Al Djanat, the Original Paradise
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- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
When her uncle dies, director Chloé Aïcha Boro films her family’s courtyard in Dédougou, Burkina Faso. Framed by her camera, the shared space becomes the stage of a conflict between the gatekeepers of family tradition and those defending property interests, advocating for a modernity inherited from Western colonisation.
Citation
Main credits
Boro, Chloé Aïcha (filmmaker)
Féraud, Frédéric (film producer)
Other credits
Editing, Nina Khada; cinematography, Mathieu Bertholet, Prisca Bourgoin, Rémi Jennequin.
Distributor subjects
Africa,family,human interest,politicsKeywords
00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:37.200
Son of Mamadou Coulibaly!
00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:40.879
Your dynasty rooted in Ségou
came from Mali.
00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:44.359
A name venerated
all over Malinké country.
00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:46.799
This man who knew God intimately,
00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:48.719
who loved his neighbor,
00:01:49.079 --> 00:01:51.280
who was a modest and humble man.
00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:55.519
Be honored, Ousmane Coulibaly.
Rest in peace.
00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:04.079
The Original Paradise
00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:20.719
Land of the Righteous, I salute you.
00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:22.879
Even white footsteps honor you.
00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:26.400
You are in the compound
of the Honorable Ousmane.
00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:29.680
- May he rest in peace.
- May his earth feel light.
00:02:29.840 --> 00:02:33.520
Ousmane Coulibaly lived here.
Peace to his soul.
00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:35.800
Honorable Coulibaly,
00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:41.000
you who engendered the good, the strong,
the worthy, the righteous, I salute you.
00:02:41.639 --> 00:02:44.439
Honorable Coulibaly,
divine indulgence receives you.
00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:48.080
May we remain in the sweetness of life.
00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:50.719
Most perfect fruit of all the wombs
00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:52.639
People of honor, I salute you.
00:02:53.159 --> 00:02:54.800
Righteous one, I salute you.
00:02:55.400 --> 00:02:57.960
I drink from the spring of your blessing.
00:02:58.120 --> 00:02:59.759
Coulibaly family, I salute you.
00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:01.479
We rejoice in your land.
00:03:01.639 --> 00:03:06.560
Milk brothers and sisters,
what a joy to feed on bonds of blood.
00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:11.919
Bonds of blood, bonds of blood
You are the highest bond there is.
00:03:12.199 --> 00:03:15.199
The Coulibaly dynasty
was woven on brotherhood.
00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:17.280
The blood bond is the highest.
00:03:49.759 --> 00:03:53.199
So it's true.
My uncle Ousmane has died.
00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:58.520
The patriarch was trampled far from home
when a crowd stampeded in Mecca.
00:04:01.080 --> 00:04:05.800
Islam prophesizes that dying during Hadj
directly opens the gates of heaven.
00:04:07.240 --> 00:04:10.199
Animism predicts
that a person trampled to death
00:04:10.439 --> 00:04:12.680
is immediately rejected by the spirit.
00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:19.000
The troubling contradiction
does not help soothe our grief.
00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:28.519
Returning to where
my umbilical cord is buried
00:04:28.759 --> 00:04:30.839
always ties knots in my stomach.
00:04:32.600 --> 00:04:35.680
This return is more
of an ordeal than the others.
00:04:37.959 --> 00:04:40.399
Twelve years of exile in France
have taught me
00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:43.839
that returning is often more difficult
than leaving.
00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:12.800
Thank you. But are you sure
your hands are clean?
00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:14.480
Shall I rinse it off?
00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:15.439
No, thanks.
00:05:18.040 --> 00:05:22.399
Ousmane loved Mecca so much
that the land of Mecca demands his soul.
00:05:23.519 --> 00:05:25.120
Isn't that extraordinary?
00:05:25.959 --> 00:05:26.839
Extraordinary!
00:05:27.639 --> 00:05:31.720
And now one of his daughters
has returned from the land of the whites.
00:05:31.879 --> 00:05:33.399
Returned to his courtyard.
00:05:33.560 --> 00:05:36.399
To immortalize his memory
00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:39.800
by shooting a film with a movie camera.
00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:42.319
For that, Aicha, I salute you.
00:05:43.560 --> 00:05:47.800
The eye that cannot defy the Sun
will never be able to defy her.
00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:53.839
The 5 daily prayers were broadcast to us
live from Mecca,
00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:56.040
and we used to pray in unison.
00:05:56.519 --> 00:05:58.319
Every single day.
00:05:58.600 --> 00:06:02.399
He instituted that routine
for our family life.
00:06:04.839 --> 00:06:07.720
He could not love his child,
00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:10.040
he used to say,
00:06:10.199 --> 00:06:12.199
unless the child obeyed the faith.
00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:15.839
To be born into this family
and to lack faith...
00:06:17.240 --> 00:06:19.720
It entailed a life of suffering.
00:06:20.199 --> 00:06:23.600
We were beaten and scolded
if we missed prayers.
00:06:24.439 --> 00:06:27.720
So far, no one has come
to speak to us face to face.
00:06:29.959 --> 00:06:31.560
It's his mother.
00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:37.120
That's all I can tell you.
We just hear rumors.
00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:40.680
Pray for the children.
00:06:41.560 --> 00:06:44.199
Pray for the children and for us, too.
00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:49.560
And pray for peace in the country, too.
00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:52.279
Auntie, ask him to pray for me, too.
00:06:52.439 --> 00:06:55.720
Aïcha asks for your blessings.
She has started her work.
00:06:55.879 --> 00:06:59.240
Pray for the film to be
a good launching pad.
00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:04.040
Yes, she's asking for your blessing.
00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:06.319
May God grant all of our prayers.
00:07:08.199 --> 00:07:11.079
I remember
when we were kids in Dédougou.
00:07:11.639 --> 00:07:16.079
When they showed Western movies
and there were scenes
00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:18.879
with people kissing, or even more...
00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:22.800
Uncle watched the children,
to make sure they averted their eyes.
00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:23.639
Remember?
00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:26.600
You had to disappear, but stay there.
00:07:26.839 --> 00:07:31.439
You pretended to look for your shoe
or scratch your foot, to duck your head.
00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:37.319
And if he judged that one of us
hadn't disappeared enough,
00:07:37.879 --> 00:07:40.600
he'd take the remote and turn off the TV.
00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:45.240
He'd say, "White people are not
even judged; they go directly to Hell."
00:08:17.959 --> 00:08:22.040
This is your uncle's bedroom.
You can store your equipment there.
00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:25.000
- Really? Is that okay?
- Yes.
00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:31.319
I was amazed.
00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:33.639
The boundaries had collapsed.
00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:36.799
I don't know what word
defined my feelings
00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:43.159
when I witnessed my aunt
unlock the door so nonchalantly.
00:08:43.720 --> 00:08:44.879
So casually...
00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:48.519
Inviting us
to leave our film equipment there.
00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:53.679
At that precise moment in time,
00:08:53.840 --> 00:08:58.080
I had never set foot in that room
before, not even once in my life.
00:08:58.440 --> 00:09:01.000
Throughout my childhood and adolescence,
00:09:01.159 --> 00:09:05.080
I'd never had the right to enter here,
even to clean the room.
00:09:07.559 --> 00:09:11.559
Is our world now totally different
from the one I left?
00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:18.279
Does Uncle Ousmane's death
mean that who we are has disappeared?
00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:44.519
We were discussing
Muslim laws of inheritance,
00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:47.919
in relation to my father's death.
00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:52.559
I'm surprised to learn
that the land is excluded.
00:09:55.639 --> 00:09:59.799
I thought all of the assets
of the deceased belonged to his estate
00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:02.080
and were shared by his heirs.
00:10:02.639 --> 00:10:06.840
When land is concerned,
there is no case for dividing it up.
00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:12.399
But now, Islam is in the process
of adapting
00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:14.720
to modern times.
00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:16.840
If the land has to be sold
00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:21.120
so that it can be divided,
everyone must agree.
00:10:21.639 --> 00:10:23.840
If we have to deal with property,
00:10:24.519 --> 00:10:27.120
it means our fathers planned nothing.
