La Démocratie n’a pas d’ancêtres

“Koygolo is a village in the Niger. It is one village among many others in the heart of the Sahel. Its inhabitants include peasants, stockbreeders, griots, a traditional chief (the Wonkoy) and captives. At the beginning of 1993, the Niger breaks with the single-party system and organizes western-style democratic elections. How will this situation be perceived in the village? Will it disrupt the precarious balance of power of the caste system ? Will it allow women to be more outspoken? Will it be integrated into village customs like so many other phenomena which have been introduced from the outside world ? Over a period of several weeks, the film chronicles village life in an innovative way. The inclusion of many apparently insignificant details reveals the complexity of such a situation…