William Mbaye Ousmane

Ndar, The Waalo Saga

Ndar, original name of Saint-Louis, an island at the mouth of the Senegal River, was the port of colonial penetration into West Africa four centuries ago. An economic, cultural and political crossroads, it served as a model for the “civilizing mission”. Commerce, town planning, education and crossbreeding were the instruments to assimilate populations, establish themselves in the country and exploit the wealth. If some cannot deny history and keep their Saint-Louisian art of living intact, others on the contrary want to put an end to the colonial heritage. For some young people today, it is time to think about history differently. However, everyone has managed to preserve their keen sense of living well together. Saint Louisians and historians tell a rich and complex Waalo saga.

Président Dia

On December 17, 1962, Mamadou Dia, president of the council of Senegal, was arrested, then sentenced to life imprisonment, accused of a coup d'état by his friend and companion Léopold Sédar Senghor with whom he had been working for 17 years to build the same ideal. The next day, the constitution was modified, the presidential regime succeeded the parliamentary regime and gave Senghor full powers. Fifty years later, while the 2012 presidential campaign stirs the country around the values ​​of democracy, witnesses and actors of the events of 1962 speak out.

Xalima la plume

As the founder of folk music in Senegal, Seydina Insa Wade had his hour of glory in the 1970s. After his departure for France in the 1980s, where he performed in jazz clubs, Seydina Insa Wade was somewhat forgotten by his countrymen and women. Observing that the new generation in Senegal was unfamiliar with his music, he decided to regain contact with his country and returned to Dakar to record his latest numbers. Ousmane William Mbaye followed this return to the home country for two years, and the friendship which grew up between the two men provides us with a sensitive and highly personal portrait of the musician: through his personal statements and songs, we discover a constantly moving, multifaceted personality.

City Life

Collection of documentary shorts by various acclaimed directors