Tonight we saw a powerful film in the continued Essential Cinema Series featuring the films of Ousmane Sembene, the father of post-colonial African films. This is the story of the conscription of Senegalese young men into the French army in the 1940's during WWII. The film vividly portrays the power of the women in this tribal area. They are fiercely protective of their way of life, their rice harvests and their children and rituals. They are the true heroes in this film, hiding the rice from the French military who need it to feed the troops in Dakar. We see them moving through the terrain in their multi-colored wraps and skirts in complete silent unity. When a child is killed they defy their captors and proceed to grieve and perform their necessary rituals. Once again AFS brought me a period of history and a culture that was absolutely unbeknown to me. In Austin!
A good day today with yoga, Bouldin Creek Cafe, and Lovely my favorite vintage shop with my gym buddy Judith. And as usual I never leave Lovely without a new dress.
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