Emitaï

Emitaï is the name for the Diola god of thunder. A story about the awakening of national consciousness, Emitaï takes place toward the end of World War II, in a village under French colonial rule. It is a tale of resistance among tribespeople who guard their traditions and refuse to give up their rice crop to the French authorities. “Rice is sacred to the Diolas, associated with their rituals and their gods, and to surrender it would imply that they were dishonoring or rejecting those gods. For an African, Emitaï is a direct challenge to deeply rooted beliefs, a challenge that makes no concessions to the expectations and desires of Western audiences” (Michael Popkin, Village Voice). The film was shot in seven weeks in the Casamance region of southern Senegal, with a supporting cast of nonprofessional actors drawn from local villages. Ousmane Sembène dedicated his film “to all militants of the African cause.”