Djembefola (1991)
4.2 of 5 from 45 ratings
1h 5min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
"Djembefola" is a portrait of African master-drummer Mamady Keita. It tells the story of Keita's life, from his childhood in a small village in Guinea, where a witch doctor predicted his great destiny. Mamady Keita became a prodigy who at 14 was one of five percussionists selected for membership in the National Djoliba Ballet. The film follows him from Brussels, where he now lives and teaches, on a pilgrimage to his native village of Balandugu, Guinea. From Brussels to Conakry, Guinea's capital, then with a Jeep to the remote village. There, he has a tear-filled reunion with friends and relatives who had assumed he was dead. In addition to sketching a vivid portrait of its subject, the film tells a lot about the essential qualities of this nearly-sacred instrument: djembe. Several extended musical sequences suggest how the instrument's beats and tones become a complex emotional language that serves as a kind of communal heartbeat for the people of Balandugu. - Actors:
- Mamady Keita
- Directors:
- Laurent Chevallier
- Producers:
- Patricia Conord
- Writers:
- Laurent Chevallier, Pierre Marcault
- Genres:
- Documentary, Music & Musicals, Performing Arts, Special Interest
- Countries:
- France
