Acting
Dakar, Senegal. Ousmane, a 7 year old child, begs in the streets. He decides to write a letter to Santa Claus.
To inspire striking workers, the griot tells of a legendary prince, Dieri Dior Ndella, who sacrificed his life during colonialism, and Koura Thiaw, an entertainer who took up the cause of oppressed domestics in the 1940s, both becoming heroes to their people. Though this strangely lyrical film deals with a contemporary crisis, critic Roy Armes notes that "the film travels exuberantly through time to capture situations linked only by their common concern with the concepts of honor and dignity, the importance of keeping one's word and not being bought or corrupted.
After brilliant studies in France and a 15-year absence from his homeland, Adama, a young graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique, rushes back to Senegal. He is alarmed by a message informing him of the sudden decline in his grandmother's health. Upon arriving in Dakar, Adama discovers that his grandmother is in perfect shape... Was this a deliberate ploy to get him back home, and if so, why?
As funeral preparations begin for Pierre Henri 'Guelwaar' Thioune, rumour spreads that his death may have been an assassination in retaliation for his radical political beliefs and constant criticism of the current regime. When the heroic Guelwaar's cadaver is stolen, his Francophile son, Barthelemy, contacts the authorities. As Detective Gora begrudgingly investigates, he discovers that Guelwaar was a complicated man guilty of his own share of sins.
French couple Jean and Marie go on their honeymoon in Jean's hometown in Africa. They end up in the middle of a tense political situation as soon as they arrive and must spend the night in hiding. Jean begins to take on some of his father's old French colonialist attitude, which comes into drastic conflict with their current situation. As they struggle to stay alive, Marie rethinks her marriage to Jean.
A Senegalese man living in Paris with his French wife and children receives a letter from his father back home saying he has arranged for him to take a second wife. The man's indecision outrages his French wife and leads to the end of his marriage, his return to Senegal and his reflection about how his life has ended up.
The TGV? No, it is not the famous French high-speed train, but instead the rickety and colourful bus operated, driven, repaired and, if need be, pushed by the intrepid "Rambo". This time, the trip between Dakar, the capital of Senegal, and Conakry, the capital of Guinea, is outright dangerous: the road crosses the territory of the Bijagos, who have launched an unexpected and violent insurrection. Rambo finds several odd passengers (with a handful of sheep) who are ready, for various legitimate or untold reasons, to take every risk to reach Conakry. And the TGV sets off on an eventful journey...
