Djibril Diop Mambéty

**Djibril Diop Mambéty** (January 1945 - July 23, 1998) be Senegalese man wey direct film, act film, talk sweet, compose music, den write poem. Even though he make five big films per den two small documentary film, he get praise from around de world for ein fresh den different way of making film den ein story wey no dey follow de normal way.

Dem born Mambéty insyd Muslim family for near Dakar, Senegal ein capital city. He be Wolof person. He die for 1998 wen dem dey treat am for lung cancer for hospital for Paris.

## Ein Biography
Dem born Djibril Diop Mambéty for Colobane, Senegal, one town wey dey near Dakar, de capital city of Senegal. He feature dis town for some of ein films. Mambéty be de son of Muslim cleric den member of Lebou tribe. Mambéty start to like cinema from theater. After he fini school for acting for Senegal, he work as stage actor for Daniel Sorano National Theater for Dakar, but dem sack am secof of bad behavior.

For 1969, wen Mambéty be 23 years old, he direct den produce ein first short film, *Contras' City* (City of Contrasts), widout learn anything about filmmaking before. Next year, 1970, Mambéty make anoda short film, *[[Badou Boy]]*, wey win Silver Tanit award for Carthage Film Festival for Tunisia.

Mambéty ein first big film, *Touki Bouki* (1973), wey be very fine den full of meaning, win International Critics Award for Cannes Film Festival den Special Jury Award for Moscow Film Festival, make am popular den well-known around de world. Even though de film be successful, nearly twenty years pass before Mambéty make anoda big film. For dat time, he make one small film per for 1989, *Parlons Grandmère* (*Let's talk Grandmother*).

Mambéty ein second den last big film, *Hyènes* (1992), be adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt ein play *The Visit* den be like continuation of *Touki Bouki*. When Mambéty die, he dey work for three small films top wey dem call *Contes des Petites Gens* (*Tales of the Little People*). De first film be *Le Franc* (1994). When he die, he dey edit de second film, *La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil* (*The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun*), wey come out after he die for 1999..

July 23, 1998, be de day Mambéty die of lung cancer for hospital for Paris, France, wen he be 53 years old.

Na he be de subject give 2008 documentary film *Mambéty For Ever*.

## Ein Film career

### ''Contras'city''
Djibril Diop Mambéty ein first film, small one wey dem bell *Contras'city* (1968), show de difference between big city life for Dakar, wey dey show off plus fine buildings, den de simple life of Senegalese people. Mambéty ein main idea wey he dey talk about, hybridity - de mix of old Africa den Western world for new Africa - dey already show for *Contras'city,* wey dem consider as Africa ein first comedy film.

### ''Badou Boy''
*Main article: [[Badou Boy]]*

For 1970, Mambéty release anoda small film, *Badou Boy*, wey san dey laugh at Senegal ein capital. De film follow de story of one boy wey de director say be "little bit bad boy, but be like me sef". De boy be street smart, but na he no dey behave well. De contest be between one person wey no dey follow rule den one policeman wey be like cartoon, wey dey chase de protagonist thru scenarios wey no be possible, buh be funny. *Badou Boy* dey hail urban lifestyle, buh sanso dey laugh at de government.

### ''Touki Bouki''
Many people think say *Touki Bouki* be Mambéty ein most bold den important film. De film take de themes of hybridity den individual marginality den isolation wey he start for ein earlier films den develop am more. Mambéty write de story den script einself, we he make de film plus $30,000 wey he get from Senegalese government den oda places. Though de film take some style from French New Wave, *Touki Bouki* get ein own style. De way de camera move den de music sound, be fast-fast wey e no be like most African films wey dey take time. De film use jump cuts, montage wey no dey match, den sound wey no dey sweet, to show how Senegal be mix of old den new things. De film follow two lovers, Mory den Anta, wey dey dream of running away from Dakar to France wey dem think be heaven. Dem try to find money to travel, wey dem reach de ship wey go take dem to Paris, buh before dem go, Mory change ein mind wey he no fi go, he prefer stay for Dakar. *Touki Bouki* win award for Moscow film Festival for Cannes.

* For 2010, Empire magazine rank *Touki Bouki* as number 52 for "De 100 Best Films Of World Cinema".

### ''Hyènes''
*Hyènes* (*Hyenas*) be African version of Swiss play, *The Visit*, wey Friedrich Dürrenmatt write. De story follow Linguere Ramatou, one old rich woman wey go back to ein village, Colobane, wey be Mambéty ein village too. Linguere offer one bad proposal to de people of Colobane den give dem luxury tins to persuade dem. Dis woman, wey be rich like World Bank, promise to give Colobane plenty money if dem kill Dramaan Drameh, one shopkeeper wey leave am after dem love affair wey she born kiddie wen na she be 16. De story of love den revenge between Linguere den Dramaan sanso talk about how Africa dey follow white people style den how dem dey spend money foolishly. Mambéty once talk say, "We sell wona souls too cheap. We go fini if we trade wona souls for money" Even though de characters be different, Mambéty think say *Hyènes* be like part two of *Touki Bouki*, wey he dey explore de themes of power den madness more. Wasis Diop, wey be de younger bro of Djibril Diop Mambéty, be de one wey do de music for de film. California Newsreel Productions wey distribute de film.

