Adanggaman (2001)

Synopsis: An historical drama about the slave experience in late-17th Century Western Africa, ADANGGAMAN bravely addresses an aspect of the slave trade that has previously been ignored in world cinema. Ossei (Ziable Honore Goore Bi) is a strong-willed young man who stands up to his father when he... An historical drama about the slave experience in late-17th Century Western Africa, ADANGGAMAN bravely addresses an aspect of the slave trade that has previously been ignored in world cinema. Ossei (Ziable Honore Goore Bi) is a strong-willed young man who stands up to his father when he demands that Ossei marry a woman he doesn't love. After running away from the village, he returns one night only to discover that his father and girlfriend have been killed. He eventually locates his mother after a desperate search. She is in Adanggaman, a horrific kingdom policed by vicious Amazon warriors and controlled by an inhumane dictator, where the strongest and healthiest captives are auctioned off to European traders. Ossei does his part to free his mother, risking his life in the process, and when he befriends a wise old villager, a new hope for freedom is born. Roger Gnoan M'Bala's tribute to the victims of the African slave trade is a controversial one, which boldly condemns the role many Africans themselves played in contributing to slavery. The ethereal acoustic soundtrack by Lokua Kanza, floating camerawork by Mohammed Soudani, and lead performance by Goore Bi, manage to keep ADANGGAMAN optimistic, even at its most disheartening moments. [More]