Themes of family life and the condition of women in Africa today figure prominently in Henri Duparc's fourth feature, the immensely popular comedy Dancing in the Dust. Here he takes on the troubling issue of polygamy which, as he notes, "with fetishism and female circumcision is one of the biggest evils in Africa. It is the ultimate humiliation for a woman. The more educated women become, the sooner polygamy will disappear." Demi-Dieu (Half-God), so named because, after God, he is top banana in his rural village, already has five wives. Then he spots Binta, a stubborn young woman sent home after a dissolute spell in the city. Demi-Dieu's rationale for marrying her is harmony: a wife for every day with Sunday reserved for the week's best behaved. But he is hardly prepared for Binta and her very own brand of feminism. Her new clan, les robeuses (the wives wearing robes, Western-style dresses) challenges les pagneuses (the wives preferring pagnes, the traditional garment), turning Demi-Dieu's happy harem upside down. With a humor frequently verging on the ribald, brightly-hued mise-en-scène, and a lively cast, Dancing in the Dust is one of this year's most refreshing comedies. --Marie-Pierre Macia