This comedy of errors starts with the death of Guelwaar (translated as “noble one”), a catholic activist priest. When the family comes to the morgue to claim the body, they realise he is gone and was buried by mistake in a muslin cemetery. This a satire to an Africa ridden with small conflicts, a paralyzing bureaucracy and the clashing religious dogmas and beliefs. The subtle irony and the small details reveal Sembène’s masterful skills.
Guelwaar
Ousmane Sembène
IndieLisboa 2020 • Retrospectivas | Retrospectives
France, Germany, Senegal, United States, Fiction, 1992, 115′