Democratic Republic of the Congo / All works
Cinema
The Draughtsmen Clash
Le Damier – Papa national oyé !
Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda · 1996
Synopsis
To fill a sleepless night, the Papa national, president-founder for life and first citizen of his country, wants to play draughts against an opponent worthy of him. A man of the street is brought to him, a hemp smoker, designated the people's champion in all categories. The game begins at the palace. Custom requires that after each move the opponents exchange insults: the man of the street may therefore insult the head of state, while respecting his authority, and the game becomes a dialogue between the people and power.
Context
A forty-minute medium-length film, in colour and in black and white, it was produced by Dipanda Yo!, the author's company, and Myriapodus Films, with the Fonds francophone de production, and distributed in the United States by ArtMattan Productions. It is its author's first fiction film. Shown at Fespaco in 1997, it won awards in Ouagadougou, Villeurbanne and Toronto, then in Namur and Philadelphia. The Tisch School of the Arts, in New York, restored it in 2021 with the Institut français.
Who it is for
A short film, in French; everything rests on a popular rule of the game, which it is best to know before watching.
Prizes and reception
Olivier Barlet, in Africultures, counted it among the most interesting fiction films shown at Fespaco, praising its scathing humour.