Carpenter Boubacar Gadiaga believes in education for his children’s future. When he can’t earn enough for their schooling doing carpentry, he leaves his family in the Mopti region of Mali and embarks on an arduous journey to seek work as an artisanal gold miner. In The Adventures of Boubacar, filmmaker Ousmane Zoromé Samassékou follows Boubacar’s pursuits intimately, as he learns this hazardous, life threatening work from a small group of miners. This raw and poignant film draws us into the miners’ lives unflinchingly, in scenes rarely witnessed, as Boubacar navigates his new world in his resolve to provide for his family.
Ladoum: The Star Sheep by filmmaker Moussa Diallo takes us into the world of prize sheep breeding, siring and selling in Senegal. Ladoum is an expensive breed of smooth-haired sheep, popular across west Africa. Breeder Abou Kane runs his breeding business from his urban sheepfold in Dakar, a kind of sheep hostel where the animals are penned, pampered and protected. He shows off his famous ram, Ameth Amar, descended from champions and a prized sire, and we witness the deals, negotiations and business of sheep breeding. This charming film shines a light on an unexpected part Dakar life, with sheep as the stars.