00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:31.720
Generally, the wealthiest relatives
already own homes.
00:10:32.039 --> 00:10:35.679
The others can stay
and benefit from the common wealth.
00:10:36.240 --> 00:10:41.039
Some people here think
that women have no right to a share.
00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:42.919
How will it be?
00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:46.039
They have a right, but to smaller shares.
00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:50.159
Women possess more than we suspect.
00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:54.399
Our fathers
managed to restrain their women.
00:10:56.440 --> 00:10:58.000
They kept them in line.
00:10:58.159 --> 00:11:02.480
But today, each of the women
in our cots at night
00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:08.039
tells us what to do, dictating her will.
00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:12.480
In my opinion, to find a lasting solution,
00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:16.440
we have to sell
00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:20.519
before the women
turn us against each other.
00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:23.279
Our family is emblematic.
00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:27.120
Our emblematic family is renowned.
00:11:27.480 --> 00:11:30.279
Selling our courtyard to outsiders
00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:33.840
is extremely disturbing to me.
00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:38.000
Scattering will weaken us.
00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:42.080
You are talking about the possibility
00:11:42.600 --> 00:11:46.000
of selling the courtyard
after the death of my elder brother!
00:11:47.559 --> 00:11:50.519
But the yard belongs to all of us.
00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:56.039
the children, the grandchildren,
those who have emigrated...
00:11:56.919 --> 00:12:00.080
Selling an ancestral courtyard
00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:03.679
is like selling a temple!
00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:06.080
Our individual courtyards are ours.
00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:09.200
The ancestral courtyard
belongs to our history.
00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:13.440
You'd sell your grandparents' souls.
00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:17.039
We haven't reached an agreement yet.
00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:21.919
But I know that when we return,
after thinking, we will succeed.
00:12:49.879 --> 00:12:53.360
Man, I've been trying to reach you
since this morning.
00:12:54.759 --> 00:12:56.799
Of course it's about the rent.
00:12:57.039 --> 00:13:00.399
Once again, everyone has paid except you.
00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:07.200
All right, when you get home, tell me.
00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:09.919
See you later.
00:13:50.039 --> 00:13:54.519
Knock knock. Hello.
00:13:54.679 --> 00:13:56.279
Already?
00:13:56.440 --> 00:14:00.399
Yes, for the elderly widows' pension.
00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:03.799
Those ladies have a memory for dates.
00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:06.960
I'll find a way to give you a little.
00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:10.320
I might have a piece of it.
00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:12.919
A large piece, I hope!
00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:17.480
As you know, I owe you 50 thousand francs.
00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:21.159
But I beg you, accept 25 thousand.
00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:25.200
40 thousand, perhaps?
00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:29.879
I don't have 40 thousand.
This is all I have.
00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:35.120
If you weren't filming me,
I'd have kept this money for groceries.
00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:37.799
- What's your name again?
- Cissé Adama.
00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:41.240
You've been demanding
my money for long enough.
00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:43.919
You don't even recall my name?
00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:46.639
We have many tenants!
00:14:46.919 --> 00:14:49.279
I won't make a fuss about it.
00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:54.679
Even though you're young enough
to be my son, I won't humiliate you.
00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:06.120
This paper says you owe us
25 thousand more.
00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:08.000
Right?
00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:11.919
Don't forget next month,
00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:15.480
you must add that debt to the rent.
00:15:15.639 --> 00:15:18.360
Don't come back so soon.
00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:24.200
Don't come in January. Come in February.
00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:31.440
At the end of February,
I should be able to pay the whole debt.
00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:33.080
Thank you very much.
00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:38.799
Be well!
00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:41.000
God bless you, too.
Safe return.
00:16:06.759 --> 00:16:10.600
Go ahead! Pass me on that side.
Son of a bitch!
00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:14.159
We're all in a hurry! Jerk.
00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:42.480
Did you collect all the rent?
00:16:43.879 --> 00:16:45.519
Not everything.
00:16:46.120 --> 00:16:48.879
Only two tenants
00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:52.039
paid up a little.
00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:57.799
Once again, the one who never pays
paid nothing.
00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:06.279
Must we wait?
00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:08.960
Maybe we should evict him.
00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:14.799
It wouldn't be wise to evict him
00:17:15.720 --> 00:17:19.440
unless we find someone to replace him.
00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:31.960
This proves the communal system
has gone on for far too long.
00:17:32.279 --> 00:17:33.759
Expenses are high.
00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:37.680
We're always cooking big feasts
for passing strangers.
00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:42.000
Those who say that selling the land
is sacrilegious are naive.
00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:44.559
This way of life is no longer viable.
00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:48.559
Selling would be an assault
on the memory of our fathers.
00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:51.160
May they rest in peace.
00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:52.880
Yes, I hear you.
00:17:53.079 --> 00:17:58.920
If the holiness
of our main courtyard is not intact,
00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:03.880
our father cannot rest in peace.
00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:07.079
Let's make holiness our priority,
00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:11.079
even if our individual situations
are precarious.
00:18:11.599 --> 00:18:14.640
This space is where we all gather
00:18:14.920 --> 00:18:20.759
for the great occasions, it's true.
00:18:26.359 --> 00:18:32.319
This courtyard
belongs to something beyond us
00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:36.519
Before being its owners,
00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:42.599
we are the guardians
of the spirituality that dwells here.
00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:45.920
It is a gathering place
00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:51.400
for believers, a gathering place
for everything that makes up our roots.
00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:55.799
But all of that belongs to a bygone era.
00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:58.039
The courtyard will disappear
00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:02.359
sooner or later, whether we sell or not.
00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:08.839
My family is the size of a tribe.
00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:12.240
Fifty people lived in the courtyard
when I was a child.
00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:14.880
We're a "long-handled family," as we say.
00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:18.680
Uncle Ousmane had 22 children.
00:19:18.920 --> 00:19:22.319
Binta's children
are my "short-handle family,"
00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:24.480
partners in childhood pranks.
00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:28.319
Ladji, named for our grandfather;
00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:33.640
his little brother Chécki,
who manages the family's assets;
00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:38.200
Bilal, the youngest, who wants
to follow in his late father's footsteps;
00:19:41.640 --> 00:19:43.119
and their sister Sanaa.
00:19:43.480 --> 00:19:46.119
with whom
I always shared a sleeping mat.
00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:49.039
Today, she is like a mirror for me:
00:19:49.319 --> 00:19:52.200
the woman I could have become,
had I not left.
00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:17.400
- Sanaa!
- Yes?
00:20:20.119 --> 00:20:21.720
Welcome, Chécki.
00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:24.039
- Hello.
- Hello.
00:20:24.200 --> 00:20:25.160
Back again?
00:20:25.319 --> 00:20:27.680
- How's the family?
- They're well.
00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:29.680
- How are things here?
- Fine.
00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:32.200
- Did you just get here?
- Yes.
00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:35.640
- How are your wife and children?
- Fine, thanks.
00:20:38.839 --> 00:20:43.920
I came to work out the budget with you.
00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:46.319
Can you show me the bills?
00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:49.240
I have the electricity bill.
00:20:50.039 --> 00:20:52.279
And the one for trash collection.
00:20:55.359 --> 00:20:57.000
The electricity bill...
00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:03.599
All right. Over 50,000! Wow.
00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:09.119
Here's the trash bill.
00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:11.559
I see. 6,000.
00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:14.839
Every four months.
00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:16.480
6,000 and some change.
00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:26.240
I'll go pay the electricity bill.
00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:32.640
Now I'll give you money for food.
00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:56.640
I have 44,000.
That's the budget for food.
00:21:57.400 --> 00:22:02.240
I'll give you more
when I collect the rest of the rent.
00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:34.240
There aren't many people living here now.
00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:38.599
Only me, sometimes my little sister
and my children.
00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:42.400
And sometimes our mothers,
when they return.
00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:48.920
Everyone went his own way,
to start a family or emigrate.
00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:51.319
Hardly anyone is left.
00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:54.799
As for Dad, he left us.
00:22:55.240 --> 00:22:57.039
Dad died.
00:22:59.880 --> 00:23:03.400
Still, we weren't able
to choose our lives.
