''Borom Sarret'' or ''The Wagoner'' () is a

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

film by

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

ese director

Ousmane Sembène Ousmane Sembène (; 1 January 1923 or 8 January 1923 – 9 June 2007), often credited in the French style as Sembène Ousmane in articles and reference works, was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer. The ''Los Angeles Times'' consider ...

, the first film over which he had full control. It is often called the first film (or first narrative film) made in Africa by an

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

; the first "professional" African film; or the first such film to be shown widely outside of Africa. However, this is disputed, with some other films, such as ''Song of Khartoum, Sarzan'', and ''Mouramani'' having arguably been produced earlier. Thus, some authors refer to it as "among the first" films made in Africa by an African filmmaker. ''Borom Sarret'' is 18 minutes long and tells a story about a cart driver in

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

. The film illustrates the

poverty in Africa Poverty in Africa is the lack of provision to satisfy the basic human needs of certain people in Africa. African nations typically fall toward the bottom of any list measuring small size economic activity, such as income per capita or GDP per c ...

, showing that independence has not solved the problems of its people. It was shown as part of the Cannes Classics section of the

2013 Cannes Film Festival The 66th Cannes Film Festival took place in Cannes, France, from 15 to 26 May 2013. Steven Spielberg was the head of the jury for the main competition. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the Cinéfondation and S ...

Plot

Senegalese director Ousmane Sembène's ''Borom Sarret'' tells the story of a poor man trying to make a living as a cart driver in Dakar. Subtitles refer to him as "The Wagoner". While he hopes to be paid for his services, he knows some of the passengers will not pay because they have no income or do not usually. Sometimes, all he gets is a handshake. Among his customers is a man delivering his child's body to the cemetery. When the man is not allowed in because he does not have the correct papers, the cart driver abandons the body and leaves the man lamenting over his loss. In another sequence, a well dressed man asks to be taken to the French quarter. The cart driver does not want to take him there because carts are not allowed there. The customer asserts that the customer's connections enable him to disregard the rule. However, they are stopped by a police man who demands the cart driver's papers. The customer leaves without paying his fare or defending the cart driver. When the cart driver pulls out his paperwork, a medallion drops to the ground. The policeman steps on it. In the next scene, the cart driver has only his horse, as his cart has been confiscated in lieu of the fine. When he arrives home, the cart driver informs his wife that he has no money. His wife hands their baby to him and assures him that she will make sure they will eat and leaves the premises.

References

External links

Borom Sarret
(video) at africanfilmlibrary.com * 1963 films 1960s French-language films Senegalese short films Senegalese black-and-white films Senegalese drama films Films directed by Ousmane Sembène Films set in Senegal 1963 directorial debut films 1963 short films {{short-film-stub

Plot

See also

References

External links