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TASUMA |
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Director:
Daniel Kollo Sanou
Screenplay: Daniel Kollo Sanou
Cast:
Sogo: Mamadou Zerbo
Besani Raoul Kjalil, Ai Keita, Noufou Papa Ouedraogo,
Serges Henri
Running time: 88 minutes
Year of production: France / Burkina-Fasso -
2003
Rating: Not rated (general public)
Gauge: 35mm (color)
Language: Dioula and French
Distributor: Art Mattan
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“In
“Tasuma”, a gentle comedy about a village elder
trying to collect his long-delayed veteran’s pension,
helmer Daniel Kollo Sanou fashions a jaunty fable whereby
old-time military know-how and tribal values trump the
complacency of spineless politicos and unctuous traders.”
Ronnie Scheib | Variety |
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On Monday morning,
Sogo Sanon “Tasuma” (The Fire), a proud retired
West African who fought with the French army in Indo-China
and Algeria, puts on his medals and his uniform and bikes
to Bobo-Dioulasso to get his long-overdue pension. For years,
his paper-work has been caught in red-tape, and once again,
he is asked to come back. This time, he is so certain that
he will receive money that he buys his village a grain mill
on credit. It’s a glorious day for Sogo, the women are
happy, the local songstress sings his praise and the village
chief offers him his daughter’s hand in marriage. The
following day, he returns to Bobo, but there is still no pension.
He pleads with the province administrator, he asks his friend
the police chief to help him… to no avail. He comes back
the following day… nothing. Meanwhile, the merchant who
sold him the mill demands his money. On Friday, Sogo gets
angry. He goes back to Bobo, this time with a shotgun. He
rushes to the administrator’s office, takes him hostage
and dictates a letter to General de Gaulle, who is long dead.
In this humorous and touching film, anchored in the day-to-day
reality of Africa, Kollo Daniel reminds us that until decolonization,
thousands of African soldiers (from Senegal, Burkina-Faso,
Mali…) served in the French army. They often play important
roles in their villages where their meager pensions must go
a long way.
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| PHOTO Art
Mattan |
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