Mandabi

Ousmane Sembene's Mandabi traces the descent of a poor Senegalese Muslim who, upon trying to cash a money-order at his village post office, somehow finds himself pitted against overwhelming bureaucratic and societal forces. The protagonist, Ibrahim (Makhouredia Gueye, unassuming and comically dignified), is a lazy and vain but fundamentally decent man, an illiterate villager whose unexpected windfall becomes the catalyst of his downfall - the means by which this simple, more-or-less honest, foible-ridden individual comes face-to-face with the indifference, the corruption of the modern world. His story takes on the quality of a fable, a slight, at times comic one. Sembene, an observer of human nature, keeps his characters at arms-length, and by watching them carefully from this middle-distance is able to convey their basic equality as creatures trying to survive in a confusing, unfair world. It also happens that this mid-range staging is perfect for creating a deliberate, unobtrusive sense of comedy, of human folly gently revealed. The film is, at the same time, a window upon the culture of post-colonial Senegal, a world that seems poised uneasily between tradition (village life; Islam) and modernity (bureaucracy; crime; money-grubbing). There's no question that Sembene is on the side of the little people - he may chide Ibrahim for letting his wives run his life, for being irresponsible with money (he borrows on the money-order before it's cashed), but he also applauds him for his doggedness and faith, the things that poor people always have to lean on. A modest film but a wise one (despite a slightly forced denouement).

Mandabi was a 1968 Senegalese film that depicted Croouption and Oligarchy in the country. Director Ousmane Sembène made this movie to tell the story of life in Senegal in the late 1960s, and the film was like a Thai Society of all time.

In order to truly appreciate Mandabi one must first know a little something about director Ousmane Sembene. One can trace the burgeoning success of West African cinema to Sembene's body of work which aimed to tell stories that were uniquely African. Without the international success of Black Girl (1966) and Xala (1975), the work of fellow Senegalese Djibril Diop Mambety and Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cisse may have never been discovered. At first, Sembene was also an accomplished anti-colonialist writer who's concern for social change led to a directing career to reach a wider audience.

Mandabi is partially based on Sembene's short story "The Money- Order". In it an illiterate, middle-aged man attempts to cash a money-order sent by a family member who has emigrated to Paris. Due to the newly independent country's rapidly spreading corruption, a burgeoning criminal underclass, and the general incompetence of government officials, Ibrahim (Gueye) struggles to accomplish what is otherwise a simple goal.

Senegal circa 1968 was administered by the largely socialist government of President Leopold Senghor. Senghor favored close ties with former colonialist France which ran counter to long brewing resentment and popular thought among other African nations who viewed France, Britain, Belgium et al. as oppressors. Underneath the film's strong sense of irony and absurdity you get the sense that the bureaucracy (and thus the government) that controls the fate of Ibrahim is completely foreign and unnaturally weak. It operates as a tool of submission and dehumanization to someone like Ibrahim who is un-wanting or unwilling to "modernize" yet for his nephew (Diouf) and the local shop keeper (Ture) whom represent a new generation easily manages to circumvent the bureaucracy in favor of a black market. This theme is further mirrored in Sembene's satirical zenith of El Hadji (Thierno Leye) impotence in the film Xala.

Yet in Mandabi, the satire, while more subdued than Xala feels more damning towards colonization as a political system and the authoritarianism of post-colonial African society. Ibrahim hopes familial ties and a few honest favors will get him what he wants but due in-part by traditionalism mesh-mashing with multiple systems of oppression, Ibrahim can only count on his first wife's (N'Diaye) constant berating.

Ibrahim's constant struggle mirrors that of the protagonist in Bicycle Thieves (1948). Yet while that film's neo-realist flair was partially the result of war, Mandabi endeavors amid a maze of post- colonial chaos with the new generation jockeying for absolute power. Dark, frustrating and heartbreaking Mandabi showcases a story and by extension a country where authority is an unnatural corruption and only rascals win.

This is partially a response to the above review by Irene Schneider. Mandabi is the second feature length film of Senegalese born director Usmán Sembén. he was also a well respected writer and The Money Order (English translation) is an adaptation of his own book. Capturing the corruption eminent in post colonial Africa by following a proud man who tries to cash a money order sent by a relative working in Paris, France. This newly arrived money turns all those around him, including the lead character into to be kindly a pack of wolves, determined to pick him for all he's got. Except he hasn't even cashed the money order yet. Slow and observant with a charming rhythmic score that engulfs the viewer, it watches a society slowly eating itself because of poverty and selfishness and no one is spared in Usmán Sembén's lament against greed and avarice. A beautifully recapped montage saves what might have been a slightly didactic if not hopeful ending. To note, as opposed to the above comment, there is nothing simple about the movie and it is as prescient today as back then and is no history lesson. To be enjoyed by all those who enjoy the movies of Satyajit Ray because the film making style is very similar to his. ** Use of Usmán Sembén as opposed to Ousmane Sembene is because the director is credited as that in the movie and it seems to be the correct rendition of the name.

Through the simple event of a Senegalese man receiving a money order from his nephew working in Paris, we see so much of his world, starting with his relationships with his two wives, and how his family and his neighbors live meal to meal. There is a sense of humanity in the giving and sharing that takes place when someone is in need, but there are also many examples of predatory behavior, and indeed, it's the latter that ultimately begins to dominate. The man embarks on an odyssey through bureaucrats, con men, greedy friends, and money lenders. Many people come to him because their own children haven't recently eaten, but he owes many others, and is only actually entitled to a fraction of the money order, assuming he can cash it in the first place.

It's pretty striking how this man absolutely rules the roost over his wives at home, but is almost helpless in a world that is modernizing around him. He's been unemployed for four years, can't read (at least the French he needs to), and is often at the mercy of people far more savvy than him. In trying to get the proper forms filled out to get an identity card, which can then be used to cash the money order, he's asked for his date of birth, and he doesn't even know that, just that he was born "sometime around 1900." He can barely keep his oversized outfit from poofing out while walking around, a contrast to how elegant his wives are while they stroll around. He's a petty tyrant at home, threatening his wives with a backhand and having them wait on him, hardly a sympathetic figure, but almost a child in the world, and it's hard not to empathize with his growing humiliation.

Eight years into its independence, there is a criticism of Senegal here - how French was still the official language despite most of its citizens only speaking Wolof or Arabic, how women were being treated, how good people lived in poverty, and how layers of corruption existed in the system, including the new bourgeoisie. There is quite a contrast to the modern home of the man's nephew, and it's soul crushing how he takes advantage of his own uncle, perhaps the ultimate statement from Sembene of capitalism devouring people.

On top of its sociopolitical messages, this is a beautiful film. The colors in the fabrics and décor are rich and gorgeous, and the traditional music composed by Sembène is a treat to listen to. The film moves along with good pace, and the storytelling isn't forced or preachy. Quite a nice little find.