00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:05.839
I ended up in an arranged marriage.
00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:08.319
And then I was repudiated.
00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:10.640
Remember how confined we were?
00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:14.720
You needed the old man's permission
just to stand on the doorstep.
00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:19.000
Islam!
Father swore by it, and by it alone!
00:24:12.359 --> 00:24:14.920
Today, we face today's difficulties.
00:24:15.119 --> 00:24:18.839
I am a member of this family.
00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:21.559
My wife is pregnant.
00:24:22.440 --> 00:24:24.039
There are medical bills.
00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:26.160
They are adding up.
00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:28.240
More than I can afford.
00:24:28.839 --> 00:24:31.079
And I see this estate,
00:24:31.960 --> 00:24:35.119
to which I too am entitled.
00:24:36.119 --> 00:24:40.480
I have to find money for my wife's care
and the arrival of my son.
00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:43.279
- Out of the question.
- His claim is valid.
00:24:43.440 --> 00:24:44.960
Out of the question.
00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:47.240
Why not?
00:24:47.640 --> 00:24:49.319
- A reason to sell.
- No sale!
00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:54.039
Before you got your wife pregnant,
were you unaware of the expense?
00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:56.519
Pregnancy incurs expenses.
00:24:56.680 --> 00:24:59.400
But he also knew
he had rights to an estate.
00:24:59.559 --> 00:25:02.640
The courtyard is collectively owned.
00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:07.720
If we sell, where will he bury
the umbilical cord of his future child?
00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:11.559
Will he wander around with it on his head?
00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:14.599
Everyone will bury the cord
in his own yard.
00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:18.119
Starting with us,
we can write our own lineage.
00:25:18.440 --> 00:25:21.519
Homeless cords
yield empty, vile creatures.
00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:22.680
Of course!
00:25:23.319 --> 00:25:24.960
Prove me wrong.
00:25:25.400 --> 00:25:26.440
Money's not everything.
00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:28.960
It isn't so bad to sell.
00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:32.200
If money is everything,
what are our lives worth?
00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:36.160
There's plenty of land.
00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:41.039
But our fathers' courtyard
cannot be bargained with.
00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:42.759
We must keep it.
00:25:42.920 --> 00:25:46.119
If we hold onto this land,
we'll end up losing it.
00:25:46.319 --> 00:25:50.279
No, the land is our children's,
to inherit.
00:25:50.759 --> 00:25:53.880
And their children after them.
That is acceptable.
00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:55.960
The courtyard will not be sold.
00:25:56.119 --> 00:25:58.079
Our grandchildren will sell it.
00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:16.680
If we cannot agree,
let us take our dispute to the judge.
00:26:20.640 --> 00:26:23.359
Destroyer! He'll destroy everything.
00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:27.119
The greedy ones are tired.
Nothing will be sold.
00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:31.039
Hoping to sell our identity.
May shame accompany your steps.
00:26:32.279 --> 00:26:34.079
There they go, one by one...
00:27:07.119 --> 00:27:11.839
You know, when you said
you wanted the judge to rule on the case?
00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:14.279
Was that just an angry outburst?
00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:18.680
Or do you really think that way?
00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:23.079
Ousmane was our eldest brother.
00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:27.759
Now that he is gone,
you want to divide us with a trial.
00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:35.200
The point is not to divide us,
but to obey the legislation in effect,
00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:38.720
the law recommended by authorities.
00:27:39.559 --> 00:27:44.039
This law says no one is above the law.
00:27:44.319 --> 00:27:49.200
But our courtyard is a holy place.
People come from far away to pray here.
00:27:49.359 --> 00:27:52.359
Selling it would be sacrilegious, right?
00:27:53.480 --> 00:27:55.680
Religion has nothing to do with this.
00:27:55.839 --> 00:27:58.839
The question is not religion,
but inheritance.
00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:03.319
Except it is a place of prayer.
00:28:03.480 --> 00:28:05.839
Not on official documents.
00:28:06.039 --> 00:28:07.839
Above all, it is a dwelling.
00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:14.000
Our family simply tolerated the prayers.
00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:18.240
There are other mosques in the town.
00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:22.519
Our grandfathers
were simply doing people a favor.
00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:28.200
But, as the saying goes,
charity begins at home.
00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:33.519
The judge will settle the dispute,
and tell us whether to divide or sell.
00:28:33.680 --> 00:28:37.319
But how will we settle
the question about the generations?
00:28:37.680 --> 00:28:42.559
As Ousmane's brothers, are we the heirs?
Or are his sons?
00:28:42.720 --> 00:28:45.359
Or are all of our children entitled?
00:28:46.119 --> 00:28:48.319
How do we handle all of this?
00:29:04.640 --> 00:29:06.279
Go ahead.
00:29:07.799 --> 00:29:09.079
We're halfway there.
00:29:20.279 --> 00:29:22.680
Your feet are in the wrong place.
00:29:22.920 --> 00:29:24.759
Raise your feet.
00:29:36.680 --> 00:29:37.839
Go ahead.
00:29:45.319 --> 00:29:48.799
Don't put your feet down.
Keep them in the air.
00:30:21.960 --> 00:30:22.759
A little more...
00:30:22.920 --> 00:30:24.079
Very good!
00:30:37.160 --> 00:30:38.240
Here's your baby.
00:30:58.079 --> 00:30:59.000
Excuse me.
00:30:59.519 --> 00:31:01.559
Put your hands down.
00:31:06.759 --> 00:31:08.119
Give me that, please.
00:31:53.880 --> 00:31:57.960
What is a life worth,
if it cannot perpetuate itself?
00:31:58.640 --> 00:32:00.720
Welcome to the circle of mothers.
00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:05.200
The skies bear witness
to the splitting of our womb
00:32:05.400 --> 00:32:09.720
Another woman
has joined the circle of mothers
00:32:10.480 --> 00:32:14.640
The mother, giver of life,
is joined by a new Mahamadou
00:32:14.799 --> 00:32:18.640
On your ancestral lands, Mahamadou,
we witness your entrance.
00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:21.000
Courageous being, you are new!
00:32:21.240 --> 00:32:25.400
We demand reverence
for the splitting of our womb
00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:29.759
Skies! Witness the insult to our flesh,
done by the royal sex
00:32:30.119 --> 00:32:34.200
Skies! Witness the bruises on our flesh,
bruises of the royal sex
00:32:34.519 --> 00:32:38.960
Skies! Witness the hurt to our flesh
done by the royal sex
00:32:39.119 --> 00:32:43.119
Skies! Witness the torment of our flesh,
done by the royal sex
00:32:46.160 --> 00:32:48.519
Motherhood is priceless
00:32:48.759 --> 00:32:53.559
A child can never be bought
The fruit of your womb is priceless
00:32:53.720 --> 00:32:58.279
Motherhood is priceless, women,
00:32:58.640 --> 00:33:03.039
No fortune can buy a child.
00:33:03.440 --> 00:33:07.799
Now you have arrived, Mahamadou
00:33:08.279 --> 00:33:12.440
In the land of your ancestors,
00:33:12.680 --> 00:33:16.559
You shall travel the world
and cross its oceans
00:33:16.920 --> 00:33:20.920
The only real bond
is your belonging to your fatherland.
00:33:21.119 --> 00:33:25.119
Mahamadou,
we entrust you to the care of God
00:33:25.279 --> 00:33:30.680
May you grow in your family's love
and may you love them in return
00:33:31.079 --> 00:33:33.440
Mahamadou, may you grow
00:33:33.599 --> 00:33:37.880
in the idea of belonging to your fathers.
00:33:38.119 --> 00:33:40.440
Motherhood is priceless, women
00:33:40.599 --> 00:33:45.359
It is priceless, and
no fortune can buy a child.
00:34:00.720 --> 00:34:05.119
God grants gifts.
Some of them are material.
00:34:05.279 --> 00:34:09.360
For you, it will be the bond
of belonging to a family
00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:17.960
God grants gifts
One of them is to bear life
00:34:18.280 --> 00:34:21.199
Yes, God grants gifts
00:34:22.760 --> 00:34:26.639
One of them is the bond
of belonging to a family
00:34:26.960 --> 00:34:28.360
God grants gifts
00:34:28.519 --> 00:34:33.480
Mahamadou, meet your mother.
