Selbe: One Among Many

Q&A with Safi Faye and Akosua Adoma Owusu

In focusing on the daily life of a Senegalese village woman, Selbe: One Among Many examines the economic and social roles rural African women are expected to play. Selbe has the heavy responsibility of providing for a large family as her husband searches unsuccessfully for work in a neighboring town. On his return, he joins the other unemployed men of the village, who will not help the women, but are as dependent on them as the children for food and shelter. This reissue marks the first time the film has been issued in its original Wolof language. U.S. Premiere of Reissue in Wolof

Preceded by
Mossane (excerpt)
Safi Faye, Senegal, 1996, 105m
Wolof with English subtitles
Mossane (Magou Seck) is a beautiful 14-year- old from a rural Serer village, beloved by many, including her brother and Fara, a poor university student. Although she has long been promised in marriage to the wealthy Diogaye, Mossane defies her parents’ wishes and falls in love with Fara. On her wedding day, she refuses to marry Diogaye, and tragedy ensues.

On Monday of Last Week
Akosua Adoma Owusu, U.S., 2017, 14m
New York Premiere
Kamara, a Nigerian woman, works as a nanny for Josh, the five-year- old son of an interracial couple, Tracy and Neil. Tracy is an African American artist working on a commission in her basement studio—a space she rarely leaves. Kamara is intrigued by Tracy’s absence as a mother. When Tracy finally emerges from her studio one afternoon, Kamara’s growing curiosity is piqued. Their brief encounter inspires Kamara to become Tracy’s muse.