On January 2, 1899, starting from the French Soudan, a French column under the commandment of the captains Voulet and Chanoine is sent against the black Sultan Rabah in what is now Cameroun. Those captains and their African mercenary troops destroy and kill everything they find on their path. The French authority tries to stop them, sending orders and a second troop but the captains even kill the emissaries who are reaching them. Sarraounia, queen of the Aznas, has heard about the exactions. Clever in war tactics and in witchcraft, she decides to resist and stop those madmen.
In a world where stories of the most epic battles in history are fought, you rarely hear about the women unless they are patching up the men’s wounds. If there is some rare story written about a woman who was on the front line leading men into battle to save her country, she certainly isn’t black, fearless and definitely not a Queen!
Raised by her father, Sarraounia (Aï Keïta-Yara) was groomed to become an independent, fearless warrior. Known for possessing not only strength but mystical powers, not many attempt to defeat her. As the word gets out that French troops have arrived to destroy and conquer, Sarraounia gathers her army and prepares to defend her territory. Meanwhile, the French troops leave no stone unturned and have mercilessly murdered and demolished the land of many natives and are slowly moving her way.
Because the legend of Sarraounia is well-known and she is feared by many, the French troop leader decides he must attack her to prove that they can eliminate her once and for all, finally putting her legend to rest. Two opposing African villages come together, debating the support of Sarraouina. One side wants to stand by her and the other feels they should not get involved with her affairs. I thought this was such an important theme in the story about coming together as one and fighting the oppressor rather than separating and allowing a take over that will ultimately hurt the whole community.
Sarraounia brought many villagers together and stressed that no matter their religious or cultural beliefs, they were fighting for their people. She invited all to join her and battle to the very end; she was determined not to lose their dignity and become enslaved. She strategically trained and prepared her army and when the French troops arrived, they didn’t know what hit them.
There were so many things I loved about this film and it wasn’t just about female empowerment. What I appreciated was the strong attitude of resistance against the enemy. So many times with this specific genre, we see weak characters that seem more like victims that give in so easily because they are paralyzed with fear. Sarraounia uplifted her people and instilled in them the need to keep fighting and never give in. She was not afraid, she did not back down. You even see the French troops crack under pressure and admit to each other that they didn’t want theirarmy, who by the way, were black slaves, to find out that they were not really that powerful. In fact, they were just the same as them. Even after witnessing the horrible acts of the troops, how inhumane and diabolical their nature, you still felt hopeful and somewhat proud that Sarraounia would defeat them in the end.
“Sarraounia” recently premiered at the 2019 New York African Film Festival
