'Sun of the Soil': a story of legacy and identity
Hello!
Just some quick comments about the film ‘Sun of the Soil’, in regard to my introductory post about issues of discourses about Africa.
Few themes in the film:
- The prosperity of the Malian Empire
Mansa Musa, known as the “wealthiest man of all times”, was the ninth ruler of the Malian empire c 1312- c. 1337 (Mohamud, 2019). He is famous for his extravagant pilgrimage to Mecca during which his spending caused a depreciation of the value of gold in the whole region. During his reign, the empire thrived by monopolising of gold trade developing of agricultural resources along the Niger River (Canós-Donnay, 2019). Timbuktu merchants established trade routes that allowed the spread of customs and knowledge. Mansa Musa popularised literature with the writing of “Timbuktu manuscripts” (Sun of the Soil, 2019).
However, unlike his predecessors, whose lives were thoroughly documented, there are scarce accounts of his existence. Why?
- ‘Sun of the Soil’ : a story of expropriation and identity
Ouologuem meets with experts and historians and learn that records are gone as they were stolen by the French army when they invaded the country in search of gold. Other manuscripts were buried in caves to avoid theft and were eventually devoured by termites.
Dr Christina Sharpe explains that part of the process of colonisation was to rip off the population from their identity, to take credit for the development and to establish a narrative in which Africa had no history prior to the Atlantic slave trade (Sun of the Soil, 2019)
Ouologuem is troubled and wonders how one can achieve complete self-consciousness without the knowledge of their own history. The prosperity of Musa and the Malian Empire faded away from collective memory. Malians were robbed off a glorious past and grew up with the belief that they were in the periphery of their own history.
- The issue of gold
Ouologuem blames Mansa Musa for openly displaying the gold of Mali. He says the country has been invaded since then. Gold no longer shines for them. He also claims that people are surviving rather living and defines living as “being in harmony with nature and respecting the elements” (Sun of the Soil, 2019).
But how to achieve harmony when gold isn’t shining for you? Ouologuem wonders how he relates to gold and the narrative of Mansa Musa.
Some sequences depict the Yanfolila gold mines, with miners putting in long hours to dig gold ingots that will be sold on foreign markets and never reach their hands. In stark contrast to Mansa Musa's story.
“We walk on gold”, adds Ouologuem, “yet our brothers are throwing themselves into the sea to seek fortune elsewhere” (Sun of the Soil, 2019).
- A solution through art?
Ouologuem is frustrated, Musa’s legacy is buried under the ground. He decides to recreate his figure through art. To him, this is an inner dialogue to understand the emperor. Yet, it might be even more significant. Art communicates symbols and reshapes narratives. Mansa Musa’s story was stolen, and now Ouologuem is in charge of telling it and deciding how to restore Musa’s prestige in the collective memory.
Why I post about this film (and probably shouldn't)?
Although it doesn’t directly relate to hydro politics, this documentary shows how the active erasure of history can create fake narratives. It also raises questions around identity and sense of belonging in regard to natural resources.
Films are powerful platforms to convey messages. They have often been the “colonial-era mythmakers and extenders whose white lensed romanticisms have determined the space within which Africa is defined and knowable” (Ademolu, 2018). This film, on the other hand, gives a platform to the voice of a Malian artist who expresses his perspective on contemporary challenges. His artistic performance, contemplation, and identity search are as much the emphasis of the film than as Mansa Musa. While it is only 26 minutes long, it allows a comprehensive and complex story to resonate.
Next post will (really) look at a case study on hydropolitics!
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