Ceddo (Ousmane Sembène) 1/12
admin | Jul 29, 2010 | Comments 25
IN WOLOF W/ ENGLISH & FRENCH SUBTITLES The classic and controversial story of the “outsiders” in a West African village under the pressures of religious conversions and slavery in the 17th century. OUSMANE SEMBÈNE was born in 1923 in the rainy Casamance region on the coast of Senegal in West Africa. The first film director from an African country to achieve international recognition, Sembène remains the major figure in the rise of an independent post-colonial cinema. Sembène’s roots were not in the educated élite. After working as a mechanic and bricklayer, he joined the Free French forces in 1942, serving in Africa and France. In 1946, he returned to Dakar, where he participated in the great railway strike of 1947. The next year he went to France, where he worked in a Citröen factory in Paris, and then, for ten years, on the dock in Marseilles. During this time Sembène became very active in trade union struggles and began an extraordinarily successful writing career. His first novel, “Le Docker Noir”, was published in 1956. Since then, he has produced a number of influential literary works. Long an avid filmgoer, Sembène became aware that to reach a mass audience of workers and Africans outside urban centers, cinema was a more effective vehicle than the written word. In 1961, he traveled to Moscow to study film. Upon his return to Senegal, Sembène made two short films, then wrote and directed his first feature, LA NOIRE DE… (BLACK GIRL, 1966). Shot in a simple, quasi …
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@Malaka57 I recently uploaded Xala, which is now unfortunately out of print on DVD in the USA.
@kayapage YouTube’s new design makes it easy to turn the subtitles on/off. Everyone should see a button called “CC” on the bottom right side of the video. Just click that button and you get English subtitles. When “CC” is red-colored, subs are turned on.
@whateverhte hi I can’t find that subtitile you indicated, is there anyother way of getting english sub. Nice vid, will be too bad as lemonpleezee said to miss it!. :]
@whateverhte That would be great but I wouldn’t want to impose. If you do have the time, it would be great. I read some of his novels back when I had time to read, L’Harmattan was a really “big” piece…. But his films were hard to come by. La Noire de… funny enough was in the library of one college where I lived…
@Malaka57 you wanted to see other films by Sembene. Most are out of print on DVD (however, his final film Moolaadé is in print on DVD in the US) but La noire de… (Black Girl), Mandabi (The Money Order) and Emitai (God of Thunder) are all on YouTube. Xala (Impotence) is also out of print- it used to be on YT though. If enough people can’t see it/want to, I can re-upload that one eventually.
Wonderful Post! I have seen many of his movies.
“Outsiders” is the English translation of Ceddo, but the English title is rarely used. “The Money Order” is the English title of Mandabi. You can search for Mandabi on YouTube. Emitai (English title: “God of Thunder”) is on my YouTube channel.
Thank you for making this film available with Eng. subs. The picture source looks good compared to the New Yorker Films prints I’ve seen before.
You should see English subtitles on all 12 videos (appearing on top of the French ones). If you don’t see English, press the button with the up arrow on the lower right of the video and hit “CC.”
too bad I don’t speak French or Wolof… I don’t understand squat
Ousmane Sembene was a Senegalese director, born in a Muslim Wolof family, in Zinguichor, Casamance, in 1928.Her father was a fisherman. I really love him!!! His film shows the real Africa!!! Unfortunately he died in 2007…..
is this movie money order? if not, anywhere i can see it? any help would be greatly appreciated. i’m doing my frinal essay on the aesthetics of corruption in nigerian film.
There’s a wonderful interview one can read with Sembene in the last years of his life. He talks about an urban film he was sadly unable to complete before his death, and his feelings about Africa’s future. He and the star of Moolaadé discuss their work on the film, as well as talking about female genital mutilation. URL can’t be typed here, but search for “Ousmane Sembène” and “Guardian/NFT interview.” Thanks to my friend ensouvenir for giving me the interview.
Thanks for this movie. I have longed to see more movies by Sembene. In 1983, I wrote about him at my University. He was unknown to my profs, unknown to the US audiences (still is, alas), but a great storyteller nonetheless. And a tireless creator. He really loved his art and his people.
if the name is Ousmane Sembène then they are Muslim. Ousmane is a Muslim name it is the same name as Usman.
Important persons talk each other directly.They use third person.Speaker adresses other(by intermediate)saying:”tell him or tell her”.
sorry for my bad english!!
In wolof society we always end speeches by saying: “I have spoken! ”
This is to give more weight to discourse and to affirm that “what I just said admits no doubt”
Characters are true but.the story is false.princessDior yacine fall was never kidnapped.And the prince not killed.
thanx 4 the post
but the fulini were muslim
no, the “Ceddo” are not Muslim.
are they muslim too?
Thanks, and you’re sharing that Brocka film! I plan to watch that very soon.
Oh man, thank you. Especially for synching it with English subtitles. I’ve seen this, but only with French subtitles which is a problem since I only know a little French.
If anyone here likes the music of Les Ambassadeurs, I’m sharing their song Sidiki in my channel.