A Consideration of Socio-Cultural Role of Women in <i>Yeelen</i> and <i>Faat Kiné</i>

Abstract

The study examines socio-cultural themes in African cinema with a specific focus on Souleyman Cissé’s Yeelen (1987) and Ousmane Sembeǹ e’s Faat Kiné (2000). The female characters epitomise the role of women within the Bambara culture as interlocutors and mediators between humans against their fellow humans and the deities. The enduring relevance of Faat Kiné (2000) cannot be simply glossed over when it comes to the travails of a ‘modern’ woman within the patriarchal constructed societies that characterise some traditional African states. The study concludes that traditional African women wield some influence in guiding the moral and spiritual direction of their children. In the case of Faat Kiné, Sembène appears to strongly suggest that education, and economic empowerment of females are the ingredients that lead to the collapse of male-dominated cultural and religious influence(s) within society.