In this movie Islam is shown as a religion that strips people of their identity. We see a village (in what is now Senegal) of ceddos being stripped of their clothes, their hair, and finally even their names, each being 'reborn' as Muslims, their heritage and culture in the dust. It is fitting that at this point that the mighty Wolof princess Dior Yacine leads the final uprising.
There is much to please about this movie. In it people speak without being interrupted, they speak their minds, and they speak in turn. Such is wisdom. It is very refreshing to see dialogue like that. The entire movie is presented with ritual solemnity, and whilst it is perhaps not as ecstatic and encrusted with mysticism and ritual as say a movie by Paradjanov there are certainly images to savour and, what's more, the message is more easily prised from this movie.
My favourite shot is the image of the dead kidnapper being buried in his shooting stance, bow in hand. The death of the kidnapper is immediately followed by a vision of Dior Yacine in which she offers a bowl of water to the kidnapper, and reveals her love. I felt the delight that it must be to slake the thirst of one's lover. We in Europe retain no such tender ritual.
Sembene's criticism of Christianity is less clear. It seems that he associates the priest with the white rifle dealer though the circumstances of this relationship are obscure and both are entirely mute throughout the film. In what is a troublesome scene the white priest has a vision of converting the king's nephew (and heir under traditional, as opposed to Sharia law), who then becomes a bishop and presides at the priest's funeral. Another reviewer had a problem with this scene, and many in the cinema where I saw Ceddo were bemused and a few snickered. The priest's (unfulfilled) wish can be seen as either the arrogance of Christianity, or as a sublime dream. The problem with it is chronological, the scene is meant to be far in the future but Madir Fatim Fall has not aged, nor has the priest. Most would characterise this as amateurish, I simply don't know the feasibility of doing his scene for Sembene who obviously was on a limited budget.
Traditional Wolof ways are not unchallenged. The king Demba War is shown as weak and impotent, whilst the nobles are shown as self-serving fools who sell the country and themselves into ruin. Ceddo therefore can be seen as strongly in support of traditional cultures but also highly critical of both traditional and alternative power structures. It is perhaps the most powerful criticism of Islam available because it comes from the oppressed rather than the oppressor.
There is much to please about this movie. In it people speak without being interrupted, they speak their minds, and they speak in turn. Such is wisdom. It is very refreshing to see dialogue like that. The entire movie is presented with ritual solemnity, and whilst it is perhaps not as ecstatic and encrusted with mysticism and ritual as say a movie by Paradjanov there are certainly images to savour and, what's more, the message is more easily prised from this movie.
My favourite shot is the image of the dead kidnapper being buried in his shooting stance, bow in hand. The death of the kidnapper is immediately followed by a vision of Dior Yacine in which she offers a bowl of water to the kidnapper, and reveals her love. I felt the delight that it must be to slake the thirst of one's lover. We in Europe retain no such tender ritual.
Sembene's criticism of Christianity is less clear. It seems that he associates the priest with the white rifle dealer though the circumstances of this relationship are obscure and both are entirely mute throughout the film. In what is a troublesome scene the white priest has a vision of converting the king's nephew (and heir under traditional, as opposed to Sharia law), who then becomes a bishop and presides at the priest's funeral. Another reviewer had a problem with this scene, and many in the cinema where I saw Ceddo were bemused and a few snickered. The priest's (unfulfilled) wish can be seen as either the arrogance of Christianity, or as a sublime dream. The problem with it is chronological, the scene is meant to be far in the future but Madir Fatim Fall has not aged, nor has the priest. Most would characterise this as amateurish, I simply don't know the feasibility of doing his scene for Sembene who obviously was on a limited budget.
Traditional Wolof ways are not unchallenged. The king Demba War is shown as weak and impotent, whilst the nobles are shown as self-serving fools who sell the country and themselves into ruin. Ceddo therefore can be seen as strongly in support of traditional cultures but also highly critical of both traditional and alternative power structures. It is perhaps the most powerful criticism of Islam available because it comes from the oppressed rather than the oppressor.