Le mandat

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.

A Senegal tale of societal male dominance & how money changes people. Our lead character to his wives as they tend to his every comfort, "I am the husband, only I decide what to do." "Good wives consult their husband before making any decisions." Again, another example of female status/value somewhere below that of cattle.

Too often found in Islamic or poorly educated populations.

En francais and wolof! And made in senegal. Mister dieng has received a money order from his nephew, who has found work in paris. But nothing is easy, even in senegal, in 1968. Dieng will have to jump through many hoops if he wants to cash that money order. He's generous to his neighbors, but his wives cuss him out, since they may not even have food for their own kids tomorrow! As expected, it all moves a bit slowly, but it was quite interesting to see life in a small village from the 1960s. Good to see not much has changed in fifty years.. it's just as hard to get things done now as it was back then! This goes along like a senegalese episode of seinfeld.. how one small errand can fill up an entire day. Or two. Or nine. And the rich still get richer, while the poor get poorer. It's good stuff, for those with the patience for it... written and directed by ousmane sembene.

The pace of this movie is as languid as life in a sun-baked country. But stick with it. Even when the plot is predictable, the action is not, nor are the characters. Believing he has come into money from a successful relative in Paris (who is shown sweeping streets, far from wealthy), a proud middle-aged Dakar man with two strong-willed wives and several children tries to cash the money order (mandabi). He encounters catch-22 bureaucracies, his friends all become borrowers, his creditors turn ugly, and con men latch on to him, but Ousmane Sembene (the director, and one of Senegal's most important writers) leavens the frustration with humour, and even manages to sustain a certain amount of suspense-- not easy in a film as languid as this one. Scenes of city life in Dakar's warren like streets are realistically and straightforwardly presented, and the story, though very simple, stays with you long after the movie's over. A must if you're interested in African film, if only for historical interest.