00:35:02.360 --> 00:35:04.840
Coulibaly Home
00:35:47.360 --> 00:35:49.400
Dad, may God receive your soul.
00:35:50.639 --> 00:35:53.599
May your hopes not be reduced to nothing.
00:35:54.760 --> 00:35:56.400
I trust in God.
00:35:59.199 --> 00:36:01.679
By His will, justice will be done.
00:36:11.800 --> 00:36:15.119
Your own little brothers
have turned against us.
00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:25.119
To think those people say they're Muslims.
00:36:27.239 --> 00:36:29.719
They are not the least bit Muslim.
00:36:31.840 --> 00:36:33.920
They have no conscience.
00:37:07.880 --> 00:37:12.519
Actually, I have business,
but my truck keeps breaking down.
00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:15.480
But this morning, I am full of hope,
00:37:15.639 --> 00:37:19.239
because I saw a very good vehicle
that is for sale.
00:37:19.400 --> 00:37:24.880
The engine and transmission
are both in good shape.
00:37:25.039 --> 00:37:28.800
And the seller is asking less
00:37:28.960 --> 00:37:31.039
than the mechanic charges.
00:37:31.719 --> 00:37:33.760
I have to find the money.
00:37:35.760 --> 00:37:37.760
This is a rare bargain!
00:37:38.199 --> 00:37:41.760
At this price, I can't pass it up.
00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:45.400
I already have my own family to feed,
00:37:45.639 --> 00:37:48.199
and bills to pay.
00:37:48.440 --> 00:37:49.800
I'm on a budget.
00:37:50.039 --> 00:37:52.280
Talk to me about family unity
00:37:52.519 --> 00:37:56.079
and conserving the estate... Forget it!
00:38:01.639 --> 00:38:03.840
Hello, Attorney!
00:38:04.079 --> 00:38:06.079
How are you?
00:38:12.840 --> 00:38:14.519
Yes, I'm listening.
00:38:17.679 --> 00:38:22.760
They have scheduled a hearing
to rule on the fate of our courtyard.
00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:33.119
We have to get ready to present evidence,
00:38:33.280 --> 00:38:34.880
the day after tomorrow.
00:38:35.960 --> 00:38:40.000
Some of us should attend,
and try to understand the subtleties.
00:38:41.199 --> 00:38:44.679
Our uncles want the judge
to erase Dad's name on the title
00:38:44.840 --> 00:38:46.679
and put Grandfather's.
00:38:48.079 --> 00:38:51.559
That way, our uncles
would become the heirs.
00:38:51.719 --> 00:38:54.360
We'll go listen to what the lawyer says.
00:38:55.719 --> 00:38:57.840
- What a hassle!
- That's for sure.
00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:02.800
How long will this court case take?
00:39:03.920 --> 00:39:06.000
What has befallen us?
00:39:06.159 --> 00:39:09.559
To be fighting and feuding
within the family?
00:39:10.800 --> 00:39:14.679
What do our uncles want from us?
00:39:14.960 --> 00:39:19.559
They want the courtyards.
What else would they want?
00:39:21.280 --> 00:39:22.880
Ownership obsesses them!
00:39:23.400 --> 00:39:28.920
In the old days, when you acquired land,
you were given a piece of wood.
00:39:29.119 --> 00:39:34.000
It was a holy piece of wood,
with things carved in it.
00:39:34.320 --> 00:39:36.760
We are at a pivotal point.
00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:41.599
We are turning our backs on that era,
and entering one of official land titles.
00:39:41.800 --> 00:39:45.920
But our government
has failed to set up systems
00:39:46.079 --> 00:39:48.639
to help people adapt to the new laws.
00:39:48.800 --> 00:39:52.159
Not everyone has the same
level of education.
00:39:52.480 --> 00:39:56.639
We have to rely on unintelligible
public-service announcements,
00:39:56.800 --> 00:39:59.880
The system is unfair
to the uneducated, the weakest.
00:40:00.199 --> 00:40:04.199
From now on, our uncles are our enemies.
00:40:04.800 --> 00:40:07.159
War is starting. But when will it end?
00:40:47.199 --> 00:40:50.280
Assanatou, what is this great sorrow?
00:40:51.639 --> 00:40:54.559
I see Sadness and Worry
guided your steps to me.
00:40:56.000 --> 00:40:59.039
True, our family courtyard
00:40:59.840 --> 00:41:01.880
is gripped by a crisis.
00:41:02.239 --> 00:41:05.480
That is what brings me.
00:41:05.760 --> 00:41:09.960
Can you predict the outcome
of this crisis?
00:41:10.119 --> 00:41:13.599
I am one of those
who still lives in the courtyard.
00:41:14.639 --> 00:41:16.440
I'm afraid I'll be homeless.
00:41:16.639 --> 00:41:19.360
Assanatou,
property disputes are so common!
00:41:19.519 --> 00:41:23.360
In your case, I see betrayal and greed.
00:41:23.639 --> 00:41:26.519
God help you. I don't see you winning.
00:41:26.679 --> 00:41:30.760
If I said I saw the court ruling
in your favor, I'd be lying to you.
00:41:31.039 --> 00:41:35.039
I am not going to lie to you.
You will not keep the courtyard.
00:41:35.199 --> 00:41:40.320
Those working in the shadows
to win the case are not all virtuous.
00:41:40.639 --> 00:41:44.960
To attract divine favor,
you will sacrifice an eel and fresh okra.
00:41:45.159 --> 00:41:46.920
Give it to a needy man.
00:41:47.400 --> 00:41:51.000
The eel and the okra
both slip out of your hand.
00:41:52.320 --> 00:41:55.920
So will your problems.
You will obtain divine favor.
00:41:56.519 --> 00:41:59.599
Do you have a suitor?
00:42:01.000 --> 00:42:02.119
I am being courted.
00:42:02.280 --> 00:42:07.400
I see a feeling of love aspiring to be
a home, here, and the honor is here.
00:42:07.760 --> 00:42:09.800
Does that fit anyone you know?
00:42:09.960 --> 00:42:12.519
Yes. His name is Sanou.
00:42:13.000 --> 00:42:16.800
The man I see really intends to marry you,
00:42:17.960 --> 00:42:19.599
but his wife will oppose it.
00:42:19.760 --> 00:42:22.519
You see her here,
jealously protecting her home.
00:42:22.880 --> 00:42:25.760
But if you insist,
you shall marry, and be happy.
00:42:25.920 --> 00:42:29.000
I see your current anxiety
turning into laughter.
00:42:29.400 --> 00:42:34.159
For this marriage, you must sacrifice
a sheep. But I know you can't afford it.
00:42:34.639 --> 00:42:37.159
Just sacrifice the head and feet.
00:42:37.320 --> 00:42:39.960
The man will cherish you
like a young woman.
00:43:32.320 --> 00:43:35.760
The judge has postponed the hearing.
00:43:36.079 --> 00:43:40.320
We'll have to come back,
to see how the judge rules.
00:43:40.880 --> 00:43:43.000
I will keep you informed, anyway.
00:43:54.840 --> 00:43:57.639
All this back-and-forth
is getting annoying.
00:43:57.880 --> 00:43:59.960
They postpone every time.
00:44:00.719 --> 00:44:04.280
Who knows
when they'll schedule the next date?
00:44:04.840 --> 00:44:08.280
I'm eager for the trial to be held,
just to see this end.
00:44:32.800 --> 00:44:34.159
Peace be with you
00:44:39.760 --> 00:44:44.559
May peace and serenity be with you
00:45:15.719 --> 00:45:20.480
A good life to you, manchild
May it be beautiful and long.
00:45:26.920 --> 00:45:30.199
Little Mahamadou,
Share in peace and life
00:45:42.159 --> 00:45:46.199
Manchild, learn that a woman's sigh
00:45:46.719 --> 00:45:49.920
is the oldest of words
00:45:50.480 --> 00:45:54.960
Women's sighs do not explode,
00:45:55.920 --> 00:45:58.679
But they contain the anger of the world.
