Yam Daabo

Yam Daabo marked the auspicious debut of Burkinabé master Idrissa Ouédraogo (Yaaba, SFF 1990; Samba Traoré, SFF 1993), whose films so often traced the tensions between tradition and modernity. The title means ‘the choice’ – here, the courageous decision of a family who leave behind their life in the city, dependent on international aid, in favour of a more self-sufficient countryside existence. Once they settle, new tensions emerge, including a heated rivalry between two suitors for the family’s daughter. Made during leader Thomas Sankara’s revolutionary push for a self-reliant Burkina Faso, this evocative film (scored by the great Francis Bebey) lends political significance to an intimate family story.