AfricAvenir, in partnership with the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC), will screen Baara – The Porter, which was the first feature film that was made in Mali in 1978 by acclaimed director Souleymane Cisse, on Wednesday 9 April.
The film tells of a Malian country boy who works as a baara, a porter in Bamako. Balla Traore, a young engineer, befriends the boy and helps him out of a difficult situation with the police and finds him employment at the textile factory where Balla works.
Balla tries to apply his liberal ideas in the factory after having studied in Europe. Apart from taking on the union which the owner controls, he condemns the economic exploitation in the factory as well as the corruption of which his manager is guilty.
Described as the first great African movie dealing with the proletarian class, the film grapples with the greed and corruption of the business elite, and highlights the evolving social consciousness of workers and women.
The movie went on to win a several awards, such as the Grand Prix de la Meilleure Photographie at the Festival International du Film de Locarno and the Etalon de Yennenga at the Panafrican Film and Televsion Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) in 1978 and 1979 respectively.
Baara – The Porter has a running time of 90 minutes and is in Bambara language with English subtitles. Entrance to watch the movie is N$20.
