Learning from the Curse

Sembene's Xala

Richard Fardon and Senga la Rouge

A Hurst Publication

A distinctive and fascinating look at an African cultural icon
A biting satire on corruption, Xala set the standard for the new wave of African cinema. This is a dazzlingly illustrated reflection on West African cultural practices -- literary, social and visual -- and one of a kind.

Learning from the Curse

Sembene's Xala

Richard Fardon and Senga la Rouge

A Hurst Publication

Description

'This book is about a story (Ousmane Sembene's Xala), about a time (the aftermath of Senegalese Independence), and about a place (Dakar, the capital of Senegal). It's also about the collaboration between an artist and an anthropologist, who have reacted in their different mediums to the story, time and place, and to what the other made of them ....'

So opens a unique account in a genre of its own devising that will engage readers interested in Sembene Ousmane as writer and film director, in Senegal, in African film, in West Africa, or in books designed to be desirable objects in their own right.

Learning from the Curse

Sembene's Xala

Richard Fardon and Senga la Rouge

A Hurst Publication

Author Information

Richard Fardon is a social anthropologist who has researched and written about West Africa. He teaches at SOAS, University of London.

Sènga la Rouge is a Paris-based artist. Her wide interests include carnets de voyage, drawing performances, and drawing in and as performance.

Learning from the Curse

Sembene's Xala

Richard Fardon and Senga la Rouge

A Hurst Publication

Reviews and Awards

'Fardon's penetrating insight underpins a dazzling interpretation of Sembene's classic novella and film, and, in combination with Boulmer's (alias la Rouge) sumptuous illustrations, he infuses Xala's plotlines with contemporary relevance.' -- Trevor Marchand, Emeritus Professor of Social Anthropology, SOAS.

'A lovely example of the sort of creative renewal badly needed in African and Africanist anthropology -- frontier conversations across disciplines and with interlocutors outside of the academy -- to capture the intricacies and nuanced complexities of Africa and Africans.' -- Francis B. Nyamnjoh, Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Cape Town

"Richard Fardon's Learning from the curse, illustrated with beautiful drawings by Senga la Rouge, is a true homage to Sembene's Xala . . . everything about Learning is beautiful -- the prose, the art, the book's cover, the choice of colours and even the quirky font . . . The choice of themes around which Fardon organises the structure of the book excites joys of interpretation [and] Fardon's signature prose is the kind that gets stamped into memory and can be revisited at a leisurely moment . . . The book has many uses: it is a fun and off-beat reportage of the place and the time, it is a film club companion for solitary viewers, and it is a book to admire visually." --Africa at LSE, Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa blog