00:45:58.960 --> 00:46:02.760
Learn that a woman's sigh
is the oldest of words
00:46:12.079 --> 00:46:15.760
Our beloved homes forgive us
00:46:16.719 --> 00:46:19.719
for generous blows on the body...
00:46:20.760 --> 00:46:22.800
Our beloved homes
00:46:23.079 --> 00:46:26.840
forgive our humiliations...
00:46:27.360 --> 00:46:31.440
Mystery of procreation
00:46:31.599 --> 00:46:37.800
You alone guide our steps
towards these homes
00:47:19.239 --> 00:47:24.239
Eight years ago, when I gave birth
to my son Satiam in a French clinic,
00:47:25.400 --> 00:47:29.039
I asked why they had not brought me
the umbilical cord.
00:47:29.199 --> 00:47:32.079
The midwife's eyes widened with surprise.
00:47:32.960 --> 00:47:37.920
"Why, it's been thrown away, ma'am,"
she replied, intrigued.
00:47:41.239 --> 00:47:44.599
May this film compensate
for my childen's loss.
00:47:53.800 --> 00:47:55.679
Hamza, don't you want to eat?
00:47:56.119 --> 00:47:59.440
Come eat. Or don't you like couscous?
00:48:00.519 --> 00:48:02.400
I only like rice and tô.
00:48:03.400 --> 00:48:07.000
But couscous is good.
And it's a Malinké dish.
00:48:07.599 --> 00:48:08.559
It's not good.
00:48:08.719 --> 00:48:10.119
You are Malinké, right?
00:48:10.280 --> 00:48:12.320
I am, but I don't like it.
00:48:16.599 --> 00:48:19.159
What did Asma's teacher tell you?
00:48:19.800 --> 00:48:24.559
He had come to tutor her at home,
but Asma had gone to her aunt's house.
00:48:25.159 --> 00:48:29.119
She has to pass her exam this year.
00:48:29.840 --> 00:48:33.519
I cannot keep paying the fees
unless she makes progress.
00:48:36.679 --> 00:48:38.199
Aren't you going to eat?
00:48:43.000 --> 00:48:47.920
They called me about the trial.
I think that took away my appetite.
00:48:51.960 --> 00:48:56.320
I have to go there the day after tomorrow.
00:48:58.039 --> 00:49:01.880
Dad is survived by 19 children.
00:49:03.079 --> 00:49:06.639
Our uncles want to dispossess us
of the inheritance.
00:49:06.880 --> 00:49:11.400
Our attorney already wants 500,000 francs.
00:49:12.239 --> 00:49:14.440
Plus his travel expenses.
00:49:16.840 --> 00:49:19.800
Solo can't come to the hearing.
00:49:19.960 --> 00:49:22.519
He wants me to go instead.
00:49:24.719 --> 00:49:30.000
Whether or not I go,
the judges will do the talking.
00:49:34.639 --> 00:49:39.599
Don't lose hope.
Try not to make matters worse.
00:49:39.760 --> 00:49:41.280
They are family.
00:49:46.920 --> 00:49:48.760
Can you keep it on RTI?
00:49:49.079 --> 00:49:51.559
RTI fades out all the time.
00:49:51.760 --> 00:49:54.000
Then put on channel 33.
00:49:54.159 --> 00:49:58.280
Native sons, let us work hand in hand
for our development
00:49:58.440 --> 00:50:00.679
and fight terrorism effectively.
00:50:03.840 --> 00:50:06.639
This Jihadism has hurt everyone.
00:50:06.800 --> 00:50:11.000
It stopped my work completely.
00:50:11.679 --> 00:50:14.559
For two years, my business has stagnated,
00:50:14.920 --> 00:50:17.280
because of the terrorist situation.
00:50:19.920 --> 00:50:23.039
Apparently, by the end of the year,
00:50:24.440 --> 00:50:27.320
there will be changes in the government.
00:50:28.000 --> 00:50:32.039
Stronger leaders will make things better.
00:50:32.960 --> 00:50:35.800
Let's hope your words come true.
00:51:09.360 --> 00:51:14.039
For some time, land ownership
has been leading to family disputes.
00:51:14.719 --> 00:51:19.480
Take the case of the Coulibaly family
courtyard in Dédougou.
00:51:19.760 --> 00:51:23.800
The piece of land, pride of the family,
is causing such a crisis.
00:51:24.039 --> 00:51:27.920
The parties in conflict
have taken their case to court.
00:51:28.199 --> 00:51:32.800
The land belongs to the State
to manage in the national interest.
00:51:33.000 --> 00:51:37.679
There is a problem when the modern state
confronts traditional land management.
00:51:38.119 --> 00:51:40.559
There's also a backup of cases in court.
00:51:40.840 --> 00:51:44.280
Legal proceedings
are often long and detailed.
00:51:44.440 --> 00:51:48.800
This is what discourages the parties
from settling disputes in court.
00:51:48.960 --> 00:51:51.639
They prefer
to settle the conflict violently.
00:51:51.920 --> 00:51:56.760
Our modern legal system
is based on the French system.
00:51:56.920 --> 00:52:00.360
Can a court of law invalidate an oral will
00:52:00.599 --> 00:52:03.480
made before modern justice existed?
00:52:04.039 --> 00:52:08.199
Only if there is something called proof.
How can proof be produced?
00:52:08.519 --> 00:52:11.199
An oral will must be witnessed.
00:52:11.480 --> 00:52:15.480
What role does customary law
now play in managing land?
00:52:15.760 --> 00:52:21.360
According to custom, land is given
to a man who comes looking for it.
00:52:21.719 --> 00:52:23.159
Land is not sold.
00:52:23.599 --> 00:52:27.360
These problems go back
to the legalization of the sale of land.
00:52:28.559 --> 00:52:30.320
That leads to litigation.
00:52:30.480 --> 00:52:32.840
These issues are handled differently,
00:52:33.079 --> 00:52:38.840
depending on your ethnic tradition -
Bobo, Peul, Gurunsi, Mossi.
00:52:40.320 --> 00:52:45.320
In a young state, becoming a nation,
what law will be applied?
00:52:45.599 --> 00:52:48.880
A simple solution
was to adopt the French system.
00:52:49.039 --> 00:52:51.480
It solved one problem but created others.
00:52:51.639 --> 00:52:54.719
The only solution is concertation.
00:52:55.320 --> 00:52:58.480
I sincerely hope that relatives
who are feuding
00:52:59.360 --> 00:53:01.840
will sit down together and make peace
00:53:02.400 --> 00:53:05.440
and look at what their elders
00:53:06.000 --> 00:53:08.599
left to their heirs.
00:53:08.920 --> 00:53:12.519
If they behaved the same way,
they would not sell the land.
00:53:19.199 --> 00:53:20.920
That news gave me chills!
00:53:24.360 --> 00:53:26.400
I've got goose bumps!
00:53:29.960 --> 00:53:35.320
We just have to find the witnesses
00:53:35.679 --> 00:53:40.360
who were there,
when grandfather named Dad in his will.
00:53:40.599 --> 00:53:42.599
Like Uncle Sissoko.
00:53:42.760 --> 00:53:44.000
Amadou Sissoko!
00:53:44.360 --> 00:53:47.480
If they're alive, we can do it.
00:54:16.960 --> 00:54:17.920
Eyeglasses.
00:54:18.079 --> 00:54:21.159
Move your hand the other way.
00:54:23.840 --> 00:54:26.440
Right next to the telephone.
00:54:27.719 --> 00:54:29.079
- How are you?
- Fine.
00:54:29.239 --> 00:54:30.519
Bilal.
00:54:30.679 --> 00:54:34.320
You certainly have grown! What a grip.
00:54:36.639 --> 00:54:38.119
Are you here in Bobo?
00:54:38.920 --> 00:54:40.800
You have abandoned me
00:54:41.159 --> 00:54:44.880
since your father died,
even though I'm also your father.
00:54:45.159 --> 00:54:48.719
You could come see me from time to time.
00:54:49.320 --> 00:54:51.679
Or use the device called a telephone.
00:54:52.000 --> 00:54:56.400
You take your phone and talk to me.
