Egypt that since they cannot go against excision, they have come up with a compromise so that instead of doing it underground, it is done in health centres, in a sanitised environment. For me, whether it is done in the traditional way, underground, or in a sanitised environment, whatever case you choose, it is an aggression against the female body.
Question 3: I would like to know why you say we should create our own culture, but at the same time you show a young man who has come back from France, so that the little boy from Casamance, where you come from, will think that France is the place to go?
OS: You are raising a very important issue. Let's try to analyse it, but not within the framework of culture, which is at the basis of our everyday life. It is a known fact that in our continent there are thousands of young people who want to go to Europe. Those who come to London, you think they are here to admire Big Ben? They come here to work and to get good training. Forty years after independence, our leaders have not been able to create anything back home. This youngster you refer to is a very ambitious one. He wants to raise a family and goes outside because he is thirsty and hungry. That's why we come to Europe. We are not welcomed here just because people want to welcome us. I don't know what happens here in Britain but we are only welcome in France to clean the streets, and we are called on to do the jobs that Europeans don't want to do. The little money that we make is used to support families back home in Africa.
If you take Mali, Senegal and Mauritania, it's billions that they inject into their economies. Sometimes you see these expatriates get together and put money into creating schools, health centres, and yet our leaders are unable to staff those health centres and schools. It hurts me to see all these young people leave Africa and come here, but they are hungry and need jobs to take care of their families back home. Recently, in the francophone framework, counterfeit money has come into play. They've taken billions from those workers, who save a lot of money in Europe to send back home. And yet, it is another African who has come here who takes them for a ride. All the money they get in exchange is fake. They traced the guilty person doing this all the way to the central bank. In our analysis, there are two things we ought to do: see what the effects are, and what the causes are. We have to attack the causes, not the effects.
Question 4: My parents are Senegalese but I was born in France. It's a bit difficult when you are rejected by both cultures for being "too French" or "too Senegalese". I've started writing about my feelings, not for film but for theatre, and I want to know if you have any advice for people like me.
OS: I think that the fact that you are here is an opportunity to learn. I think you are in good hands here if you're interested in theatre. Absorb as much as you can, but once you get back to Africa, forget everything you've learned - transform it. But the most important thing is, as long as you're here, absorb everything you can get your hands on. When you get back to Africa, it will be up to us to train you. Since I hope that one day you will go home, I also hope that you will then start training the young people, but basing your teaching on the African specificity. All of us learn how to make films here in Europe because it's not something that we invented. I never feel embarrassed to tell people that I learnt film-making in Europe. But what I learned is what I am going to do, that's what's important.
Question 5: I know you studied in Russia, and used techniques by Eisenstein in your early films - extreme close-up shots and montage. I notice that in francophone African countries, such as Mali and Burkina Faso, they make more films on 35mm, more so than in Ghana and Nigeria. Why is this so? And do you still use the Eisenstein tradition of montage?
OS: I really don't think there are fixed or set rules to film-making. And I would wish African youth to be more violent and to reject any kind of conformism, or to have clear cut goals to reach. I think it's only the sensibility of the artist that counts. I really think that the form is less important, especially in this period we are going through. Right now, in Nigeria and Ghana there is a video boom; I don't think that's bad - people laugh and have fun with it - but the content of that, as far as I am concerned, is empty. And I think that's where the issue lies. Of course, as you know, 35mm is very, very expensive; I grant you that, but why shouldn't I aim for the best? I wish my people to have what is most beautiful on this earth.
Question 6, same person who asked Question 2: The second part of my question, which is about self-determination, is this: the film ends on a shot of an aerial. Throughout the film, it appears that the radio is a problem. I am one of those who are totally against the idea of destroying technology. But instead of banning the radio, as we saw in the film, or just accepting it unquestioningly, what I would have liked to see is the idea that the content on radio is made by the people receiving it, rather than just accepting it. Will you, in the future, show that the content is dictated by the people receiving it?
