Touki Bouki
dir. Djibril Diop Mambéty · 1973
Plot
Mory, a cowherd who rides a motorcycle mounted with a cow's skull, and Anta, a university student, have met in Dakar, Senegal's capital. Alienated and disaffected with Senegal and Africa, they long to go to Paris and work up different con schemes to raise the money. Mory steals clothing and money from a wealthy gay man who had brought him home, and he and Anta book passage on a ship to France.
Why watch
Mory, a cowherd with dreams of Paris, rides through the streets of Dakar on a motorcycle adorned with a cow's skull, embodying the clash between tradition and aspiration. As he and Anta navigate their discontent with their surroundings, their schemes to escape reveal a deeper longing for identity and belonging. Watching this film is like wandering through a dreamscape where the vibrant colors of Senegal contrast with the stark realities of urban life, leaving you to ponder the cost of ambition and the weight of cultural dislocation.