It's not that difficult.
00:54:56.559 --> 00:54:58.079
I've heard nothing!
00:54:58.719 --> 00:55:00.079
Forgive me.
00:55:01.400 --> 00:55:03.800
I'm haunted by our legal case.
00:55:04.079 --> 00:55:08.840
I'm about to despair.
00:55:09.679 --> 00:55:14.840
I don't even have the energy
to tell you how the trial is going.
00:55:19.639 --> 00:55:24.239
These days, I keep
the darkness company all night.
00:55:24.480 --> 00:55:28.000
The court has asked us
to bring witnesses for our cause.
00:55:28.159 --> 00:55:30.000
We want to ask you to testify.
00:55:30.239 --> 00:55:31.559
Who?
00:55:31.719 --> 00:55:35.320
You know, the dispute in court
over the estate.
00:55:35.719 --> 00:55:37.480
It will help our case
00:55:37.800 --> 00:55:41.719
if we can find a witness
who confirms the will.
00:55:43.079 --> 00:55:47.440
You're talking about court.
Do you want to take me to court?
00:55:47.880 --> 00:55:51.599
No, Dad, no one is going
to take you to court.
00:55:54.000 --> 00:55:59.199
Maki, be careful when you use
the word "court" with Dad.
00:55:59.360 --> 00:56:01.239
Try not to frighten him.
00:56:01.480 --> 00:56:04.159
A simple conversation, all right. No more.
00:56:07.599 --> 00:56:10.280
Your father was also fond of money.
00:56:10.880 --> 00:56:13.320
But although Ousmane enjoyed money,
00:56:13.800 --> 00:56:16.440
he wasn't a liar.
00:56:17.119 --> 00:56:18.199
I recognize that.
00:56:20.960 --> 00:56:25.760
He wouldn't have kept the whole estate
if he had not received it as a bequest.
00:56:26.119 --> 00:56:30.039
- Ladji, here's money for Dad.
- I too give him some each time.
00:56:30.320 --> 00:56:32.719
Today's old people like money.
00:56:34.239 --> 00:56:36.800
He's like his friend Ousmane.
00:56:37.159 --> 00:56:38.280
Ladji!
00:56:39.920 --> 00:56:42.920
You have the nerve to say
old people like money?
00:56:43.079 --> 00:56:47.079
You're right, I don't know one old man
who doesn't like money.
00:56:47.480 --> 00:56:49.280
Everyone does.
00:56:52.119 --> 00:56:54.559
Here is the money Aicha is giving you.
00:56:55.360 --> 00:56:57.679
I thank her. God bless her.
00:56:58.480 --> 00:57:01.159
Aicha, I thank you.
00:57:02.079 --> 00:57:05.280
I hope God rewards you a hundredfold.
00:57:05.880 --> 00:57:10.440
May God protect her,
in the place where she lives.
00:57:10.920 --> 00:57:14.639
She has to find herself a new husband.
Even a white man.
00:57:14.800 --> 00:57:19.559
If she isn't married before she returns
here again, we won't welcome her.
00:58:04.199 --> 00:58:07.000
Are you here to talk about the trial?
00:58:07.440 --> 00:58:10.320
Yes. I've learned about the evidence.
00:58:13.519 --> 00:58:15.480
It's a real headache.
00:58:15.599 --> 00:58:18.519
Pseudo-landlords keep appearing,
00:58:20.960 --> 00:58:22.679
Out of the blue.
00:58:22.960 --> 00:58:25.800
But God leaves no water in the milk.
00:58:27.599 --> 00:58:30.119
They will pay for their misdeeds.
00:58:30.440 --> 00:58:33.519
Let's trust
that they won't have the last word.
00:58:34.440 --> 00:58:36.800
Truth will have the last word.
00:58:38.039 --> 00:58:42.440
Uncle is beating his chest,
but before, he bowed down to Dad.
00:58:42.840 --> 00:58:46.440
This family matter depresses me.
00:58:46.800 --> 00:58:50.239
It makes me feel discouraged.
00:58:51.920 --> 00:58:57.400
Remember that girl I was dating?
00:58:58.840 --> 00:59:02.000
Remember?
I introduced her to you and Aicha.
00:59:03.079 --> 00:59:04.880
The university student.
00:59:05.039 --> 00:59:08.679
We started dating about three years ago.
00:59:09.440 --> 00:59:11.880
She used to come see me on a motorbike.
00:59:12.320 --> 00:59:18.159
I was going out with her before Dad died.
00:59:19.599 --> 00:59:23.719
After Dad died, I had a dream.
00:59:24.320 --> 00:59:26.559
She was sitting in my lap.
00:59:27.559 --> 00:59:30.840
Father suddenly appeared and slapped me.
00:59:34.199 --> 00:59:35.440
After the dream,
00:59:36.239 --> 00:59:40.880
I never felt the same way about her,
and finally, we split up.
00:59:42.400 --> 00:59:46.119
Sanaa, even today,
it weighs on my mind and heart.
00:59:46.760 --> 00:59:48.719
I still dream about it.
00:59:49.320 --> 00:59:52.440
- Try to make up.
- She's engaged to someone else.
00:59:54.800 --> 00:59:57.559
I suffered so much from this separation.
01:00:00.199 --> 01:00:02.480
I torment myself,
01:00:02.639 --> 01:00:07.800
trying to figure out if the dream
was telling me to marry her, or split up.
01:00:08.480 --> 01:00:10.840
Surely, we were supposed to separate.
01:00:13.800 --> 01:00:16.320
He was so eager to see you marry
before he died.
01:00:16.599 --> 01:00:19.920
I'm keeping you in a little corner
of my mind.
01:00:21.320 --> 01:00:23.079
I'll find you a good girl.
01:01:33.119 --> 01:01:35.719
- How many sheep did Madou slaughter?
- One.
01:01:37.239 --> 01:01:38.519
What about Dry?
01:01:38.719 --> 01:01:39.800
Dry? Zero.
01:01:39.960 --> 01:01:41.639
Dry can't even kill one?
01:01:43.719 --> 01:01:48.239
Give the liver to the women,
to fry right away.
01:01:56.880 --> 01:01:58.800
Do you want to sell that?
01:01:59.280 --> 01:02:02.280
Yes, I'll sell it
to those who don't have any.
01:02:28.239 --> 01:02:33.519
May Life honor the suffering of mothers.
May Fatoumata Guiré be honored
01:02:33.679 --> 01:02:38.320
Honor Fatoumata Guiré, Life
Honor Gnamaa Guiré, Life
01:02:39.400 --> 01:02:41.880
Begetters, be honored
01:02:42.039 --> 01:02:48.400
The givers of life are disposed
to concede that honor to you
01:02:48.760 --> 01:02:52.840
Givers of life, bearers of suffering,
Givers of life, bearers of pain.
01:03:19.519 --> 01:03:24.360
Madame Sow, be honored,
Monsieur Sow's darling, be honored
01:03:27.960 --> 01:03:29.760
Where is Aicha?
Aicha the brave
01:03:29.920 --> 01:03:31.840
There you are, our extraordinary Aicha!
01:03:32.000 --> 01:03:36.119
Aïcha Boro, to whom even fortune bows,
Aïcha, taming foreign climes
01:03:36.280 --> 01:03:40.800
Aïcha, who brought whites from
distant France to witness who we are.
01:03:41.039 --> 01:03:43.760
She is here to make our voices heard.
01:03:43.920 --> 01:03:48.400
Aïcha, to whom success bows,
come out into the light.
01:03:48.559 --> 01:03:53.280
Come here, pride and joy.
Step into the light of the camera.
01:03:53.480 --> 01:03:57.440
Come on, let yourself go.
Let everyone see you in the lens.
01:03:57.599 --> 01:04:00.519
Come savor the gratitude
we feel for you.
01:04:00.679 --> 01:04:07.519
Aïcha of France, the land I've never
laid eyes on, where you carry my name.
01:04:07.679 --> 01:04:13.159
May God watch over you.
You have all our blessings.
01:04:13.559 --> 01:04:18.800
I wish I could fly in the airplane
to see the place where you live.
