Biblioteca Renzo Renzi, Spazio biglietteria Lumière
Piazzetta Pier Pasolini, 3b

Free admission

Ousmane Sembène was born 100 years ago in Ziguinchor, south-western Senegal, into a Wolof fishing family. Considered to be among the greatest authors and filmmakers in African culture, his contribution to the birth of a Pan-African spirit, his historical reflection on colonialism and post-colonialism, and his input to self-determination have been immeasurable. The widespread illiteracy of his people prompted Sembène to replace writing with cinema after attending the VGIK in Moscow. Together with other pioneers like Vieyra, Samb, Cheriaa and many others he contributed to the birth of the Fédération Panafricaine des Cinéastes (fepaci) and the Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou (fespaco). On the occasion of his centenary, we would like to pay tribute to him with a small selection of photos provided by the Fonds d’Archive Africaine pour la Sauvegarde des Memoires (created by Ghael Samb Sall, daughter of Ababacar Samb Makharam), as well as from the Direction de la Cinématographie du Sénégal. With thanks to Marco Lena and Tiziana Manfredi not only for finding and now safeguarding thousands of images documenting the early days of free Senegal, but also for spreading the archival virus in Dakar and beyond.