Xala (1975) (Senegal)

Satirical humour from one of the pioneer of African film fraternity. OUSMANE SEMBENE.

 

As written before, Filmbulb has already travelled to Africa. It’s now in the western tip of Africa, Senegal. The film named is Xala, released in 1975 by one of the pioneer of African film fraternity, Ousmane Sembene.  The other African film I (most of us) has seen is “The Gods Must Be Crazy” series, which was a comedy with innocence. Xala is a political comedy, pieces of satire. Some facts, Senegal got independence from France in 1960, 90% of its population follow Islam.  Its official language is French, followed by Wolof an African language.

Ousmane Sembene

As said earlier, it’s a political humour. El Hadji is a business man, with strong political contacts. He and his fellow businessmen oust the French men from the Chamber of Commerce, which is presented in a very satirical way of taking the French king and queen busts and keeping it out of the chamber office, even the name of the Frenchmen is Dupont-Durrand! With the chamber in the hands of the native Senegalese, who is bribed by the Frenchmen, El Hadji with a National Food Money, does a scam and buys his 3^rd wife. Yes he buys a woman as his wife, he is polygamous. This is followed by a lavish wedding ceremony, attended by both his wives! That night he is unable to perform the usually ritual, the next morning his mother-in-law discovers it and tells its Xala, which is someone has cursed with impotency on him. The rest of the story is to get rid of Xala.

El Hadji, losses his business, wives, finally comes to know Xala was performed by a beggar who was fouled by El Hadji earlier. The solution to get rid of it even becomes hard as beggars would like to spit on him.!!

The background score is good, but the same score or song is repeated again and again, would have been much better if an array of scores are used. The acting in some places by the extras looks very ordinary and amateurish. Might be the Africa was not mature of the cinema then, but the main lead fits to the bill.

Some of the scenes show the pretentious natures of how people get carried away by the western culture (read as French culture here). Like El Hadji drinks only Evian water, he likes to be in the Air Condition always, says he doesn’t go to Spain as there are Negros, his car driver uses Evian water to clean the car! (Not sure if the French use Evian to clean the car) El Hadji and his people in the chamber speaks only French, he doesn’t like when his daughter speaks Wolof. The film is not slow, but sometimes, what I felt is the music kills you.  The score is repetitive; otherwise it’s a brilliant film.