01:04:18.960 --> 01:04:21.159
You have been blessed among your kin.
01:04:21.320 --> 01:04:24.079
- Madame what?
- Leterrier.
01:04:24.280 --> 01:04:27.159
Madame Leterrier!
Madame Let-let-lette...
01:04:27.320 --> 01:04:30.559
Like it or not,
this is our daughter's fate.
01:04:31.960 --> 01:04:34.840
Power, look at her striking power.
01:04:35.840 --> 01:04:39.440
Life is a championship.
Be brave, or leave the ring.
01:04:42.199 --> 01:04:45.519
In my aunts' eyes,
I am not just the girl who left.
01:04:45.679 --> 01:04:47.960
I am the girl who succeeded.
01:04:48.440 --> 01:04:50.760
The girl with a foreign married name.
01:04:50.920 --> 01:04:53.440
The umbilical cords of my pale children
01:04:53.599 --> 01:04:55.880
will never wed the holy ancestral lands.
01:05:00.480 --> 01:05:05.480
Auntie, don't you see I am torn apart
by your perception of me?
01:05:05.639 --> 01:05:06.679
If only you knew,
01:05:06.840 --> 01:05:10.920
leaving intensifies the bonds of family,
01:05:11.079 --> 01:05:15.519
slowly, surely, and deeply inculcated
in me as a child,
01:05:15.840 --> 01:05:18.519
and that I am still a child:
your child.
01:05:28.960 --> 01:05:30.760
The courthouse in Bobo-Dioulasso
01:05:31.000 --> 01:05:33.079
was not spared by the rioters' rage.
01:05:33.239 --> 01:05:36.840
It was looted and ransacked on October 31.
01:05:37.440 --> 01:05:40.159
As a result, the court cannot function.
01:05:40.440 --> 01:05:44.639
An inspection team visited the site
to assess the damage
01:05:45.039 --> 01:05:48.280
and see when the court sessions
could resume.
01:05:50.639 --> 01:05:53.920
This is what became
of the Bobo-Dioulasso courthouse
01:05:54.079 --> 01:05:57.440
after the demonstrations on October 31.
01:05:57.679 --> 01:05:59.599
The facts are bitter.
01:05:59.800 --> 01:06:02.880
All the documents and computers
went up in smoke.
01:06:03.039 --> 01:06:05.400
Every office was looted.
01:06:05.679 --> 01:06:08.960
Vehicles, motorcycles,
and other valuable items
01:06:09.119 --> 01:06:11.239
were either stolen or burned.
01:06:11.760 --> 01:06:14.559
We have no idea when sessions will resume.
01:06:14.880 --> 01:06:17.000
We have been meeting all morning
01:06:18.159 --> 01:06:20.880
envisaging a move
to a temporary courthouse.
01:06:21.039 --> 01:06:23.920
There is no way to continue working here.
01:06:24.360 --> 01:06:27.960
The public with court business
will have to be patient.
01:06:28.199 --> 01:06:31.480
It will be difficult
to replace certain files.
01:06:31.880 --> 01:06:33.760
Documents were burned?
01:06:34.119 --> 01:06:37.840
The ones related to our case?
01:06:38.920 --> 01:06:42.719
And now they have to process cases
with documents missing?
01:06:43.079 --> 01:06:47.880
Even before this happened,
nobody trusted the legal system.
01:07:27.599 --> 01:07:32.800
Nothing from the estate has been shared
since the death occurred.
01:07:35.400 --> 01:07:39.199
Those who claim to know our values
contradict each other.
01:07:39.519 --> 01:07:41.719
There's no clear division.
01:07:41.880 --> 01:07:45.519
Even if we aren't allowed to sell,
they should divide it up.
01:07:45.679 --> 01:07:48.440
"This is for him, this is for him,"
and so on.
01:07:50.039 --> 01:07:54.039
Each individual's property,
not this collectivism.
01:07:54.320 --> 01:07:59.039
That way, each owner
could improve his own property,
01:07:59.360 --> 01:08:03.360
by renovating it or investing in it.
01:08:04.199 --> 01:08:05.719
The way things are now,
01:08:06.519 --> 01:08:09.000
nobody does anything.
01:08:09.239 --> 01:08:12.840
We're caught in the vice
of the legal proceedings.
01:08:13.000 --> 01:08:15.760
And we can't do anything about it.
01:08:16.600 --> 01:08:21.279
Here, attorneys for opposing parties
have a beer together, and then collude.
01:08:21.479 --> 01:08:26.359
They agree on a game plan so that
the more generous plaintiff wins.
01:08:27.079 --> 01:08:28.840
Who understands the laws?
01:08:29.000 --> 01:08:32.399
We have these laws
01:08:32.560 --> 01:08:34.720
nobody can make any sense of.
01:08:35.119 --> 01:08:39.720
We only know a tiny fraction of texts
that are supposed to rule our lives.
01:08:39.960 --> 01:08:44.600
White men's justice arrived after
tradition. It cannot demand we obey.
01:08:44.760 --> 01:08:49.439
They are two divergent paths.
They cannot be reconciled.
01:08:49.920 --> 01:08:54.840
Otherwise, we will fight bitterly,
and our children will kill each other.
01:08:56.119 --> 01:08:57.279
A civil war.
01:08:57.600 --> 01:09:01.199
Mark my words, land disputes like this
01:09:01.359 --> 01:09:03.920
lead straight to civil war.
01:09:04.279 --> 01:09:06.720
Wars break out for no reason.
01:09:07.079 --> 01:09:10.520
Today, it's a legal battle
over an inheritance.
01:09:10.680 --> 01:09:13.039
Inheritance leads to legal problems.
01:09:14.159 --> 01:09:18.600
What gives the court
the right to summon us?
01:09:22.119 --> 01:09:24.319
I had someone call you.
01:09:24.479 --> 01:09:27.199
Bilal told me you were making couscous.
01:09:27.359 --> 01:09:29.479
If I'd known that in the morning,
01:09:31.079 --> 01:09:33.159
I'd have brought you a hen.
01:10:15.720 --> 01:10:19.199
I've been here for quite some time now.
01:10:21.119 --> 01:10:23.920
I have to return to my family.
01:10:24.640 --> 01:10:29.600
I'll stop in Dédougou, and then head home.
01:10:30.479 --> 01:10:32.319
It's nearly December 31st.
01:10:32.680 --> 01:10:37.560
I don't know if I'll be able to work.
And I need money.
01:10:39.199 --> 01:10:44.239
I'll leave today.
Just after the mid-afternoon prayer.
01:11:11.920 --> 01:11:14.479
- What are you cooking?
- Onion sauce.
01:11:14.680 --> 01:11:15.600
Is that all?
01:11:15.760 --> 01:11:17.920
That's all your brother gave me.
01:11:18.079 --> 01:11:23.079
We can't keep our husbands
from taking other wives.
01:11:23.239 --> 01:11:28.199
But they could use some compassion,
and not marry unless they can afford it.
01:11:28.920 --> 01:11:32.479
Papa came to me in a dream
and told me I had to marry.
01:11:33.319 --> 01:11:37.079
It was so vivid.
He seemed as real as you and me.
01:11:37.319 --> 01:11:40.039
He said,
"Assanatou, I want you to marry."
01:11:41.119 --> 01:11:45.119
"But I haven't found a husband."
"You're too demanding!" he said.
01:11:45.840 --> 01:11:49.199
He had your marriage on his mind
before he died.
01:11:50.680 --> 01:11:54.279
Yes, he was worried that I was single.
01:11:54.720 --> 01:11:57.760
But man proposes and God disposes.
01:11:58.920 --> 01:12:03.279
There are men interested in me,
but no one very reliable.
01:12:03.760 --> 01:12:05.680
All men are the same, anyway.
01:12:06.439 --> 01:12:10.560
I know what I've lost,
but I don't know what awaits me.
01:12:10.760 --> 01:12:15.960
You have to take a risk.
I did, when I married your brother.
01:12:18.680 --> 01:12:23.119
Joking aside,
I truly hope you'll find the right man.
01:12:25.439 --> 01:12:27.239
It's easy the first time,
01:12:27.399 --> 01:12:31.079
when you've never experienced
the abyss of marriage.
