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21 August 2017: Guelwaar

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Guelwaar
Ousmane Sembène
1993 | 115 min | Colour | 35mm

“When the body of Guelwaar (“the noble one”), a political activist, philanderer, and pillar of the Christian community, is mistakenly buried in a Muslim cemetery, the result is a perfect storm of bureaucratic red tape, family disputes, and religious conflict. As usual with Sembène, Guelwaar is many films in one: black comedy, political allegory, social satire, family drama, and, at the end, thunderous indictment of the twin evils of homegrown African corruption and neo-colonial Western aid.” – Harvard Film Archive


Part of our season on Ousmane Sembène