Audiovisual work
- film
Director
Scriptwriter
Company production
Arcadia Films, Les Films de l'avenir, Télévision suisse romande, Thelma Film AG
Production countries
France, Switzerland, Burkina Faso
Year
Duration
90m
Language
Mòoré
Link
An African film made with the artistic contribution of European craftsmen (music, photography, editing), however outside of any colonialist logic. Yaaba is the story, set in an African village, of the friendship of two little boys for an old woman marginalized by the community and considered a sort of witch. Bila, a smart little boy from a village in Burkina Faso, feels sympathy and affection for Sana, an old woman who lives alone, relegated to the margins of the community by the inhabitants, as she is considered a witch. Bila's soul, still free from prejudices and fears, in fact feels the speciousness of the "licence" of witch, given by fellow villagers to the harmless woman and defends her from unfounded accusations of evil, proving its falsehood. Severely punished for her courageous dissent, Bila never ceases to protect the unhappy woman: he steals food for her, keeps her company, listens to her stories, affectionately calls her "yaaba" (grandmother), helps her rebuild her poor hut, set on fire for good luck by the superstitious villagers and manages to communicate his sympathy for Sana even to his little friend Nopoko.
