''Emitaï'' (, name of a Diola deity) is a 1971 Senegalese

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Ousmane Sembène Ousmane Sembène (; 1 January 1923 or 8 January 1923 – 9 June 2007), was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer. The ''Los Angeles Times'' considered him one of the greatest authors of Africa and he has often been called the "father o ...

Plot

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the

Vichy government Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

conscripts men from France's colonies. A revolt breaks out in a

Diola The Jola or Diola (endonym: Ajamat) are an ethnic group found in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. Most Jola live in small villages scattered throughout southern Senegal, especially in the Lower Casamance region. The main dialect of the J ...

village where the women hide the rice crop harvest instead of submitting to the French tax. Diola leaders debate the best response to increasingly harsh French policies, and the situation becomes more urgent when the French and their colonial troops fire on Diola resisters. The Diola attempt to consult their gods, including the titular Emitaï, but the standoff with the French only intensifies. Soon, posters of

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

replace posters of Vichy's

Marshal Pétain Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated of ...

, reflecting the changing balance of power in

French West Africa French West Africa (, ) was a federation of eight French colonial empires#Second French colonial empire, French colonial territories in West Africa: Colonial Mauritania, Mauritania, French Senegal, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guin ...

. This sudden political shift, however, does not change the situation at the village level, and colonial forces ultimately carry out a massacre of the Diola men.

Cast

Mbissine Thérèse Diop Mbissine Thérèse Diop (born 1949) is a Senegalese actress best known for her starring role as Diouana in the 1966 Ousmane Sembène film ''Black Girl (1966 film), Black Girl'' (''La noire de...''), which is often cited as one of the first feature ...

* Andongo Diabon * Michel Renaudeau as Lieutenant * Robert Fontaine as Commandant * Ousmane Camara * Ibou Camara * Abdoulaye Diallo * Alphonse Diatta * Pierre Blanchard as Colonel * Cherif Tamba * Fode Cambay * Etienne Mané * Joseph Diatta * Dji Niassabaron * Antio Bassene

Title

''Emitai'' derives its name from a Senegalese god, "who represents the passage from one stage of life to a new and better one".

Release

''Emitai'' was released in Senegal in 1971, and in 1972 in the United States. It was censored for five years in French-speaking Africa. The film was entered into the

7th Moscow International Film Festival The 7th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 20 July to 3 August 1971. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Italian film '' Confessions of a Police Captain'' directed by Damiano Damiani, the Japanese film '' Live Today, Die Tomorrow ...

where it won a Silver Prize.

Reception

In his ''Family Guide to Movies on Video'', Henry Herx wrote that "much of the story is told solely through its expressive images, and these visuals are the great strength of the movie".

References

External links

* 1971 films 1971 drama films Senegalese drama films French drama films Wolof-language films 1970s French-language films Anticolonial film Films directed by Ousmane Sembène Films set in 1943 Films set in 1944 Anti-war films about World War II Films set in the French colonial empire Films set on the French home front during World War II 1970s French films Works about France in World War II Vichy France in fiction Jola religion {{Senegal-film-stub