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Xala: A Classic African Screwball Comedy

Coastside Film Society

August 31, 2007

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A film by Ousmane Sembene, the father of African cinema, who passed away this June. Ousmane Sembene's savage and hilarious satire of modern African bourgeoisie. Forsaking the more obvious (and politically acceptable) targets of European exploitation and racism, Sembene zeroes in on a far touchier subject: the entire blackfacing of white colonial policies after independence was granted. Set in a newly independent Senegal, the story centers on self-satisfied, westernized Senegalese businessman who decides to take advantage of the rampant corruption. Flush with government money, he decides to marry his third (polygamous) wife. On his wedding night, he is suddenly struck down with the xala, an ancient Senegalese curse rendering him impotent. With his virility in question, he tries a number of ridiculous and bizarre cures. This vain search for a cure becomes a metaphor for the impossibility of Africans achieving liberation through dependence on western technology and bureaucratic structures. An interesting point is Sembene wrote both the novel of that name and the screenplay. Jenny Lau, Associate Professor of Cinema at San Franciso State University will introduce the film.

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• Ticket Info

  Tickets: $6 Donation

• Dates & Times

  Dates:
  August 31, 2007

  Times:
  7:30pm

• Venue Info

  Ocean Shore Depot

  110 Higgins-Purisima Rd. Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

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