WHERE: Cinema Village
WHEN: Mon, Dec 8th, 4:40 PM
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This compelling documentary from Kalidou Sy traces the brilliant and tragic trajectory of Malian writer Yambo Ouologuem, who became the first African to win the prestigious Prix Renaudot in 1968 for his explosive novel, Le Devoir de violence (Bound to Violence).
Ouologuem’s work controversially detailed the brutality and slave trade within African empires, challenging the idealized view of pre-colonial Africa favored by the Négritude movement.
However, just as he skyrocketed to fame, Ouologuem faced accusations of plagiarism that were fraught with racist undertones, suggesting that such a sophisticated work could not have been written by an African. Boycotted and shamed, the talented writer chose to retreat entirely from the literary scene and Western contact, returning to Mali where he lived a secluded life until his death in 2017.
La Blessure explores the scars of colonialism and the solitude of the African intellectual, seeking to finally restore Ouologuem’s place as a literary giant who was unjustly erased.
