SOAS historian’s film on West African slavery wins at Vues d’Afrique Film Festival
The animated short All Equal! has won the “Best Animation” category at Vues d’Afrique, an international film festival showcasing work from Africa, creole countries and the diaspora. Written by Dr Marie Rodet and Mamadou Séne Cissé, the film explores the history of slavery in West Africa through the telling of a single village’s fight for freedom.
The film opens with a grandfather sitting by a fire, surrounded by his eager grandchildren. As he shares the story of their village, they learn that it was founded by slaves, who rebelled against the nobles to secure their own land and freedom. The acute hardship faced by their ancestors; captivity, forced labour, hunger and conflict, was endured so that their descendants could live free from slavery and oppression.
The name and location of the film’s village is unknown to viewers, highlighting the universality of its story throughout Western Africa. However, all details came from the descendants of formerly enslaved peoples. These were collected in Bouillagui, Western Mali, through research led by Dr Rodet.
Their testimonies resulted in a web documentary, “Bouillagui: A free village”, and are currently being adapted into a graphic novel by Dr Rodet and her team. All Equal! / Tous Égaux! was created to bring this chapter of history, and its contemporary effects, to a global audience.
We can’t speak about modern slavery without examining its roots, and highlighting the bravery and resilience of those who have resisted it.
Speaking about the project, Dr Rodet said: “I received this funding to highlight the contemporary effects of historical slavery, but for a film like this, we needed to start at the beginning. We can’t speak about modern slavery without examining its roots, and highlighting the bravery and resilience of those who have resisted it. To have All Equal recognised by a leading African film festival such as Vues d’Afrique is thrilling, and I hope that it continues to find its audience on the global stage.”
All Equal! is streaming in English on Amazon Prime and is also available in French, Bambara and Swahili. It was directed by Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Diop and produced by Donkosira, in collaboration with El Dorado films.
