Les Mémoires de Binduté Da

Vourbira, in Burkina Faso’s Lobi region. The second funeral of Binduté Da is being celebrated. An exceptional historical and cultural event, the ceremony besides goes beyond being a more or less immuable ritual. It is a collective improvisation, the ultimate encounter between past and present. To welcome the deceased, his nineteen wives each prepare millet beer in huge jars. Binduté will be accompanied by all his dead relatives. His last wishes are communicated through a soothsayer, and then his lifestory is enacted by his children. He is the future ancestor. Interspersed with photographs and archive images, the film evokes the late hero – the great farmer, valiant elephant hunter, the young man who went far away to fight in the French army – a souvenir of a great leader…