West African cinema is defined by uncertainty – an uncertainty not understood as caution or trepidation, but instead by an understanding of the unpredictability that comes with taking a leap of faith. It is a quiet acceptance shaped by the ever-changing understanding of what and where home is.
These characteristics are a hallmark of Ousmane Semebene’s Black Girl (1966) and Djibril Diop Mambéty’s Touki Bouki (1973), two Senegalese films that explore the desire for a life abroad seen within many African communities.
When Black Girl’s protagonist, Diouana, steps off the boat in France, she only has a few moments to take the city in before the harsh reality of life abroad sets in. While Diouana comes to France expecting to work as a nanny for a couple, she is deceived into becoming their housemaid. She quickly learns that France is neither an escape nor her new home. France is ironing and laundry. France is cleaning the kitchen and bathroom. France is work.
Touki Bouki’s Anta and Mory are on the other side of the same dilemma. Dakar lacks opportunity, and the young couple can no longer envision a life of freedom at home. Therefore, with no money and unsupportive families, Anta and Mory connive to escape to Paris. Their desire to emigrate is not shaped by a lack of love for Senegal, nor is it determined by a measurable goal they hope to reach in Paris; it is simply the prospect of change that fuels their move.
Both Black Girl and Touki Bouki take place in the first ten years of Senegalese independence from France, a time filled with uncertainty for what the future of the country might look like. Yet, this newfound independence makes the audience wonder why these characters would want to move to France after finally gaining independence from French domination. What pushes people to leave home without certainty of success elsewhere?
Franz Fanon first coined the term “colonial alienation of the person” in 1952 to describe the internalized inferiority complex of colonized societies. The term has grown to be incredibly useful when examining the ways colonized peoples internalize harmful ideas about their cultures, view their societies through a colonial lens, and measure themselves based on their proximity to whiteness. The term is additionally beneficial in explaining why the Occident is held in such high regard. It is a clear way to explain why Diouana, Mory, and Anta are sure that moving to France is the key to a better life. However, while useful, it is important to not solely rely on the sheer power of Western brainwashing when examining choices made by Senegalese people post-independence. It is important to also recognize Senegalese self-determination and consider the rational approach many people took to the issue of immigration.
For instance, France has had a presence in Senegal since the 16th century, with Senegal only becoming an independent state in 1960. Interestingly enough, many Senegalese academics actually advocated for assimilation instead of independence. This did not mean that people simply forgot about the barbaric nature of imperialism. The understanding of Western hegemony was precisely why a moderate approach for greater Senegalese rights was taken and can account for why so many immigrants decided to move to France. As Aisha Balabare Bawa states in the article “From Imperialism to Diplomacy: A Historical Analysis of French and Senegal Cultural Relationship”, the policy of assimilation was adopted by Senegalese activists and leaders as a way for the Senegalese people to gain equality with French citizens in a non-violent manner.
The pretence of a European life being the best one was not just a misaligned viewpoint – it was, and still is, regarded as the determinant of success. Proximity to European standards determines a nation’s stage of development and immigration to Europe is many Africans’ only way of picturing a life of stability. Whether one profoundly believes in Eurocentrism or not, its stark influence on our day-to-day lives is unavoidable.
As most of the film takes place in France, Black Girl explores Eurocentrism from an immigrant’s perspective. Halfway through the film, we see a flashback of Diouana telling her lover that she will soon be working in France. While skipping around the city, Diouana anticipates that her lover will claim that she is submitting herself to domestic slavery. Diouana shakes these concerns off, as nothing can dwindle her excitement. Through these brief scenes of her life in Dakar, it is made clear that Diouana has internalized the idea of a French utopia imposed on so many colonized peoples. After all, she is willing to abandon the only home she knows for a vague and empty promise of a better life. Yet, her blissful optimism is not merely a result of ignorance.
When foreign powers have controlled your home, an attraction to the thought of immigration is perfectly reasonable. Diouana is not a fool for accepting the world as it is presented to her. While she is not particularly displeased with her life in Senegal, France is portrayed as a paradise, and it would have been foolish of her not to capitalize on an opportunity promised to be thrilling. The isolation she faces in France was not just a result of her ignorance but also of the lasting impacts of colonialism. Her mistress promises her a better life abroad, in the same way that French dominance promised to make the African continent prosperous. Through Diouana’s disillusionment, Sembene illustrates the social and psychological manifestations of the colonial alienation of
the person.
On the other hand, Anta, the female lead in Touki Bouki, is a college student and belongs to a group of pan-Africanists. It would be naive to assume that her desire for a life in Paris with Mory is solely influenced by false notions of Western supremacy. In actuality, anyone watching Mambety’s depiction of Dakar through Anta and Mory’s eyes would come to realize that the couple deeply care for the city. For Anta and Mory, Dakar is driving in the sun and love on the beach. Their city is vibrant and marked with mischief. The love for Dakar seen in Touki Bouki is conspicuous, an aspect that, over time, complicates their decision to leave.
The root of Anta and Mory’s dissatisfaction is not with Dakar itself, but can instead be attributed to the elitism and hypocrisy within post-colonial Senegal. The couple only begins to receive acceptance by their community when they are draped in expensive European fabrics. Moreover, Anta’s so-called revolutionary classmates harasses Mory for his working-class status. While some traditional customs, such as animal slaughter and folklore, are still present in their society, the Senegal they once knew is changing. Like many immigrants, Anta and Mory come to the conclusion that they may not be able to grow with their home, so instead, they must leave it. Similarly to Black Girl, Touki Bouki highlights how a love for your country and a thirst for change are not mutually exclusive – our attitudes toward what and where home is are variable and can always be subject to questioning.
France currently has the largest African diaspora in Europe. The leap of faith Diouana, Anta, and Mory take when choosing to immigrate to France illustrates the core of the African diasporic experience: immigration is not solely a decision based on disregard for one’s home. The insatiable drive to leave home in search of socio-economic stability is taxing, and the alienation one can face after leaving home is burdensome. Immigration is a heavy choice for many. Yet, Touki Bouki and Black Girl magnetically depict the flexible idea of home in a time struck by revolutionary change.