Guimba the Tyrant
Encyclopedia
Guimba the Tyrant is a 1995 Mali
an comedy drama film in the Bambara language
(with some Fula language
components), directed by noted Malian director Cheick Oumar Sissoko
. The movie shows the rise and fall of a cruel and despotic village chief Guimba, and his son Jangine in a fictional village in the Sahel
of Mali. Some of the storytelling was done through the medium of the village griot
, and with the film being placed in an old setting, lends an epic
touch to the movie. The exact chronological setting of the movie is difficult to ascertain, being set in an isolated village, but the commonly used weaponry shown is the blunderbuss
. The film depicts some magic
al components, including a solar eclipse
brought on by magic. Casting was only partially done from among professional actors.
The film has well designed, colorful and exotic props, costumes and sets. It has evoked mixed responses from critics, while being lauded for its visual beauty. Slapstick
comedy is present throughout the movie, as is comedy through the actions of the griot. The screenplay
also contains numerous interesting African adage
s. The movie soundtrack contains music sung in old dialects using ancient instruments.
Some critics have founds elements of political satire
in the film, due to director Oumar Sissoko's resistance to Malian dictator Moussa Traoré
.
As the village gets embroiled in a civil war
, Kani manages to escape to her father's camp on horseback with Guimba unsuccessfully giving chase. Guimba's slave is also welcomed into the rebel camp. She is dressed up provocatively and sent back to the village, causing both Guimba and Janguine to fall for her. Guimba kills his son over her, and chases her out of the village and into a trap - leading to his downfall.
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
an comedy drama film in the Bambara language
Bambara language
Bambara, more correctly known as Bamanankan , its designation in the language itself , is a language spoken in Mali by as many as six million people...
(with some Fula language
Fula language
The Fula or Fulani language is a language of West Africa. It is spoken as a first language by the and related groups from Senegambia and Guinea to Cameroon and Sudan...
components), directed by noted Malian director Cheick Oumar Sissoko
Cheick Oumar Sissoko
Cheick Oumar Sissoko is a Malian film director and politician.-Biography:As a student in Paris, Cheick Oumar Sissoko obtained a DEA in African History and Sociology and a diploma in History and Cinema from the Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales...
. The movie shows the rise and fall of a cruel and despotic village chief Guimba, and his son Jangine in a fictional village in the Sahel
Sahel
The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....
of Mali. Some of the storytelling was done through the medium of the village griot
Griot
A griot or jeli is a West African storyteller. The griot delivers history as a poet, praise singer, and wandering musician. The griot is a repository of oral tradition. As such, they are sometimes also called bards...
, and with the film being placed in an old setting, lends an epic
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
touch to the movie. The exact chronological setting of the movie is difficult to ascertain, being set in an isolated village, but the commonly used weaponry shown is the blunderbuss
Blunderbuss
The blunderbuss is a muzzle-loading firearm with a short, large caliber barrel, which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore, and used with shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity and/or caliber. The blunderbuss could be considered to be an early form of shotgun,...
. The film depicts some magic
Magic (fantasy)
Magic in fiction is the endowing of fictional characters or objects with magical powers.Such magic often serves as a plot device, the source of magical artifacts and their quests...
al components, including a solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
brought on by magic. Casting was only partially done from among professional actors.
The film has well designed, colorful and exotic props, costumes and sets. It has evoked mixed responses from critics, while being lauded for its visual beauty. Slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
comedy is present throughout the movie, as is comedy through the actions of the griot. The screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
also contains numerous interesting African adage
Adage
An adage is a short but memorable saying which holds some important fact of experience that is considered true by many people, or that has gained some credibility through its long use....
s. The movie soundtrack contains music sung in old dialects using ancient instruments.
Some critics have founds elements of political satire
Political satire
Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly...
in the film, due to director Oumar Sissoko's resistance to Malian dictator Moussa Traoré
Moussa Traoré
General Moussa Traoré is a Malian soldier and politician. As a Lieutenant, he led the military ouster of President Modibo Keïta in 1968. Thereafter he served as Head of State from 1968-1979, and President of Mali from 1979 to 1991, when he was overthrown by popular protests and military coup...
.
Plot
The film opens with a village griot reciting the story of Guimba the tyrant, of the Dunbuya family. The setting moves to an old Malian village ruled by the evil and tyrannical leader Guimba and his dwarf son Janguine. Janguine has been betrothed from childhood to the village beauty Kani from the Diarra family - the other powerful family in the village. Janguine, however, has his eyes on Kani's well-endowed mother Meya, and hence Guimba offers to marry Kani, asking Kani's father for a divorce so that Janguine can marry Meya. When he refuses, he is banished from the village. Protests break out, leading to the killings, and subjugation.As the village gets embroiled in a civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
, Kani manages to escape to her father's camp on horseback with Guimba unsuccessfully giving chase. Guimba's slave is also welcomed into the rebel camp. She is dressed up provocatively and sent back to the village, causing both Guimba and Janguine to fall for her. Guimba kills his son over her, and chases her out of the village and into a trap - leading to his downfall.
External links
- Guimba the Tyrant distributed by California NewsreelCalifornia NewsreelCalifornia Newsreel, founded in 1968, is an American non-profit, social justice film distribution and production company based in San Francisco, California. Their educational media resources include both documentary and feature films, with a focus on the advancement of racial justice and diversity...