01:12:31.479 --> 01:12:36.119
But once you have,
you have to be dragged into it.
01:12:36.720 --> 01:12:39.319
It's necessary, and I'm afraid of it.
01:12:39.840 --> 01:12:43.319
You never really know
the man who will share your life.
01:12:43.640 --> 01:12:47.760
I'm so tired.
Let's forget men for a while.
01:13:32.720 --> 01:13:35.479
You want me to stop
at the police station?
01:13:37.439 --> 01:13:39.119
Or keep going?
01:14:19.319 --> 01:14:22.680
Lassina is grinding something,
just like her mother.
01:14:23.720 --> 01:14:27.079
It's meat, to go with my salad.
01:14:27.439 --> 01:14:31.239
I'm going to offer
salads, greens, meatballs,
01:14:33.000 --> 01:14:34.800
and other side dishes.
01:14:35.520 --> 01:14:38.439
It's a good time for that.
01:14:38.680 --> 01:14:42.640
I'm going to stop betting everything
on the courtyard or marriage.
01:14:42.960 --> 01:14:47.039
I'm going to take charge of my life,
in case nothing I want happens.
01:14:47.199 --> 01:14:50.840
The courtyard causes a lot of chitchat,
01:14:51.000 --> 01:14:53.600
but no one knows how it will end.
01:14:54.680 --> 01:14:58.399
I invest what I saved
from the food budget in businesses.
01:14:58.560 --> 01:15:00.039
I sell this salad here,
01:15:00.199 --> 01:15:04.600
but I left shoes for my daughters,
to sell, along with salon services.
01:15:07.039 --> 01:15:09.319
Husbands no longer provide it all.
01:15:25.680 --> 01:15:29.680
- Would you like some salad?
- Yes, please.
01:15:30.520 --> 01:15:32.640
I'll serve you in here.
01:15:33.520 --> 01:15:35.680
- Do you have any salad left?
- I do.
01:15:35.840 --> 01:15:37.199
I'd like to buy some.
01:15:42.720 --> 01:15:44.760
Wait. First I'll serve Dad.
01:15:45.079 --> 01:15:47.600
I'm serving you first.
01:15:47.920 --> 01:15:50.039
But I already paid you.
01:15:51.880 --> 01:15:55.319
Papa, how much bread?
A half or a quarter loaf?
01:15:55.479 --> 01:15:57.800
- A half.
- That's 100 francs.
01:15:58.840 --> 01:16:00.359
How much for me?
01:16:01.880 --> 01:16:04.039
A total of 200 for you.
01:16:04.520 --> 01:16:08.920
- I hope you leave some salad for me.
- I'm tasting it for salt.
01:16:09.560 --> 01:16:12.920
- One little taste, another...
- Yes, for salt.
01:16:14.359 --> 01:16:18.239
Here, I'll give it to you.
You can pay me with blessings.
01:16:20.880 --> 01:16:22.399
God bless you.
01:16:22.560 --> 01:16:23.359
Amen.
01:16:49.399 --> 01:16:51.520
I dropped a bill somewhere.
01:16:51.760 --> 01:16:54.159
- I'll bring it to you.
- Okay.
01:17:28.239 --> 01:17:33.119
If the court admits that the grandfather
left the whole courtyard to Ousmane,
01:17:33.399 --> 01:17:34.399
your brother,
01:17:34.560 --> 01:17:40.159
the bond between the grandfather and
Ousmane's sons and brothers is erased.
01:17:40.319 --> 01:17:41.680
And we cannot do that.
01:17:42.439 --> 01:17:44.319
I'll translate for you.
01:17:44.600 --> 01:17:49.159
If the court recognizes that Dad
left everything to our brother Ousmane,
01:17:49.319 --> 01:17:52.000
and awards the estate
to Ousmane's children,
01:17:54.119 --> 01:17:55.279
it would mean that...
01:17:56.079 --> 01:18:02.159
the court would be cutting
the filial bond between Dad and us,
01:18:02.319 --> 01:18:04.960
his other sons.
01:18:27.720 --> 01:18:29.319
Court is in session.
01:18:29.560 --> 01:18:32.479
Please be seated for the civil hearing.
01:18:45.800 --> 01:18:47.800
The Coulibaly case.
01:18:50.079 --> 01:18:53.880
April 4, 2020.
01:18:54.640 --> 01:18:56.119
The Coulibaly family.
01:18:56.520 --> 01:18:58.479
Coulibaly, Tionsy versus
01:18:58.720 --> 01:18:59.800
Coulibaly, Douah.
01:18:59.960 --> 01:19:01.520
Coulibaly, Tionsy;
01:19:01.760 --> 01:19:03.880
Coulibaly, Abel;
Coulibaly, Ousmane;
01:19:04.159 --> 01:19:05.399
Coulibaly, Drahmane vs
01:19:06.640 --> 01:19:11.039
Coulibaly, Alexandre; Coulibaly, Yesouma;
Coulibaly, Matèné; Coulibaly, Atamou.
01:19:11.399 --> 01:19:14.000
Claim filed against an estate.
01:19:16.560 --> 01:19:18.159
Cut the cameras.
01:19:31.279 --> 01:19:34.159
The court broke the deadlock at last.
01:19:34.880 --> 01:19:36.840
Sanaa will have to leave.
01:19:37.520 --> 01:19:41.039
The land of our umbilical cords
is up for sale.
01:19:41.600 --> 01:19:46.600
It's every man for himself now.
I'm disoriented, assailed by grief.
01:19:48.079 --> 01:19:50.520
Unlike my forebears, who never left;
01:19:51.079 --> 01:19:53.359
unlike my children, who have never come;
01:19:53.520 --> 01:19:57.600
I am in the middle, watching
the bond of belonging dissolve.
01:19:59.039 --> 01:20:01.680
I bow one last time to you,
Coulibaly land
01:20:03.039 --> 01:20:05.560
Coulibaly land,
Mother of our existence!
01:20:06.800 --> 01:20:08.880
Every being is belonging
01:20:10.279 --> 01:20:13.199
Coulibaly land,
mother of our umbilical cords,
01:20:13.840 --> 01:20:16.680
Every being belongs to something
01:20:17.760 --> 01:20:21.119
Kinship, beyond individuals,
you give our lives meaning
01:20:21.399 --> 01:20:23.359
Only God is God,
01:20:24.479 --> 01:20:26.920
Every being is belonging
01:20:28.399 --> 01:20:31.920
Our cords were entrusted to you,
Coulibaly land.
01:20:32.079 --> 01:20:34.840
It is an honor to belong to you,
Coulibaly land
01:20:35.680 --> 01:20:38.239
Coulibaly,
you spawned owners of gold
01:20:38.840 --> 01:20:42.399
Coulibaly,
you spawned gasoline dealers.
01:20:46.880 --> 01:20:49.239
Coulibaly,
you bear the fruit of prosperity
01:20:49.479 --> 01:20:52.479
But we must bid you farewell,
land of our fathers.
01:20:52.640 --> 01:20:56.159
Without belonging, what is a being?
01:20:56.319 --> 01:20:59.319
I don't want to be torn out,
far from your sap
01:20:59.760 --> 01:21:02.760
You in whom I see myself
01:21:03.079 --> 01:21:06.079
The griot
never turns away from his history
01:21:06.239 --> 01:21:09.239
The blacksmith
never turns away from his history
01:21:09.840 --> 01:21:12.039
We want to remain attached
to this, our land.
01:21:13.039 --> 01:21:16.239
It's a question of honor,
Coulibaly land
01:21:16.439 --> 01:21:19.439
It's a question of bonds of blood,
Coulibaly land
01:21:19.720 --> 01:21:22.840
It's a question of life choice,
Coulibaly land
01:21:23.039 --> 01:21:26.479
It's a question of loyalty to an origin
01:21:26.800 --> 01:21:29.960
Every being has a belonging,
and belonging gives meaning
01:21:30.119 --> 01:21:32.760
May we remain bound
to Coulibaly land.
01:22:31.239 --> 01:22:33.560
English translation: Anita Conrade