Ousmane Sembene, a remarkable artist widely considered the father of the New AfricanCinema, has given Black Africa a national film epic in Ceddo. Combininghigh pageantry with raw politics, he gives cinematic form to the ancientverbal tradition by which history, culture and myth are transmitted. Thetale is a period piece set in a feudal village suffering the dualthreats of Moslem expansion and French slave traders. The royal familyhave converted to Islam while the ceddo, or common people, cling totheir customs and fetishistic religion. A champion of the ceddoengineers the kidnapping of a Moslem princess, activating a militantconfrontation. In the guise of a dynamic political thriller, Ceddo takeson a number of taboo subjects-the Islamic influence in Senegal, certainAfrican support for the slave trade to the West, the traditionally lowstatus of women-becoming a reflection on all forms of colonialism inAfrica. Ironically, the film was banned in Senegal, ostensibly becauseSembene refused to spell the title (pronounced Ched-doe) in the Europeanmanner (i.e. Cedo).