Women Who Rock

Red carpet action at Cine Burkina

With "Women of Rock" in the title, I expected the Belgian film we were going to see to be about just that - girls and music. I was correct with the first half but the music part had nothing to do with it.

"Winds of Sand, Women of Rock (Vents de Sable, Femmes de Roc)" was a poignant and beautiful film about the nomadic Toubou tribe of women who annually make a journey (of several hundred kilometers, in 3 weeks) through the harsh Sahara to collect and sell dates and livestock. This enables them to independently make a living to survive another year in their village. The scenes of the desert and their colorful clothing and tents are enough to make you want to do the journey with them.


Day 4 of FESPACO and this was the best film I've seen so far. Yesterday night, we watched "The Last Flight of the Flamingo" from Mozambique. Filled with traditional sorcery, this fable takes an entertaining look at the grim situation post-civil war and post-colonialism. I won't give it all away but it begins with the mystery of a severed penis found in the middle of the road. I will say no more.

It's no xiao long bao, but we needed an Asian food fix!