Ousmane Sembene (Senegal/1974)

Zeroing in on the hypocritical posturing by some African leaders on the subject of white colonial policies, this brilliantly witty, devastating satire deals with a self-satisfied, partially Westernized businessman who is suddenly struck with the xala: a curse which renders its victims impotent. As he chases after a cure, his affliction becomes a mirror of the impotence of young African nations over-dependent on white technology and bureaucratic structures. One of Sembène’s most entertaining, important and powerful films was heavily censored in his native Senegal, and it’s not hard to see why. (123 min.)