“Thorns of the Sahel”: a poignant Burkinabe film that depicts the suffering caused by terrorism

by times news cr

This 91-minute feature film follows the story of Naïma, victim of a terrorist attack that caused the loss of both her parents and her hearing, in search of her brother Saïd from whom she was separated twenty years earlier.

This film highlights the devastating impact of security crises and terrorism in certain countries on the continent on the daily lives of many people, causing the exodus of thousands of homeless people, some of whom end up in displaced persons camps where the story of this feature film takes place.

“Today, I find that dealing with this kind of thorny subject has become essential because it reflects the reality of several countries in the Sahel,” said the film’s director, Boubakar Diallo, in a statement to M24, MAP’s continuous news channel, stressing that “through this film, we are also trying to raise several questions, in particular the different actions to be implemented to deal with this scourge.”

“The film ‘Thorns of the Sahel’, which focuses on the painful issue of terrorism mainly in the Sahel region, tells the story of Naïma, a victim of terrorism, who is looking for her brother whom she lost a few years earlier,” he added, explaining that “when she finds him, she will realize that he has gone over to the wrong side, that of the terrorists.”

“This film is a call for help for all these populations displaced by terrorist acts,” said the heroine of the film, Warda Djamila Barry, adding that “it is also a form of awareness to support and help these populations face their fate.”

The Burkinabe film “Epines du Sahel” is competing in the official feature film competition of this 23rd edition of FICAK alongside “Jalaldin” by Hassan Benjelloun, “L’Oasis des eaux glacés” by Raouf Sebbahi, “Sadrack” by Narcisse Wandi, “La Plantation des planteurs” by Dingha Jaune Eystein.

Also in the running are “I am chance” by Marc-Henri Wajnberg (Congo), “Streams” by Mehdi Hmili (Tunisia), “Le courage en plus” by Billy Touré and Laurent Chevalier (Guinea), “Citizen kwamen” by Yuhi Amuli (Rwanda), “B19” by Ahmed Abdalla (Egypt), “Shimoni” by Angela Wanjikuwamai (Kenya) and “Maputo Nakuzandza” by Ariadine Leitão Zampaulo (Mozambique).

FICAK, which has chosen as its theme for this 23rd edition “African cinema, the awakening of a continent”, is considered one of the oldest film festivals in Morocco and the third African film festival on the continent after Fespaco which dates from 1969 and that of Carthage (1966).

This great annual festival of African cinema celebrates the 7th art and pays tribute to African film productions. It also promotes the image of the Kingdom and highlights its specificities, its potential in terms of cinema and its interaction with the cinema of African countries.

2024-08-19 21:09:30

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