Farafina Now

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Farafina Vol. 12, guest edited by Akin Adesokan, carries on its Letters page a note from the hilariously named Dingwo Normality. You read it and think: someone's having a laugh. Jim McConkey (who writes about Ayi Kwei Armah), Afam Akeh, and Omowunmi Segun (read her story, Homecoming) - are among the contributors. I am also in there, with my review of the film Bamako. As is Tade Ipadeola, who in the essay, Adedibully, casts a critical eye on Lamidi Adedibu, a man who gives a bad name to the term political godfather.
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In the previous edition, guest edited by Petina Gappah (and with contributions from the likes of Darrel Bristow-Bovey, Chris Abani, Kuzhali Manickavel and Tinashe Mushakavanhu) and published before the ethnic violence unleashed after contested elections in Kenya - I spotted this quote, illustrated by a misbehaving monkey. A certain Mrs Njeri expresses concern about rampaging monkeys destroying crops and killing livestock. It wouldn't have seemed possible, but soon, human beings would behave worse than the monkeys...

'Art is Important'

Nigeria has been at the polls and we look anxiously on. I've had so many worrying sms messages from Lagos and Ibadan in the last week, and one can only read and sigh - or shake one's head in quiet amazement at some of the unbelievable goings on. Many bloggers have filed in post after post on the elections, one of whom is Sokari Ekine of the Blacklooks blog. She has a list of the bloggers who have posted on the Nigerian elections here. These bloggers are doing a wonderful job of bringing the Nigerian polls to the blogsphere. Wordsbody will keep up the loose focus here, on the arts, because as Nicole Kidman once declared and I agree, "Art is Important".

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Above is a newspaper cutout (Metro, 22nd February) that I've been meaning to post. Just as well, that the 'Africa on Trial' headline should be blogged during the aforementioned elections... Metro included Abderrahmane Sissako's film, Bamako, on its list of films Londoners must see. But something struck me. Africa on Trial's accompanying text reinforces the misrepresentation of the header. No mention of the fact that it is actually the West and her financial institutions that go on trial in the movie. An indication, perhaps, of the West's inherent unease with the message of Bamako.

Bamako

13th February, and I attended a screening of Abderrahmane Sissako's Bamako at the very arty Renoir Cinema in Russell Sq. The director took questions from the audience after the film, in a Q&A moderated by Imruh Bakari (in red cap), former director of the Zanzibar Internation Film Festival. Sissako spoke largely in French. His wife and co-producer of Bamako - Magda Abdi Gonji - translated into English. Later, husband and wife met film fans in one-to-one discussions. African on Screen continues till March 18; Sissako's Waiting For Happiness is also on the programme.

Africa On Screen

Tonight @ the Curzon Mayfair in London, the actor Danny Glover attends the Gala screening of Abderrahmane Sissako's Bamako. The event is sold out - if you don't already a ticket then don't bother.

Bamako is described as an African parable of injustice in which a civil trial is set up in a courtyard to try the World Bank and IMF. Bamako opens a new season of films by African film-makers. Tagged Africa On Screen, the season is ongoing until March 18th.

At 3 London Cinemas - The Curzon, The Renoir & The Ritzy - you can catch Bamako and films including: Abouna, Ousmane Sembene's Xala, Touki Bouki, A Letter From My Village and Waiting For Happiness.

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• Bamako movie website