### ''Le Franc''
*Le Franc* (1994) be de first film for Mambéty ein trilogy wey he no fini, *Contes des Petites Gens* (*Tales of Little People*). De film use de time wey French government devalue CFA Franc to talk about how people dey find way to survive for system wey like greed pass merit. De film follow one poor musician, Marigo, wey find comfort for playing ein congoma, buh dem confiscate am secof ein debt. Marigo play lottery, den even though he win, he face obstacles to collect de money. De film be both funny den symbolic of how luck dey work for some people den no dey work for odas for global economy. *Le Franc* be part of project, *Three Tales from Senegal*, wey sanso dey include "*Picc Mi*" (*Little Bird*) den "*Fary l'anesse*" (*Fary the Donkey*). California Newsreel Productions dey distribute de film.

### ''La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil''
*La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil* (*The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun*) be de second film for Mambéty ein trilogy wey dey celebrate de lives den hope of ordinary Senegalese people. De 45-minute film show one small beggar girl, Sili, wey use crutches, buh still dey move around de city plus confidence, avoid some bad boys, den sell newspapers to make money for einself den ein blind grandmommie. Mambéty dedicate dis film to "de courage of street children". Ein main character, Sili, make dis film be sympathetic den optimistic look at de struggle den potential of Africa ein most oppressed people - young, female, poor, disabled. De film get music from Mambéty ein bro, Wasis Diop. *Village Voice* select dis film as one of de ten best films of 2000. A.O. Scott from *The New York Times* say de film be "masterpiece of understated humanity.

## Cinematic style and themes
Djibril Diop Mambéty ein films always talk about hybridity, meaning how different things mix together. Like ein colleagues, Mambéty use film to talk about politics den social things for Africa. Ein films be like critiques of neocolonialism, like Ousmane Sembène den Souleymane Cissé, so dem fi put am for Third Cinema. Buh Mambéty ein style be different, e be fast-fast, no dey follow straight line, wey e use surrealism, wey make am different from other big filmmakers for Francophone African cinema wey use traditional way to teach people about social things. African Studies scholar Sheila Petty say, "unlike other African filmmakers wey dey make films for late 1960s and early 1970s, wey dey focus on African values versus cultural alienation, Mambéty want show de different-different things wey dey happen for real life".

Oda things wey Mambéty ein films always talk about be power, wealth, den delusion. For ein last feature-length film, *Hyènes*, Mambéty show say Africans demaselves dey cause dema own problem of depending on West. Thru de film den chaw interviews, de director say Africans no dey think far, dey look back to colonial past for dema future, wey dem dey mislead dem by desire for material tins wey make Africa depend on foreign aid. But at de end, Mambéty give message of hope for him last films, wey lift up "little people" as de ones wey go bring positive den fresh Africa. "De only people wey dey consistent, unaffected for dis world" Mambéty once talk about de marginalized, "for dem, every morning bring de same question: how to preserve what be essential to dem.

Vlad Dima, one professor wey dey teach French studies, say Mambéty ein way of switching between sound wey match de picture den sound wey no match de picture for ein films, be way to make viewers move from de thing dem dey see to de story dem dey hear. Dima give example of dis technique for de first scene of *Contras'city*, where dem dey play French classical music as dem show French-style Dakar City Hall building; den de Senegalese flag appear, disrupt de music, den one voiceover talk say "Dakar".

## Filmography

### Films wey he feature for insyd

* *[[Badou Boy]]* (1970)
* *Touki Bouki* (dem sanso bell am *The Journey of the Hyena*) (1973), International Critic's Prize at Cannes and Special Jury Prize Moscow Film Festival
* *Hyènes* (1992)
* *Le Franc* (1994)
* *La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil* (1999)

### Short films

* *Contras'city* (1968)
* *Parlons Grand-mère (Let's talk Grandmother) (1989)*

## Ein life matter
Na Mambéty be de older bro of musician Wasis Diop den de uncle of actress den director Mati Diop, Wasis Diop ein daughter. Na he be de poppie of Teemour Diop Mambety.

## Sana Spy

* African cinema

## References


* Thackway, Melissa *Africa shoots back : alternative perspectives in Sub-Saharan Francophone African film * Bloomington : Indiana University Press ; Oxford : James Currey ; Cape Town : David Philip, 2003.
* Russell, Sharon A. *Guide to African Cinema* Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1998.
* "Sinemaabi a dialogue with Djibril Diop Mambety" by Beti Ellerson Poulenc
* Sada Niang: *Djibril Diop Mambety: un cinéaste à contre-courant*, Paris: Editions L'Harmattan, 2002
* Clements, Clare: "Meandering through Dakar. Flâneurs, Fragmentation and the Flow of Life in Djibil Diop Mambéty’s Cinema of Wanderers", in: *manycinemas* 2/2011, 16–29, online at manycinemas Archived 2012-11-16 at the Wayback Machine

## External links

* In Memory of Djibril Diop Mambety
*  at IMDb