Director

Ousmane Sembène

Cast list

Makhouredia Gueye... Ibrahim Dieng
Ynousse N’Diaye... 1st Wife
Isseu Niang... Andy's 2nd Wife
Serigne N’Diayes... Imam
Serigne Sow... Maissa
Mustapha Ture... Shop Keeper
Farba Sarr... Businessman
Moudoun Faye... Mailman
Mouss Diouf... Nephew
Cristoph Colomb... Walter Seller
Therese Bass... Dieng’s Sister

Credits

Written by Ousmane Sembène

Synopsis

This French-Senegal co-production is based on a story by L.S. Senghor. An out of work Senegalese man, Ibrahim (Makhouredia Gueye) receives a money order by his nephew. Unfortunately, the uncle has no identity card which will enable him to cash the check. He tries to obtain a card, but is stymied because he lacks a birth certificate. In order to get this valuable document, he must have a photograph taken, and countless other obstacles stand in his way. Thus begins Ibrahim's nightmarish foray into the honeycomb-like world of African bureaucracy.

Reviews

Reviews and Articles:

Roger Greenspun, “Film Festival: 'Mandabi':Sembene of Senegal Directs Comedy,” New York Times (Newspaper)

“Mandabi: Review,” TV Guide  (Magazine)

Keith Uhlich, “Mandabi,” Slant Magazine (Magazine)

“Mandabi,” The Louis Proyect: The Unrepentant Marxist (Blog)

JDuC, “'The Money Order,” Time Out London (Magazine)

Academic Articles:

Consumption and Dependency in Mandabi by Sarah L Lincoln. The Journal of
Commonwealth Literature, Vol. 45, No. 3 (September 2010) pp. 341

Mandabi: Ousmane Sembene, Jean Maumy by John Frazer. Film Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 4, (July 1970) pp. 48-50

Character, Context, and Wolof Language: Mandabi by Sada Niang. Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media, Vol. 40 (1996) pp. 55-6