Dir. Moussa Sene Absa. 1997, 92 mins. 35mm print. With Ismaël Lô, Ndèye Fatou Ndaw, and Thierno Ndiaye. Absa examines the social confusion on the continent today through the story of an idealistic young politician’s rise and fall. Daam must choose between two wives. The first is the village beauty. Unfortunately, the couple is unable to conceive a child, so Daam takes the European-educated Kiné, who is eager to get ahead by marrying a politician. Around this simple story, Moussa has created an intense domestic and political drama, exposing a corrupt postcolonial elite’s exploitation of the promise of African independence.

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