Event Details
The French Lecture Series for this semester continues with an event not to miss! Money, freedom, a story of the CFA Franc (2022) Synopsis: 1960 marks the end of the colonial period. The majority of former French territories south of the Sahara decided to keep the CFA franc, a conceived by Paris in the aftermath of World War II. In 2022 the CFA is still in use. How come that those countries have never challenged this legacy ? About the Film Director: Katy Léna Ndiaye is a film director and producer whose films offer a window into a contemporary Africa, tracing its journey through history and memory. Her lens has a particular focus, a gentle spotlight on women's perspectives regarding transmission and heritage. Awards quietly adorn her work, earned at festivals across the globe. Known for her documentaries about women muralists, "Traces' ' (2003) and "Awaiting for Men" (2007), Katy Lena’s work reflects on transmission, and the nuanced journey of womanhood. Among her recent creations is "Time is on Our Side” (2019), a portrait of Burkinabe rapper Smockey, whose words became a catalyst in the resistance to Blaise Compaoré's regime in Burkina Faso. Her most recent work, "Money, Freedom, a History of CFA Franc" (2022), sheds light on the currency of French-speaking Africa, which carries echoes of the colonial past into the present. In 2013, Katy Léna founded IndigoMood Films in Dakar, a place where her own narratives unfold, and where she accompanies talented directors in bringing their stories, their singular visual grammars to the screen.
We will be hosting an esteemed guest, film director and producer Katy Lena N'diaye who will present us her film and answer all your questions:
The Film Verdict deemed the film "The most important contemporary document on Francophone Africa's malignant economic relations with France."
