A Tribute to Ousmane Sembène

When El Hadji Abdoukadar Beye takes a third wife (he already has one traditional and one Westernized), he falls victim to the xala (pronounced "ha-la"), a curse that renders him impotent. A scathing satire on the new post-independence ruling class, the film broke Senegalese box-office records and is arguably Sembène's masterpiece. In Wolof and French with English subtitles. Senegal, 1974, 35mm, color, subtitled, 123 min. With Thierno Leye, Seune Samb, Miriam Niang.