The Senegalese story of one of the many boys enslaved by "marabouts" purportedly teaching them the Koran, N'Jangaan is sharply critical in its expose of a pressing social problem. (Traore states that his purpose is "to show how religion is used to exploit these people.") Psychologically astute in its observation of ingrained colonial structures, N'Jangaan is a "contemporary story, told in a strong, unsentimental, almost brutal manner.... The brutality of his existence (the pupils are fed only from the money they raise by begging) eventually leads the boy to run away, despite the fact that his intelligence and beautiful voice have made him the star pupil. The tragic ending is a savage comment on the inflexibility and severity of the 'system' depicted." --National Film Theatre, London