OS: Here, I really wasn't intending to talk about the content coming out of those radios. Right now the dominant ideology in Africa is liberalism. Even those independent, private radio stations depend on someone. You see radios being burned in the film because they were only on the receiving end. People even refuse to have the privilege to hear. Now, how can you express yourself if you don't even have access to programmes, and you're not allowed to hear? As you know now in Africa, our leaders are doing what they do best, which is to arrest and jail journalists and close radio stations. A few months ago, in the Gambia, a young and excellent journalist was killed. All we can do is to protest these killings and make our leaders understand plainly that we don't share their stance. But we know unfortunately that many of the newspaper people are killed just because they have to have their freedom of expression. Just recently, there was a film-maker in Senegal who wanted to make a film, and he was called to the police station. Note I said that he had the intention to make a film, and for me that's what I call an inquisition. It is in this context, this environment, that we do our work. That's what our problem is.
BG: Merci beaucoup. Before we end the evening, I'd like to invite onstage John Akomfrah, film-maker and writer.
John Akomfrah: Ladies and gentlemen, the BFI fellowship is the institute's way of recognising people who've made a valuable and longstanding contribution to the moving image culture and cinema in general. Tonight, the British Film Institute wants to honour the presence of the maestro by conferring on him the fellowship of the institute. We want to do this for a number reasons, which are worth spelling out. Since 1963, Ousmane Sembène has followed a unique path in the history of world cinema and he has created a style of film-making which is uniquely Senegalese and uniquely African, and we want to honour him because of that.
We also want to honour him because even though most people refer to him as an African film-maker, I think when you look at what he's done and the way in which he's done it, there's a way in which one can consider him the patron saint of black cinema. When he started making films in 1963, there weren't any other black directors around, so actually calling him an African director is a slight misnomer. My feeling is that he should be called the patron saint of black cinema across the world, so we want to honour him for that. And finally, we want to honour a vision. Yesterday I was talking to Mr Sembène and he was telling me about the extraordinary range of people he's had connections with; and they seem to touch on just about every major cultural thinker in the black world: Aime Cesare, Franz Fanon, among others. So there's a very real sense that what you get here is the distillation of the very best that we've ever had in this world. So with that, I want to present this fellowship to Ousmane Sembène.
OS: I would like to take this opportunity to thank the BFI. I remember a few years ago they supported us for the production and the distribution of African films. We knew that they would never make money with us but we're happy to be here. These are allies who have really encouraged us and supported us, and in this struggle, we find out that we are not alone. That's why this is very pleasing and very encouraging for us. I think this distinction that you are bestowing on me is an honour for me and for my team. Thank you very much indeed and we will try to do our best. Thank you.
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| العنوان |
الكاتب |
Date |
| مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | salah elamin | 06-10-07, 07:48 PM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | salah elamin | 06-10-07, 07:59 PM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | عبدالكريم الامين احمد | 06-10-07, 08:02 PM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | سلمى الشيخ سلامة | 06-10-07, 08:31 PM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | Adil Osman | 06-10-07, 09:10 PM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | عصام عبد الحفيظ | 06-10-07, 09:37 PM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | احمد الامين احمد | 06-10-07, 09:46 PM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | فضيلي جماع | 06-10-07, 11:43 PM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | Adil Osman | 06-11-07, 00:05 AM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | احمد الامين احمد | 06-11-07, 11:43 AM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | zuhair zenaty | 06-11-07, 11:33 AM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | فضيلي جماع | 06-11-07, 01:18 PM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | محمد سنى دفع الله | 06-11-07, 02:10 PM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | معتصم ود الجمام | 06-11-07, 06:10 PM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | salah elamin | 06-12-07, 09:43 AM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | salah elamin | 06-12-07, 09:56 AM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | salah elamin | 06-12-07, 10:18 AM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | عبده عبدا لحميد جاد الله | 06-12-07, 10:47 AM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | عبده عبدا لحميد جاد الله | 06-12-07, 10:49 AM |
| Re: مات الافريقي سمبيني عثمان.. إلا إبداعه. | محى الدين ابكر سليمان | 06-12-07, 11:04 AM |
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