Xala

I love international films and have already seen many African films, so my not being in love with "Xala" has nothing to do with its roots. The bottom line is that while the story is very interesting, the story is so incredibly slow and poorly constructed that it loses much of its punch. It's really a shame, as basic story idea is great.

The film begins with a cute scene where the white colonial powers are replaced by black ones--and you see that there really is no change. Instead of a white kleptocracy*, there is now a black one--either way, the people of a fledgling African republic are screwed. The main character in the rest of the film is Mr. Hadji. Hadji is a minister in the new government and is going to celebrate his new wealth by marrying for the 3rd time--even though, as it turns out, he is over-stretching his finances. Sure, he IS rich by African standards but the money soon disappears--leaving him not only metaphorically impotent but literally so! This is a great metaphor for hypocrisy and greed in post-colonial Africa.

So why wasn't I bowled over by the film? Well, the biggest problem was the pacing. While the film runs over two hours, it could easily have been done in 75 minutes and the leaden pace is a serious problem. Additionally, the film, as it's captioned now, is a seriously flawed picture as the captions are, at times, almost impossible to read. White captions don't work well here and too many times I struggled to read them. Overall, an interesting curio from a historical sense, but a film that would be very difficult viewing for the average person.

*A kleptocracy is a government typified by rampant corruption and stealing and the good of the people is irrelevant.

So far in my life, I've only seen two Senegalese movies: "Hyenas" and "Xala". The latter offers a satirical look at corruption.

The plot goes like this: following Senegal's independence from France, a crooked official - he makes sure that France still controls the country's resources - uses the country's money to get married for the third time. That's when poetic justice kicks in; he gets stricken with a curse called "xala", rendering him impotent.

If absolutely nothing else, this movie is a very impressive look at a culture that we in the west rarely get to see (and specifically, we get to hear Wolof spoken). Are the events portrayed cause for cynicism? Hard to say. But I recommend the movie either way.

Senegal has been freed from the shackles of empire. But the new face of governance continues with greed and corruption just as before. The best line in the film is when the main character, a politician, is told by his daughter: "I don't drink imported water." African leaders are so corrupted by white monopoly capitalists. 'Xala' discusses many important themes that we have discussed in class, particularly the balance between Western practices and "traditional" ones. While this starts from Senegal's official El Hadji's sexual incompetence on his wedding night with his third wife, it plays out throughout the film. He goes to mystic for cure his impotence, through the story of the troubles of El Hadji, the narrative expertly discusses the difficulties of post-independence government. This issue of tradition vs modernity, European vs African ideals was very important during the independence period in Africa (and indeed today). This is expressed by the journey of El Hadji and the more liberal views of his daughter. I was full of awe after enjoying this utterly majestic work of art. Highly recommended!

Sembene was once again the failing of government in Senegal and even most of Africa. This time after native Africans come to power.

The juxtaposition of regular, hard-working, citizens with the spoiled, corrupt, and prejudice (to their own citizens) government officials packs a heavy message. And unlike most, Sembene simply does not photograph the regular citizens for the simple juxtaposition, he keeps on them, showing you their true problems, and showing you their sacrifice.

All the while, hilarity ensues the corrupt government officials as hijinks after hijinks. The biggest problem being El Hadji's Xala ... he can't get it up for his young third wife.

Truly an interesting, intelligent, and worthwhile cinematic experience. And even if that doesn't seem to to interest you, watch it for the laughter ... there's plenty of it.

One of the more famous African films, Xala comes from Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene, who had a well liked film that saw fairly wide release last year called Moolaadé. Moolaadé, for some reason, hasn't been released on DVD yet in the US, and, so far, it doesn't look like there's any imminent release. New Yorker video has provided us with two new DVDs from Sembene, this and Mandabi. Xala tells the story of a corrupt government official, El Hadji, who marries his third wife using pilfered funds. When El Hadji goes to consummate his marriage, he finds out he has been cursed with impotence, a curse known as xala. The historical context is slightly after Senegal's independence is achieved, and there are obvious metaphoric meanings of the impotence. The story and the politics behind it are rather interesting, and if I were the type to judge films solely on their politics I'd call this a good one. Unfortunately, the film moves so ungodly slowly that it is next to impossible to sit through. It runs for slightly over two hours, but has only about half that much material. I might recommend it to those interested in the history or just the region, but the rewards are limited. In short, it's a chore.