GUIMBA

Part parable, part romp, this dazzling spectacle celebrating a popular uprising against a fierce despot won Best Film at the recent Pan-African Film Festival in Burkina Faso. Set in pre-colonial Africa, the town of Sitakili is ruled by the tyrant Guimba, ensconced in his luxurious mud palace. His dwarf son, Janguine, has been betrothed since birth to Kani, a young woman whose beauty is celebrated in song by the young men of the region. But Janguine rejects Kani, demanding instead to marry her hefty mother. To please his insolent and perverted son, Guimba exiles Kani's elderly father when she refuses to divorce his wife. Thus Janguine can marry the mother and Guimba can marry Kani. These efforts drive his subjects to rebellion. Even as director Sissoko offers a pertinent warning of Africa's propensity for self-destabilization, he leaves room for ribald humor and other audience pleasures. GUIMBA is truly a cinema treat. In Bambara with English subtitles. – Kit Kalfs