For the 29th edition of the Ouagadougou Pan-African Cinema and Television Festival (Fespaco – from February 22 to March 1, 2025), Senegal is represented by 16 films, all categories combined, out of the 235 competing at this high mass of African cinema.
One observation stands out. Four television series will carry the Senegalese flag: “Hair Lover”, “Debbo”, “The Adventures of Kady and Djudju” and “Milimo”. We will happily avoid the debates on the alleged dominance of series over art films, the financing concerns despite the existence of the Fund for the Promotion of the Cinematographic and Audiovisual Industry of Senegal (Fopica), the nagging question of the distribution of our films despite the albeit timid resurgence of cinemas in Dakar, the cinema industry which has been strangely stammering for several decades, etc.
Apart from scholarly considerations, there is the desire of the public in the trenches. A reality that certain directors or production houses have well grasped. Besides “Hair Lover”, the Senegalese series on the Fespaco set are ignored by the general public. Having stood out from among hundreds of productions, it is clear that they are brilliant in quality and meet cinematographic criteria. But “the people” remain fond of, even addicted to, “Bété-Bété”, “Famille sénégalaise”, “Xalisso”, “Cœurs Brisés”, “Baabel”, “Infidèles”, et tutti quanti. This is an assault of reality against reality. In cinema, reality refers to the reporting of a fact in its simple nature. Whereas reality is a representation of reality, following an elaborate aesthetic.
Example: to criticize President Senghor, the reality is to expose him and feature opponents who attack him. For reality, let us cite the film “Xala” (1975) by Sembène Ousmane, adapted from the eponymous novel (1973, same author). We see a black man, bespectacled, distinguished, tailor-made frock coat, polished words, cunning, even devious at will. He wrests the power of the whites from the Chamber of Commerce, before adopting all their evasions to become a symbol of neocolonialism. A delicate caricature of the presi-poet.
This execution requires sublime mastery and practical elegance, and the spectator must have acquired the humanities to penetrate the lines and capture the meaning. However, today people are eager to get to the “essentials”. Amul time! Let’s focus on the “Bété-Bété” series, from the production house EvenProd. This beautiful social chronicle reveals many true and naked realities of our society. Everyone is there, because each actress or actor reflects our identities. There is almost no pretension of the screenwriters or directors to draw colors on the characters. They all present themselves with their dark side, their naivety, their innocence, their abjection, their violence, their humanity.
This method shakes us even in our deepest faiths and our apparent reasons. Some have had the torment of discovering their sectarianism, their debilities or their voyeurism (Why do you think of Dieynaba Tall’s waspish curves? Eh eh!). EvenProd is part of the Machiavellian movement. To aesthetics, he prefers pragmatism and brilliance, deliberately seeking to shock. And it works for him. You only have to look at its string of advertisers who even insert themselves into the dialogues and occupy twenty minutes of the episodes seen on average by 4M Internet users on YouTube (We don’t count those who watch on TV) .
These series work because they are raw and confront us with our denials, we who are so versed in kersa and masla. They display our attitudes. That’s what it’s about. In our behavior as in our relationships, people become tired of wearing masks watered down and disguised by societal codes. We live in a village of conviviality, although in reality it is a crab basket. However, this generation says they have had enough of “comedy”. You have to strip naked and be lively, like in a brothel brawl. We suffer the fall from grace. This Machiavellianism affects almost everything. We no longer take the time to flirt well, to smell well, to digest well, to articulate well, to behave well. Finally, to do things right. Unfortunately, it may get worse. Na ñaaw, we proclaim.
