Beyond Keïta’s Frame: Finye (The Wind)

Seydou Keïta, the premier studio photographer of 20th-century Africa, recorded Mali’s evolution with his camera. Delve deeper into the country’s and continent’s stories of Mali with this expansive film series, presented in partnership with African Film Festival and in tandem with Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens. Check out other films in this series.

Finye (The Wind) (Souleymane Cissé, 1982, 100 min.) offers context on the political upheaval in independence-era Mali and the development of a national identity. Set a few decades after Keïta’s oeuvre, this vivid satire tackles the generation gap in postcolonial West Africa, showcasing Mali’s landscape and everyday life. Its heroine, the pot-smoking daughter of a provincial military governor, falls in love with the descendant of a chief. Both families object to the union and to her lover’s growing involvement in student strikes against the corrupt government. A mix of politics, romance, and social commentary with overtones of Romeo and Juliet, Finye (The Wind) casts a critical eye on both ancient and modern values.

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