May 6, 7pm Thomas Sankara: the Upright Man and the Little Girl Who Sold the Sun

Thomas Sankara: the Upright Man
52 minutes, 2006, France
Director: Robin Shuffield
In French with English subtitles
Thursday, May 6, 7pm, $5 general admission
ICE Theaters Chatham 14
210 87th Street
Chicago, IL

Sankara, a charismatic army captain, came to power in Burkina Faso, in 1983, in a popularly supported coup. He immediately launched the most ambitious program for social and economic change ever attempted on the African continent. To symbolize this rebirth, he even renamed his country from the French colonial Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, ‘Land of Upright Men.’ As soon as he took office, he reduced the salaries of all public servants, including his own, and forbade the use of chauffeur-driven Mercedes and 1st class airline tickets. Like many revolutionary leaders, he banned unions, a free press, anything which might stand in the way of his plans for the immediate and radical transformation of society.
[youtube VftR9vOn8xE 600 400] Thomas Sankara was stalwart in his uphill fight against neo-colonialism and white supremacy from his post as leader of the small West African nation of Burkina Faso. Yet in a story with Shakespearean overtones of intrigue and betrayal, he is overthrown–and murdered–at the behest of one of his closest comrades. Mixing extensive research in archival footage with a taut and gripping narrative, this documentary is an instant classic-in short: a masterpiece.”
Gerald Horne, University of Houston

“Thomas Sankara was more than the “Ché of Africa”; he was a promise to the poorest peasant and a ray of hope for Burkina women.”
Nehanda Imara, Merritt College

The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun, 44 Min., 1999
Director: Djibril Diop Mambety
Country: France, Switzerland, Senegal
Thursday, May 6, 7pm, $5 general admission
ICE Theaters Chatham 14
210 87th Street
Chicago, IL

[youtube bf_k5D40dhw 600 400] La petite vendeuse de Soleil (The Little Girl who Sold the Sun), Mambety brings us the feisty Sili Lam, a twelve year old paraplegic who becomes the first girl to sell a daily newspaper in the competitive world of young male newspaper vendors. She takes on a policeman whom she accuses of shaking her down as well as the boys who taunt her. When some boys take her newspapers and crutches, and her friend asks her “What next?” she triumphantly responds, “We continue”. The scenes – moving, satiric and comic, are expertly played by non-professional actors to a score by acclaimed musician Wasis Diop (Mambety”s brother).